You often see geometry charts and read about how their special geometry outperforms others. Almost all of that is total hog wash. From the beginning, steel frame makers insisted that their geometries were special and that the best solution is to have a custom bike make just for you. Then came carbon fiber and it became too expensive to make molds up exclusively for each rider. The result, with a few exceptions is that Pro Tour riders ride stock frames. Most teams use no custom frames. What’s going on? The answer is that, within reason, you only need to concern yourself with three points. The saddle, the pedal, and the handlebar contact points. Sure, for time trial bikes you need steeper geometries but I am talking about road bikes. The saddle position I consider the area of the saddle that is exactly over the a line drawn through the center of the seat post in line with the seat tube. To simplify pedal position I use the center of the bottom bracket. For handlebar position I consider to be the center of the handlebar. Why are these positions the only ones you need to consider? First, you work the saddle position back from the position of the knee over the pedal. The back of the front of the knee cap should be about directly above the pedal spindle when the crank arm is parallel to the ground because this is the position that best delivers power to the pedals. So no matter where the frame (using different seat post angles) puts the saddle, you need to adjust the saddle to the pedal position. Second, the handlebar position is a direct result of riding position which is the result of flexibility and the tradeoff between low (for better aero dynamics) or higher, for more comfort. This is a matter of personal preference. A 120 pound rider generating 250 watts who can touch his palms on the ground is going to want a different position than a 200 pound rider generating 100 watts who can’t reach his ankles. It’s clear to see that no matter what frame geometry the bike has the overriding issues are going to be where the rider needs the saddle and handlebars for the most comfort and efficiency. Ideally, I would have liked the FC500 to have the same geometry as the FC100 and F100 because it would fit more riders (the seat tube and head tube being parallel are better for getting the reach even spaced over the different sizes). That being said, if you fit the FC500 there is no disadvantage to the geometries.
