Hi everyone, I am 5’5" and ride a 48cm Cannondale supersix road bike which is supposed to be the appropriate size for my height. That said, I run a short 8cm stem and have the stem slammed. I also have a 46cm supersix gravel bike and I like how it handles more nimbly compared to my road bike, despite having a longer stem 10cm. It also rocks back and forth much more readily when out of the saddle. I’m thinking of going to a 44cm supersix road bike and adding a 1cm spacer and running a 9cm stem.
Any thoughts or advice on whether this might give me a more nimble handling road bike compared to my current 48cm? Thanks.
I’m 6’1” and am usually fit to a 58cm bike. I’ve found sizing down to a 56cm is preferable to me. Many riders do it. For me a smaller frame is more nimble and lively.
Going down two sizes is probably too much. I’d strongly recommend you test ride a bunch of bikes in different sizes, and talk to a bike fitter. This isn’t as easy as changing your stem. E. g. you’d have to raise your seat post, which then begs the question whether you can hold that position. Even if you like how your gravel bike feels, gravel bikes have a less aggressive geometry than racy road bikes like the SuperSix.