# 2003 kg 381 sizing & ride characteristics



## spanky dog (Mar 4, 2007)

I am considering a 2003 kg 381 for my wife who now rides a steel slx pinarello montello. The pinarello is quite stiff with steep angles. I am hoping for a more comfortable pleasant riding frame for her on long rides (80 + mi.). Can anyone help with information about this frame specifically ride characteristics and frame dimensions in the 55 cm size?. The ideal frame in steel would be 55 - 55.5 c-c seat tube and 54 -55 c-c top tube so how would the 55 cm 381 fit ?. Thank you for your help.


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*info...*

I rode a 381 for two seasons. It was nice, but rode no better than a current 585.

As for the "ideal" top tube length, a TT length without a corresponding seat tube angle means nothing.

The 381 is sized c-c. A 55cm size has a 56.9cm TT, but the seat tube angle is a relaxed 72.5 degrees. This angle effectively shortens the TT length (reach) by about 1cm per degree. I doubt that the frames you're comparing to are more than 1 degree steeper in STA, so the comparable TT length would be on the long side.

Do you have an accurate saddle height for your wife, so you're sure that a 55cm is not too large?


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## spanky dog (Mar 4, 2007)

Thank you for your response. The Pinarello fits reasonably well as it is but the seat sits a little high in the frame and the stem is only 9cm reach with a 10 degree rise. My hope was to find a frame that could give a slightly better fit and allow more comfort over the stiff Pinarello. It sounds like the LOOK may have too much top tube for it to be perfect but may ride better with the relaxed angles. A frame with more head tube might be preferable. I found the LOOK NOS frame on ebay and thought it might be worth a try so that is the impetus rather than poor fit presently. If you can suggest a frame I would love to know what it is as long as it can be had new or used for about 800. or less. I ride a Colnago Technos that is very comfortable and I would love to see my wife on something as cushy.


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## lookrider (Dec 3, 2006)

Unless your wife is a tall lady, the 55 is way too big. I'm just under 5'10" with an 85 cm inseam, and I think I can be on a 54 or 53. The 55 is ok but is best for me with shorter reach bars and a 10cm stem.


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## toonraid (Sep 19, 2006)

My wife is 5'9 and she rides a size Large 585 opt (elle) which has a shortened TT and higher HT that the standard 585 so virtual TT is 546 and HT is 172 with an STA of 73.75 with a 100 mm stem and she really like the fit, comfort and performance - I guess your budget doesn't stretch that far but older looks are also great as far as the comfort is concerned (231, 241, 281 etc) - I suggest looking for something between 53 - 54 VTT length.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

I believe the 81 series was sized in 1 cm increments--- so there is no need to to find an exact fit.

I would try the frame before buying. My 57 is larger than a 58 and 59 that I have in other brands.



toonraid said:


> My wife is 5'9 and she rides a size Large 585 opt (elle) which has a shortened TT and higher HT that the standard 585 so virtual TT is 546 and HT is 172 with an STA of 73.75 with a 100 mm stem and she really like the fit, comfort and performance - I guess your budget doesn't stretch that far but older looks are also great as far as the comfort is concerned (231, 241, 281 etc) - I suggest looking for something between 53 - 54 VTT length.


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## spanky dog (Mar 4, 2007)

I may be a fool or wishful thinker but I found a 55cm, NOS 381, with fork,headset, seat post and stem for sale and bought it for 750.00. I know I will have to make component changes to it for any chance at a proper fit but I will try. I thought at that price I didn't have a whole lot to lose. Is there any good reason not to use a stem less than say 9cm reach? My wife is over a 32 inch inseam pretty much all legs for 5'8.5 height. Thank you for the input .


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## lookrider (Dec 3, 2006)

spanky dog said:


> I may be a fool or wishful thinker but I found a 55cm, NOS 381, with fork,headset, seat post and stem for sale and bought it for 750.00. I know I will have to make component changes to it for any chance at a proper fit but I will try. I thought at that price I didn't have a whole lot to lose. Is there any good reason not to use a stem less than say 9cm reach? My wife is over a 32 inch inseam pretty much all legs for 5'8.5 height. Thank you for the input .


Standover is approx 81 cm. That seems like a good price for a beautiful frame, and I think they are somewhat in demand as kind of an old style frame.

I really like my two..:thumbsup:

I'm riding one of them with a 9cm newton stem, shorter reach bars, and a set back seatpost with an arionne saddle. The other one I have a 11 cm ritchey stem, itm millenium bars which have a longer reach and bigger drop, and a non setback Thomson elite seatpost with a Brooks Team Professional Saddle.. The bike with the 9cm stem seems to be slightly slower steering which may seem counter intuitive.

When I'm in the drops my back is pretty flat and my flexibility isn't great. If your wife is limber it may fit.


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