Thursday, September 5, 2013

Fitting into the SL

Since receiving the pattern for the Milan SL this spring I have wondered if I can ride it.  Do I fit into the SL?  I am about 6'2" but have short legs.  I understood that I may just be a little too tall.   The hope was that my short legs would let me fit.  Well I now know what the answer is. 

We just got Milan SL sitting on its wheels last night.  When I first sat in the SL things were not looking too good.  I had the bottom bracket adjusted a bit too far forward and couldn't spin the pedals as my shoes contacted the sides.  The crank size is 152.  Moved the BB back a touch and couldn't pedal without my shins contacting the front of the door opening.  Next tried moving the seat back from its normal position.  Closer but still could not pedal properly.  Moved the seat back even further so there was almost no space between the seat and the rear fender.  Now it is possible to pedal if you are very exact about how you do it.  This is probably still too tight a fit for me to ride for very long.  Removed the seat pad and made sure I was fully back in the seat and I can now imagine riding this way.  Some careful padding of the seat will be required to get a comfortable enough fit. Still need to check to be sure once the SL is able to be ridden.   It may also require a modification to the door so there is slightly more room for my knees.  Moving the point where the seat mounts at the front end may end up raising it slightly as the floor is dished a bit to get the seat as low as possible.   Another issue may be if there is enough room for the rear idler. While it is looking encouraging to fit, it is not yet a sure thing.  At least it may be possible rather than not!

1 comment:

  1. What pad are you using in the SL? Is it the Ventisit seat pad? I have never liked that pad. I just use a foam pad and it works very well for me.

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