Looking for some generic advice. I am 5-10 and suffer from a medium case of scoliosis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoliosis

This shortens my torso relative to my legs. So my legs are for all intents meant to go on a 6-1 person and my upper body is built like a 5-9 person.

I have been riding previously a 56 cm fuji time trial bike that I took the aero bars off of. It was sheer luck I think now that that bike fit me as well as it did. I tried to get as close as possible to the top tube length on my new bike, but to do so I had to drop down to a 54cm bike. This has caused me to have a pretty bad drop distance from saddle to handlebars which aggrevates my back past about 40 miles.

I think what I really need is a 555mmx555mm frame, but one of these doesn't exist in the real world (that I've found). I guess I could go back to time trial bike frames and just build it up for road riding. Custom steel seems to be too pricey.

I know the other solution would be a silly road stem with absurd rise or something like that, but I have enough trouble just drinking out of a water bottle and pedaling at the same time to attempt this.

Are there any frame maker brands that might fit these requirements?

What is your price range? There are some custom builders out there that may fall into your range.

As you look, keep in mind that you're not really looking for a 55.5 seat tube as such. With the seat post in there, it's almost irrelevant how long that tube is. The central aim is having a certain top tube and a certain head tube length. The ST and HT usually move together, but it's not necessarily so.

The actual length of the TT can vary too, based on the seat tube angle. A bike with a slacker angle and a longer TT will provide the same fit as one more upright, but shorter, because the seat will (should) remain in the same position in relation to the BB, effectively 'overhanging' more of the TT along the way.

I can't tell you how to do the math for this in your particular situation. I only mention it to say not to brush off certain bikes right away - something inobvious might be the right fit. I have an older Cannondale (sized as a 63) and a more-current Litespeed (sized as a 57) that end up fitting me identically (except for a small difference in drop) with the stock components. Part of that has to do with a change in measurement from C-T to C-C, but a greater portion is that the C-dale is slacker and proportionally shorter(horizontally) for it's height.

Generally speaking, I can say that you're unlikely to find much joy with Trek. Relatively speaking, they are biased towards low-and-long.
Serotta's stock sizing (still spendy) on the Fierte lines might be of interest.
Given your unusual fit parameters, a professional fit might be well recommended, even if you don't want to go with a custom build.

Budget is under 1000. I got in on that bikesdirect deal where you get a "record" bike with all the record parts. The intent being to really dial in my frame measurments and swap it out when I found the right deal.

I like the frame well enough, but I failed to recognize that just getting the correct top tube isn't enough unless you want to get pulled over by the spacer police constantly.

Some litespeed time trial bikes seem to get closest to my old bike frame which I want to keep around to pull a trailer and for other reasons.

For custom, you could try this guy. Others on the board have used him and liked him.

http://www.curtlo.com/

I suffer from the same thing. What you're craving is a bike with a short TT, slack headtube angle (and TALL headtube), and a way to get those friggin' bars UP there, level with the saddle, or even 1-2cm higher, if necessary. That's where the good ol' 1" threaded system has it all over the 1.125" threadless. If you can get a long enough stem (like the Nitto Technomic, @225mm), it's easy to accomplish this. With most modern threadless, it's hard. There are only so many spacers you can use, and it starts looking odd and ungainly. Not at all the case with a 1" threaded...you just pull that sucker UP til it's where you want it, staying above the MAX line.
This is why I went with a Rivendell Bleriot. It's designed for 1" threaded from the ground up.Not the fastest bike out there, but definitely the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden. Just finished my first 50 miler of the year on it, with NO neck and upper shoulder pain at the end of those 50 miles...that's a first. In fact, I'm in the process of switching out Albatross bars I originally had it built with, over to Nitto drop bars, as the geometry of the frame and the Technomic stem does most of the work for me; I don't need quite SO much raise as the Albatross affords, though it is nice on short rides & around town. You could accomplish much the same thing with a vintage frame of similar geometry. I'm thinking down the road a custom Riv would be even better, but I'm in no hurry...yet.

I have a similar configuration, and am getting similar symptoms. I was looking at a used Serotta Fierte frame in the RBR classifieds, which I think would be a comfortable fit, knowing what I know now about sizing.

However, I'm not going to pull the trigger on it at this time, so have a look. Maybe it would work for you.

taller headtube bikes include the likes of the trek pilot and others.... wsd-type frames will have shorter tt's, but sometimes also come with steeper sta's... be sure you know what you need when it comes to sta, otherwise the 'effective' tt could vary

Try one of these, the eccentric bottom bracket just might work in your favor! :lol:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/Tytelynes/trike.jpg

I think you're on to a good idea with getting another TT frame and setting it up for the road. Generally, a TT/Tri bike is designed for a normal sized person who is pushing extremely hard, and leans farther forward to enable a constant full power riding position. The frame has a steeper seat tube angle to push their upper body closer to the front of the bike, where they hang over the front end. In your case, you probably weren't forced into this position like I would be (I'm 6'1"); instead your upper body was given a normal reach, and your legs fit the bike. If you had no complaints from your legs on the old frame, I'd go with a new TT bike and stick with the setup that works for you. There are plenty of options out there in frame materials and price ranges. Just a thought...

I do not have scoliosis but I am built similar. I am 5'9" with a 34" inseam. I could never find a bike that fit right until I went custom. My bike has a 56cm seat tube and a 54cm top tube with a 17cm head tube. It fits great but the geometry makes the bike look different.

I got my bike from Waterford and went up there for a complete fitting and it has really made a difference in how I ride.

Have you check into womans specific frames?

I'm not sure if they make them big enough but they usually come with short top tubes and higher headtubes..and they aren't all pink:-)

I'm similar in that I have long legs and a short torso...

I agree with Dave, and If you find any womens specific bikes in a 56 tell me.

In addition to Curtlo, Gunnar will build you a custom frame for ~$1000

Have you looked closely at sloping geometry frames? It seems to me that they offer a little more flexibility in fit. You may be able to ride a smaller size sloping frame and still get the fit you need. Also cyclocross frames seem to have closer to a 1:1 ratio on seat tube:top tube sizing.

Have you check into womans specific frames?

I'm not sure if they make them big enough but they usually come with short top tubes and higher headtubes..and they aren't all pink:-)

I'm similar in that I have long legs and a short torso...

Trek offers the WSD Pilot up to nominal 57 cm and all other WSD road models up to nominal 56 cm. The effective top tube on the Pilot is 55 cm, all others have an effective top tube of 54.7 cm, so one of these frames could work as Dave suggested. The Trek WSD road bike geometry charts are clear, but the graphic confusingly shows the Equinox TT bike. No idea why.

http://www.trekbikes.com/women/wsd_products/bikes/

Why is everyone responding to a 9 month old post?

Why not?

Maybe a Serotta fierte? More than you want to spend, but you can find great deals on used ones if you're patient, and some shops (and recently Serotta themselves) were offering some killer deals blowing out last year's models.

The "56" is a sloper, with an actual 50 on the seat tube, a 55 top tube, and a tall head tube (17 cm). Here's the geo page:

http://serotta.com/fierte_it/specs.html#geom

Here's a Seven frame on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140190560252) that has a tall head tube. You would likely fit better on something like this design.

I'm in the same boat as the original poster ( 5-10 and suffer from a medium case of scoliosis).

I picked up a large Kuota K-Factor and it's worked out for me so far. The taller head tube may avoid the riser stem that you don't want. I have it set up as a time trial bike, but the seat tube angle is slack enough to set up with road bars and still be stable.