Hi
Im thinking of buying a Colnago Master. Im 185 tall with a inseam of 82cm. So my upperbody is relatively big. My problem is that if I want a frame with a long toptube matching my upperbody, the frame will be pretty big for the rest of my body, and I will have to lower the seatpost to much.

Which size Colnago would fit me. Im thinking of a 57cm Colnago Master with a 55.7cm toptube. Can I compensate the toptube length with a longer stem without ruining the overall bikefit?
Best regards Christian

You should be fine with a 57. Colnago's usually have short toptubes and having a longer stem is favoured by many.

Christian,
when I was choosing my Colnago frame size I've sent an email directly to Colnago with my measurements (from Competitive Cyclist bike fit) asking them for a perfect frame size for me.
They replied and suggested a frame and stem size. I bought exact size they recommended and never had any issues with fit... perfect I would say.
Btw, I am 183cm tall and I ride 54s (same as 58 traditional) Colnago EPS.

It makes sense to ask manufacturer, of the frame you are after, for a fit/size recommendation.
After all they should know the best how's their frame supposed to fit someone in order to achieve best balance of performance and comfort.

I just checked my inseam - its 86cm.

I'm also 185 cm tall and have owned many 59 traditional Colnagos that I'm happy with using 12 cm stems, saddle setback about 8.5 cm and bar drop about 9 cm. I've also ridden a 60 that was OK but seemed slightly long in the head tube so a little higher than the 59. 57 sounds way too small to me.

Jim - I think it depends on age and agility. There are plenty pro's of your height that will ride 56's. I think a 57's ok, but even if I was 185 myself I wouldn't go higher than a 58.

Probably a bad idea to ask the general public for sizing.
Best bet is to checkout out the geometry charts first,
Then look into a road bike frame calculator.
Actually check a few of them out.
Then if you are lucky enough you can try the bike shop and try one for size.
It's unlikely they will have your size or the frame you want.
Ultimately it is the position on the bike that will factor in the frame size.
I also always opt for one size smaller rather than one size bigger.
For the ultimate fit get custom.

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I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

As you've no doubt gathered by now sizing advice over the internet is pretty pointless especially if you're not really even sure where to start. I've seen plenty of "professional fits" that had me thinking "and you paid money to get that fit?". There are good ones too, but take the advice with caution. Always ask yourself if what the fitter is telling you makes sense and is applicable to you.
I'm 185cm, 91cm inseam, 803mm saddle height. I ride a 61 traditional with a 130mm, 6 degree stem. Slightly over 8cm of saddle to handlebar drop and use classic shaped bars.

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My Colnago C59
My Special Colnago EPQ

Read as much as you can. Use your overall height with saddle height to determine frame height if your proportions are close to avg. Check the old CONI manual or another respectable source for avg. stem sizes for a given frame size, and then figure out how much drop you are comfortable with (probably between 7-9cm). With that information you should be able to get pretty close to your ideal fit. Long legged people tend to get smaller than avg. frames and short legged avg. to slightly bigger. Sloping frames are usually a good fit if you are long in the torso.

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4 lines that sum it all up, brilliant