road bicycle sizing - for a female

Yuri said:

What size *road/racing* bicycle frame do I > need for 168 cm (5

foot 6 inches

Quoted message said:

.. 5 foot 6.5 inches) female? Inseam 81 cm i.e. > almost 32 inches.

You should really choose a frame based on top tube length. Seat tube
length is a secondary issue. Check the "stand over" height measurement
of the frame. Stand over height should be at least a cm (or preferably
2cm) less than your inseam (measured wearing cycling shoes).

Quoted message said:

The old
equation of taking rider inseam 81 * 0.883 =
71.5 cm effective top tube.
Does it apply to females also?

I think you have the "0.883" formula wrong. The Lemond formula: inseam
x 0.883 should be the distance from the center of the BB to the top of
the saddle. That's a good starting point, but you may have to adjust it
slightly to get a proper seat height. See:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html#height

Art Harris

Thank you Art

Quoted message said:

I think you have the "0.883" formula wrong. The Lemond formula: inseam
x 0.883 should be the distance from the center of the BB to the top of
the saddle. That's a good starting point, but you may have to adjust it
slightly to get a proper seat height. See:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html#height

Yes, I got it wrong, sorry, I meant the other formula Inseam * 0.65 for top
tube i.e. 81 cm * 0.65 = 52.65 cm i.e. 52-53 cm frame size. The inseam *
0.883 was indeed for saddle height.

So is Inseam * 0.65 a good formula for female road bikes also?

AFAIK female legs are proportionately longer than torso when compared to
male anatomy so perhaps I need to get my wife a frame that is one size
smaller i.e 51 cm frame?

thanks