6ft 5", will I fit on a 62cm Road Bike Frame?

John Picton said:

Hi folks,

I'm looking at buying my first road bike, having previously been in the Mountain / Hybrid ranks.

Thing is I'm quite a big guy at 6ft 5". Will I be OK on a 62cm frame? Any riders out there my height have any comments?

I was looking at a Specialized Allez, anyone got one? What do you think of them?

6' 3" here I ride a 61 cm frame.

check out:

http://www.wrenchscience.com

They have a good sizing chart based on your measurments.

drmac618 said:

6' 3" here I ride a 61 cm frame.

check out:

http://www.wrenchscience.com

They have a good sizing chart based on your measurments.

Had a look at the chart, really useful! I came out as needing a 64cm frame. Would I be OK on a 62 or 63? The Specialized go up to 62 and I noticed that Trek do a 63.

I think that depends a lot on you. I'm 6'4 and riding a 62 frame. Most of my height however is from my hips up. My inseam is a 37" or 36". So really its how your built. Some prefer a more compact frame and are willing to have the seat post a little longer. This may be good as longer frames can flex more just because of physics and because the riders are just bigger. I can ride a smaller frame and in fact have a 58 I ride regularly as well very comfortably. I've noticed I have adjusted the seat height identically over time without really comparing the two. The bigger frame has a longer top tube which for me is good as I'm longer up top and so I can stretch a bit more without having a overly long stem. Geometry of frames varies so its hard to say what is right. I would rather error on a slightly smaller than one to big.

John Picton said:

Hi folks,

I'm looking at buying my first road bike, having previously been in the Mountain / Hybrid ranks.

Thing is I'm quite a big guy at 6ft 5". Will I be OK on a 62cm frame? Any riders out there my height have any comments?

I was looking at a Specialized Allez, anyone got one? What do you think of them?

I'm 6'3" with a 37" inseam and I find my 62 cm Airborne Zeppelin almost too large. My next roadie is going to be a 60 cm.

It depends on how your body is "laid out". Some people have really long legs and short torsos, others are just the opposite. Obviously the best thing to do is go to your LBS and see what they have, remember each manufacturer will probably be a bit different even though they show the same size.

I'm 6'4" tall and I ride a 62cm Bianchi.

Well depense on the bike I think some seem to be different
and could be over all fit

but I'm 6'4" and ride a 66cm frame
have about a 34" inseam

Makes interesting reading, thank you all!

My inseam is a 37", so I'm starting to think that the 62cm Specialized would probably be a good starting point.

I looked at the Trek range but the specialized has a Carbon Fork over the Trek 1000, and the Trek 1200 (with carbon fork) costs around £200 more (with 1cm bigger frame).

Specialized Allez has compact geometry whereas I don't think the Trek does. Does this make any difference to the tall rider? As the specialized is a compact frame it appears that it naturally will be slightly shorter.

TechJD, I've never seen a 66cm frame before, is it custom built? Regardless of what the ladies say 🙂 do those extra cm make much difference?

John Picton said:

Makes interesting reading, thank you all!

My inseam is a 37", so I'm starting to think that the 62cm Specialized would probably be a good starting point.

I looked at the Trek range but the specialized has a Carbon Fork over the Trek 1000, and the Trek 1200 (with carbon fork) costs around £200 more (with 1cm bigger frame).

Specialized Allez has compact geometry whereas I don't think the Trek does. Does this make any difference to the tall rider? As the specialized is a compact frame it appears that it naturally will be slightly shorter.

TechJD, I've never seen a 66cm frame before, is it custom built? Regardless of what the ladies say 🙂 do those extra cm make much difference?

Good luck on the new bike! Just to add more confusion to the mix, I'm a bit over 6ft and ride a 62cm specialized compact frame. Definitely, test ride the bikes and get fit on a trainer.

John Picton said:

TechJD, I've never seen a 66cm frame before, is it custom built? Regardless of what the ladies say 🙂 do those extra cm make much difference?

in the U.S. a 26" frame is 66cm
they are few and far apart and usally older frames

it's a 1979 Schwinn Continental

here is a pic of it next to a 56cm frame mtb on 26" wheels

heres me standing with it

have rasied the seat an inch or two sense pic was taken

Thanks for that.

My hybrid frame is a 25", which works out at 63.5cm and that fits me OK. The question I have to ask myself is does the Specialized Allez with its 62cm compact geometry frame and the Trek 1000/1200 with it's 63cm frame actually work out around the same due the geometry of each bike. Do you tend to choose a smaller frame for a road bike as compared to a hybrid?

I suppose I'll know for sure when I can try them out. but it's hard to find bikes that size to test as 2004 models are sold and 2005 ones are not out yet! Probably have to wait until the end of the month before any arrive at the LBS.

John Picton said:

Thanks for that.

My hybrid frame is a 25", which works out at 63.5cm and that fits me OK. The question I have to ask myself is does the Specialized Allez with its 62cm compact geometry frame and the Trek 1000/1200 with it's 63cm frame actually work out around the same due the geometry of each bike. Do you tend to choose a smaller frame for a road bike as compared to a hybrid?

Well a lot have adviseing others to hold their $$$ till the new 2005s come out then the 2004s will be real cheap

but heres some nice things about a vintage bike
1)others are always wanting to know about it,
2)most do the work themself so they learn about bikes and how to work on them ( ends up saving them $$$ in the long run )
3) if you pick the right one it just goes up in value

Interesting that you guys with 37" inseams can ride such small frames. I have a 37.5" inseam and have ridden a 69cm Zinn, 68.5cn Klien and a 72cm Spectrum.

Bloody 'ell!

I'm 6'5" and I ride a 63cm Cannondale. the reason I specified the brand is because one maunfacturer's 61cm could be larger than another manufacturer's 63cm beucase of how they measure their frames. My 63cm Cannondale feels like it's much more than 1cm larger than my previous bike, a 62cm Trek. The problem is that what works for me might not work for you because (as others have pointed out) just because we're both 6'5" doesn't mean we need the same size frame. Everyone's put together a little differently.

With all of that I suspect that the 62cm Specialized that you're looking at might be a bit too small for you. I'm just speculating of course but I have looked at the 62cm Specialized bikes and they were considerably too small for me. And if you're riding a 63.5cm hybrid my guess is the same might be true for you.

Whatever you do, don't let some guy in a bike shop tell you that a bike fits you perfectly when in fact it's too small. Unfortunately some of the shops will tell you that, just to get you to buy their bike. Decide for yourself! Good luck!

John Picton said:

Bloody 'ell!

Yeah.:eek:

hey my bike friend I am tall also as a matter of fact I am 6'6" and just bought the 64cm Allez specialized aluminum 2012 frame brand new for an excellent price. It worked best for me because it gave me the opportunity to get the other parts that I needed as well because of my height. For example:

1. I needed 46cm handle bars made by zipp

2. I needed a longer stem 120 with 17 degrees rise made by specialized

3. I need stronger wheels due to my wait so I had custom wheels built that would be very strong: The rims are open pros by mavic with 36 spokes in the front and rear with a 3 cross which is a very strong wheel

4. I need a 155 saddle I ordered it from specialized as well. BEST SEAT ON THE MARKET IN MY OPINION. Specialized Toupe. They have seats in sizes that will fit your seat bones from 135, 143 or 155. Most seats are not size specifics

As you can see it was best for me to only order the frame to save money to fit the other components to my size.

Here is the good news the Specialized Allez frame will cost you around $660.00 . You should see the 2012 frame it is good looking. I really believe that this is 1 of the best aluminum frames on the market for a 64cm.

Now if you want an all carbon bike trek and specialize made a 64cm bike as well. The trek is the 5.2 madone and the specialized is the roubaix. Both cost over $3,200.00 plus dollars.

Also, depending on your weight and size a stock 64 cm allez bike by specialized might fit you off the floor already put together for $1,200 - $1,300.00. This is a good price if you are not picky like me about wheels and components. I weigh about 250lbs and I have long arms and I love and ride only dura - ace. Call Manny at wheel wor

Call manny wheel world 310 391 5251 los angeles ca they have an excellent buy on a 64cm 2011 specialized alley bike already put together.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by John Picton [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I'm looking at buying my first road bike, having previously been in the Mountain / Hybrid ranks.

Thing is I'm quite a big guy at 6ft 5". Will I be OK on a 62cm frame? Any riders out there my height have any comments?

FWIW. Whether or not a 62cm frame is large enough for you (or, someone who is your height) depends on YOUR flexibility + anticipated riding style ... undoubtedly, because different frames are spec'd differently, one 62cm frame's top tube may be shorter-or-longer than the top tube on another 62cm frame.

Do your Mountain & Hybrid bikes fit you?

Do you like the relatively upright riding position which Flat bars afford?

• If you have, or have access to, a Mag Trainer (or, equivalent), then 'I' recommend that you mount either of the two bikes on it WITH a(ny) Drop bar installed in the existing stem ...
  
• Sit on the bike for several minutes with your hands in the forward bend of the handlebars ... then, decide on how it feels ...
  
• If it seems reasonably comfortable, pedal for a while ...
  
• does it feel too stretched?
  
• does it feel too cramped?
  
• does it feel just right?
  

You will probably find that you'll want a 46cm wide handlebar.

• Some bars are as wide where the brakes are mounted as their specified width at the bar ends and others are much narrower.
  

To some extent, the width of the bars will affect how reach feels to you.

• a shorter stem can offset a handlebar which is a little low, BTW.
  

For some people, the handlebar's bend makes more difference than to others ... AND, preferences can change over time.

• I think that most of the time, when the bars are set up as they were designed to be set up (vs. how they are often seen to be set up) the reach to the forward bend will be close to the reach of the hoods on the handlbars ... so, initially, set up the leverless bars with the drops close to parallel to the ground just so you can get a sense of whether or not the existing stem is either too short or too long or just right (for the moment) when your hands will be on the brake hoods.
  

Of course, you may immediately-or-eventually want the bars to be higher-or-lower than the current stem allows ... your flexibiity will possibly be a big factor in this regard.

• A part of sizing is cosmetic ... how long-or-short a stem do you think looks good + how much seatpost do you want extending above the top tube ...
  

That's a really long way of saying that if the ready-to-ride bikes which you are looking at don't already have a 46cm handlebar AND if the shop isn't going to swap out a pair FOR FREE, then you probably want to pony up for a pair before you lay money down on the counter. That is, you may as well buy the handlebars before you buy ANY new bike and set up one of your existing bikes in the manner described so you can determine within a couple of centimeters how short-or-long a top tube you want your Road bike to have.

• the few people I know who have been fitted with the Serotta super-duper-fitting-gizmo have been sold a frame which is one size larger than I would have suggested for them because the guy doing the fitting sizes frames as if it were 1980. That's not necessarily a bad thing since it means that the handlebars for those riders will be invariably higher ...
  

I suggest that AFTER you work on the dimensions of what is comfortable utilizing your existing bike(s) then you will know whether or not any particular 62cm bike will work for you.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by John Picton [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I was looking at a Specialized Allez, anyone got one? What do you think of them?

As far as the SPECIALIZED ALLEZ ... as I recall, there are a lot of component configurations ... a lot of people like them, but they would not be my choice because I think that SRAM is the only ready-to-ride option.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by John Picton [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Specialized Allez has compact geometry whereas I don't think the Trek does. Does this make any difference to the tall rider? As the specialized is a compact frame it appears that it naturally will be slightly shorter.

Compact geometry has nothing to do with the way a bike will fit. You want to look at the virtual top tube length and head tube height. Virtual top tube length (roughly, a horizontal line from the centerline of the head tube to the centerline of the seat tube or seat post) will indicate how your torso will stretch over the bike, and head tube height indicates how low you will need to reach for the handlebar.

Specialized bikes tend toward long top tubes and tall head tubes for their nominal size. That is, they run large.