I throw my age up there not sure if that matters or not. I'm pretty active, have a Trek 7300 hybird (grandpa's Bike LOL) always wanted a road bike, so I started with the local ads searching for an older one. Lots of vintage stuff around, however the frames are heavy, and most I would need to sink $$$ into it. so today I drove around shops talking to sales people now I'm more confused, they want to sell me what they have. I'm 6 foot 4, I cannot buy pants in the store only on line (36" inseam) the frames I sat on today were 60cm, they were ok, and both shops tell me thats my size but I felt cramped on the bike. No one has a 63 or 64 around for me to test. The other thing is I'm the middle about the tires I should get, skinny on typical road bikes or these new cross road bikes with wider tires. any help appreciated
First Road Bike Age 63
- Thread starter turbomangt
- Start date
As a 5'6" in bike guy, i empathize with your lack of options when it comes to actually test riding anything.
No shop is going to special order an odd-ball frame size just for you to test ride it. Not my area anyway.
What I had to do was call around a lot and find shops with bikes in my size that I could ride. It was not fun or easy to be honest. And I had to combine my rides. I had to test disc brakes on one model, Ultegra parts on another. No one had the Specialized Roubaix I wanted to test ride, so I had to make some compromises. Test ride various models and components. Ultimately, I ordered a bike I hadnt actually tested.. I had to test the model lower.. and trust that the better bike would be better. Not at all optimal... but I am happy to say it worked out.
As for tire size, frame material, endurance, cyclo-cross, aero, or, race geometry...all that really depends on the type of riding you will be doing, the length of the rides and the type of terrain. More information is needed if anyone is to provide any useful information.
No shop is going to special order an odd-ball frame size just for you to test ride it. Not my area anyway.
What I had to do was call around a lot and find shops with bikes in my size that I could ride. It was not fun or easy to be honest. And I had to combine my rides. I had to test disc brakes on one model, Ultegra parts on another. No one had the Specialized Roubaix I wanted to test ride, so I had to make some compromises. Test ride various models and components. Ultimately, I ordered a bike I hadnt actually tested.. I had to test the model lower.. and trust that the better bike would be better. Not at all optimal... but I am happy to say it worked out.
As for tire size, frame material, endurance, cyclo-cross, aero, or, race geometry...all that really depends on the type of riding you will be doing, the length of the rides and the type of terrain. More information is needed if anyone is to provide any useful information.
Thanks.....in response to how I plan on using it, in my area we are infested with poor streets, pot holes etc....so street riding is not great...most of the longer trials here are crushed lime stone.............I'd like to join a bike club and start in the slow group and progress from there.
I'm 6'2" but I have shorter legs (32" inseam). I've ridden both 58s and 60s, depending on manufacturer.
And as you noticed, shops generally don't stock anything bigger than 60, or smaller than 52, in my experience. They will order a bigger or smaller size if a customer needs one, and the warehouse has one in stock.
You didn't say which brands you shopped, but, I'm a 58 in Specialized and Cannondale, but a 60 in Trek. If you're looking at Treks, I'd say a 60 might be too small for you. The next size up is 62, I think? In many brands, though, a 60 may be the right size.
You (or a good fitter, more precisely) can tweak a frame that's slightly undersized easier than one that's too big.
And as you noticed, shops generally don't stock anything bigger than 60, or smaller than 52, in my experience. They will order a bigger or smaller size if a customer needs one, and the warehouse has one in stock.
You didn't say which brands you shopped, but, I'm a 58 in Specialized and Cannondale, but a 60 in Trek. If you're looking at Treks, I'd say a 60 might be too small for you. The next size up is 62, I think? In many brands, though, a 60 may be the right size.
You (or a good fitter, more precisely) can tweak a frame that's slightly undersized easier than one that's too big.
I test drove a Giant and Specialized (Which I liked better) what do you think of this bike he has a 64cm but I'm a little uneasy ordering without trying it out, can one of you tell me about the quality of this bike?
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/road_bikes/mirage_slx.htm
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/road_bikes/mirage_slx.htm
Motobecane was one of the classic French brands back in the 70s, but the name is now owned by Bikes Direct. Kinesis is one of Taiwan's leading frame builders, along with Merida and Giant. It's probably a good value for the money. I think BD has a sizing chart on their website. You may be a 64, or you may be a 62.
I'm not sure what the quality of Weinmann rims is these days. Back in the day, the word I would use to describe them was "heavy". But they held up.
I'm not sure what the quality of Weinmann rims is these days. Back in the day, the word I would use to describe them was "heavy". But they held up.
You didn't mention your weight, but that would be a major factor in selecting wheels and tires. I'm an old guy (66) and like slightly bigger tires.
I'm 200 # on the slim side as hard as I hit the gym I cant seem to put on any muscle, go figure LOL
I'm 57 and I didn't really start much riding until I was well along in my 50s. I am just now taking my bike out of storage. It is a Giant FCR Alliance with straight handlebars, not drop bars, I do not like drop bars at all. I just looked at the Specialized and Trek websites tonight to see what "new" bikes look like and I'm a little shocked to see all those drop bars. They affect me more than the price stickers. But I'm getting ahead of myself here, I can hardly call myself an experienced rider. In fact I'm reading these threads to learn more about bikes and biking. I can say that having tried older metal bikes that weigh a ton and the Giant lighter-weight bike -- the Giant wins me by a long shot. If I really do get into riding then I'll want to move up to an even lighter, more expensive bike.
Good luck with your final choice. I am inclined to think that whatever you pick you will likely be pretty happy with it. Perhaps the most important thing of all is just to ride.
Bob
Good luck with your final choice. I am inclined to think that whatever you pick you will likely be pretty happy with it. Perhaps the most important thing of all is just to ride.
Bob
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