Originally Posted by iLikebikee .
I may have to get the Gravity Liberty. I was going to get the Mercier in 54cm as that size is reccomended for those in the range of 5'9 to 6ft and I am 5'11. Well I noticed today when I went to order that they were sold out of that size. They do have the Xlrg 58 cm in stock (recomended for 6ft to 6'3) and although I am an inch shy at 5' 11 my inseem still clears the standover height by 2 1/2 inches so that should be fine (My arms are long as well). So in reality I should be able to adjust either size to fit me. The question is how much less might the 54cm weigh compared to the 58cm. If it was a noticeable difference then I would take adavntage of the fact that I can adjust the smaller size to my liking. (in that case I would have to order the Gravity) If the difference in weight was trivial then I would just order the Xlrg Mercier as originally planned. Unfortunately they dont have the weights of the different size frames listed.
FWIW. MY observation is that a typical aluminum bicycle frame weighs about 3 lbs. Some weigh less and some weigh more depending on the specific type of alloy + the size-and-shape of the tubing ...
- I'm thinking that 4 ounces is about the difference in the weights of the two frame sizes
- I know someone whose under-saddle bag has so much stuff crammed in it that it probaby weighs more than a pound
- BOTH bikes (56cm) probably weigh about 23 lbs. -- maybe a little more, probably not any less just because less expensive parts usually weigh more
As you may have already deduced, an individual rider can fit on more than one size bike ...
By MY reckoning ([COLOR= rgb(128, 128, 128)]
i.e., based on the range of frames which I have had or have[/COLOR]), there can be more than a whopping 4cm difference in the so-called "cockpit" (top tube + stem) ...
Regardless (IMO) to some extent the decision on which frame size to choose is partially COSMETIC (
i.e., how much "exposed" seatpost do you want?) ...
Some of the decision is PRACTICAL (
i.e., how high do you want the stem & handlebars to be relative to the saddle?) ...
- I'm 5'9" tall
- the smallest frame which I have has a 53cm top tube + 130mm stem ...
- the largest frame which I still have has a 57cm top tube & will be (re-)built with a 90mm stem with a deep drop handlebar
- for the moment, my preferred frame size has a top tube in the 54.5cm-to-55cm range with a 120mm to 110mm stem, respectively.
In all cases, after I account for the saddle-to-crank orientation, I set the distance from the back of the center of the saddle (an arbitrary location to measure from) to the back of the hoods & to the Drops is [COLOR= rgb(0, 100, 0)]within-an-inch-as-measured-on-the-diagonal[/COLOR]
[[COLOR= rgb(128, 128, 128)]THAT's less than it probably sounds[/COLOR]] to ensure that my bikes
feel pretty much the same as far as how much I will be leaning forward when I am in the saddle regardless of the frame size.
THAT's probably a long way of saying that if you are flexible, then the
M/L (
56cm effective top tube) frame could work well for you ...
- eventually, you'll possibly want a 120mm stem
The larger frames have signficantly taller head tubes -- that's possibly a good thing if you are
not flexible OR if you know that you want a more relaxed riding position.
BUT, if you think that you would prefer one of the Merciers then you may want to wait to order since there will probably be MORE bikes in stock within the next 30 +/- days since the peak of the 2013 "buying"season still hasn't been reached.