online purchase vs. shop purchase

I have a pubic bone height of 37.5 inches(2.54 x 37.5 = 95.25 cm.) I am 6 feet 5 inches tall. I live
in a small town. The bike shop near me has few high quality ($1000) road bikes to even try, and the
bikes there definitely do not fit. they all seem quite small.

Should i just order online or make a trip to a large city and find a good bike shop which will
probably have only a couple of bikes in my size anyway. Thanks a lot for your help Matt

 

I personally think it is worth the drive to test a few bikes. After all, if you are serious about
riding your butt will spend a great deal of time in the saddle so you choose. Do not buy the hard
sell line. Find what feel good and share your thoughts here. Volume dealers will put you on
anything--whether it fits or not.

I am currently working on a friends bike that he bought in a blowout. The sizing was so bad the shop
could be held liable for damages. His knees almost hit the handle bars and elbows. He looks like he
has osteoporosis when he is on his bike.

You rule on your purchase not the shop!

"Brink" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have a pubic bone height of 37.5 inches(2.54 x 37.5 = 95.25 cm.) I am 6 feet 5 inches tall. I
> live in a small town. The bike shop near me has few high quality ($1000) road bikes to even try,
> and the bikes there definitely do not fit. they all seem quite small.
>
> Should i just order online or make a trip to a large city and find a good bike shop which will
> probably have only a couple of bikes in my size anyway. Thanks a lot for your help Matt

 

In article <[email protected]>, Brink
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I have a pubic bone height of 37.5 inches(2.54 x 37.5 = 95.25 cm.) I am 6 feet 5 inches tall. I
> live in a small town. The bike shop near me has few high quality ($1000) road bikes to even try,
> and the bikes there definitely do not fit. they all seem quite small.
>
> Should i just order online or make a trip to a large city and find a good bike shop which will
> probably have only a couple of bikes in my size anyway. Thanks a lot for your help Matt

Since you're 6'5", you could profit greatly by dealing with an experienced shop. My take is it's
worth the trip to get a bike that fits you. They probably have some good restaurants too.

 

"Brink" wrote:

> I have a pubic bone height of 37.5 inches(2.54 x 37.5 = 95.25 cm.) I am 6 feet 5 inches tall. I
> live in a small town. The bike shop near me has few high quality ($1000) road bikes to even try,
> and the bikes there definitely do not fit. they all seem quite small.
>
> Should i just order online or make a trip to a large city and find a good bike shop which will
> probably have only a couple of bikes in my size anyway.

I'm 6' 3" and ride a 63 cm frame (measured center-to-center). Unfortunately, there aren't many bikes
that size available anymore. And it's doubtful that even a large shop would have much for you to
test ride in your size.

Your best bet might be to travel to a shop that has a good fitter. Pay for a fitting to find out
what your requirements are, and THEN try to find a bike that fits the bill.

You're probably going to end up with a lot of seat post showing. That's not necessarily bad as long
as you can get the bars high enough and far enough forward. If you get a bike with a threadless
fork, make sure the steerer tube is left long enough to add spacers to get the bars high enough.
You'll probably need a long top tube and stem to get get the proper reach. Your position relative to
the BB is also important and is largely determined by the bike's seat tube angle. A good fit session
will help you quantify these requirements.

The Cannondale R-1000 is available in a 63 cm frame (center to top) with a 60 cm top tube, and an 87
cm standover height.

Or you could look into Mercian Cycles in the UK. Their bikes are available in sizes up to 66 cm, and
are a great value. See: http://www.btinternet.com/~merciancycleslimited/pages/frames.htm

If this is your first road bike, I would not recommend buying online unless you've had a good
fitting and know exactly what you need. You're probably better off dealing with a good shop even if
they have to special order something for you.

Art Harris

 

If cycling is an important activity to you, one thing you might consider is to have a custom bike built. Dealers that carry brands like Serotta, Seven Cycles, and Independent Fabrication are all prepared to spend a lot of time watching how you ride a bike, taking measurements, and specifying exactly what tube lengths and frame geometry are best for your needs. In fact, I'm waiting for my Independent Fabrication Ti Crown Jewel to be finished. When it's done, I know it'll be an absulutely perfect fit for me, with exactly the ride characteristics that I want.

 

"Brink" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I have a pubic bone height of 37.5 inches(2.54 x 37.5 =
95.25 cm.) I
> am 6 feet 5 inches tall. I live in a small town. The
bike shop near
> me has few high quality ($1000) road bikes to even try,
and the bikes
> there definitely do not fit. they all seem quite small.
>
> Should i just order online or make a trip to a large city
and find a
> good bike shop which will probably have only a couple of
bikes in my
> size anyway.

Others have given good advice. But you might let us know where you are -- chances are someone here
can recommend a good shop and/or person to see.

Matt O.

 

"Brink" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I have a pubic bone height of 37.5 inches(2.54 x 37.5 =
95.25 cm.) I
> am 6 feet 5 inches tall. I live in a small town. The
bike shop near
> me has few high quality ($1000) road bikes to even try,
and the bikes
> there definitely do not fit. they all seem quite small.
>
> Should i just order online or make a trip to a large city
and find a
> good bike shop which will probably have only a couple of
bikes in my
> size anyway.

Others have given good advice. But you might let us know where you are -- chances are someone here
can recommend a good shop and/or person to see.

Matt O.

 

Your size will be tough to find. You need a good LBS or a custom shop that will probably be online.

Good fit matters, and you may have to increase your price range and go custom. You won't ride a poor
fit that is uncomfortable. So $1000 bike that doesn't fit is no deal.

"Brink" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have a pubic bone height of 37.5 inches(2.54 x 37.5 = 95.25 cm.) I am 6 feet 5 inches tall. I
> live in a small town. The bike shop near me has few high quality ($1000) road bikes to even try,
> and the bikes there definitely do not fit. they all seem quite small.
>
> Should i just order online or make a trip to a large city and find a good bike shop which will
> probably have only a couple of bikes in my size anyway. Thanks a lot for your help Matt

 

A point worth considering is that some of the online sources (Colorado Cyclist, Harris Cycles,
Rivendell, and possibly others) have some excellent information available on their websites on how
to fit bikes. I've bought 3 bikes by mail in the last 15 years (2 Marinonis, 1 Rivendell) just by
using the sizing information that the two firms provided, and logged thousands of miles on those
bikes without any problem. The sizing hasn't varied a whole lot between bikes, and I've experienced
no physical discomfort with these bikes on loaded tours (the Riv) and day rides of up to 140 miles.
Whether you buy online or go to a big city shop, the three websites I mentioned are definitely worth
looking at, just to learn something about bike fit before you visit a shop.

(www.coloradocyclist.com) (www.sheldonbrown.com) (www.rivendellbicycles.com)

HTH,
--
mark

"Brink" wrote
>I am 6 feet 5 inches tall. I live in a small town. The bike shop near me has few high quality
>($1000) road bikes to even try, and the bikes there definitely do not fit. they all seem
>quite small.
>
> Should i just order online or make a trip to a large city and find a good bike shop which will
> probably have only a couple of bikes in my size anyway. Thanks a lot for your help Matt

 

THANKS EVERYONE for your input. I am on vacation this week and will be near vail colorado this
week. I am going to go to vail cycle works ( www.vailcycleworks.com ) and get custom fit. I
think that your combined advice has been fantastic, and probably saved me the price of a bike
that does not fit.

THANKS AGAIN, BRINK

 

"Brink" <[email protected].com> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email protected]
> I have a pubic bone height of 37.5 inches(2.54 x 37.5 = 95.25 cm.) I am 6 feet 5 inches tall. I
> live in a small town. The bike shop near me has few high quality ($1000) road bikes to even try,
> and the bikes there definitely do not fit. they all seem quite small.
>
> Should i just order online or make a trip to a large city and find a good bike shop which will
> probably have only a couple of bikes in my size anyway. Thanks a lot for your help Matt

There are few good bikes available by mail (at least officially), and I think they are good:
- if you order one from a shop that really deals with fitting over the phone or the net (like
Rivendell, Bruce Gordon, etc.), instead of a large-surface or a retail outlet;
- if you really know what you want and how to measure it (if it's your second or third road bike,
for instance). BTW, Rivendell offers 68-cm frames...

I'm 5' 11", with PBH of 35.5", so even the "large" 25" touring frame (63.5
cm) still leaves me with 100 mm of exposed seatpost _and_ stem showing. Finding long seatposts isn't
a problem nowadays, but finding long stems, uncut threadless forks, etc. is a real problem.

Another aspect to consider is bike geometry. Unless you are very lightweight, you probably weigh
more than 200 lb. You need a frame that would be rigid enough, especially if you like to stand on
your pedals. Typical road bikes also use short- or mid-reach sidepull brakes which barely leave
clearance for 700x25 or 700x28 tires _without_ fenders. 700x23 tires are great for a 100-lb woman,
but provide a very harsh ride for a 200-lb or 250-lb man unless you roads are perfect (ours are
NOT). So you might be better with a "lightweight touring" bike that would be more rigid and
especially allow for 700x32 tires with fenders.

In terms of special ordering a bike, I don't think you will be able to find a frame taller than
63-cm (except maybe Rivendell or IF), but trying a bicycle with a 63-cm frame would give you a
good idea of how the bike rides, even if you conclude that it would be much better to order the
larger one.

Regards,

Michel Gagnon

 

Brink,

I just checked out the Vail Cycle Works web page. These guys might do a great job, but I'd be a little leery of plunking down a lot of money on people I'm not familiar with. Check out the web sites of Independent Fabrication (www.ifbikes.com), Serotta (www.serotta.com), and Seven Cycles (www.sevencycles.com). I know that all three of these manufacturers are at the top of the quality pyramid. They can build a custom bike that will perfectly fit your unique body measurements and desired riding characteristics. Of course, all of this quality and custom manufacturing comes at a price. But it's going to be almost impossible for you to buy something "off-the-rack" from an LBS that fits you comfortably and rides the way you want it to.

If you really want a great bike, find an LBS that carries the above-mentioned bikes and go through the fit process with them. It should take about 2 hours. The LBS will turn around and send the dimensions to the manufacturer who will make you a bike you'll cherish for the next 15 or so years. When you think about it, there's a lot of value in getting the right bike the first time.