Short torso bike? 5'11" but fit for a 58cm bike



estherrose

New Member
Aug 19, 2006
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Hi,
I'm looking to buy a road bike. I have scoliosis, its an s curve so my shoulders are straight and my posture is ok but my torso is disproportionate to the rest of my body. I'm 5' 11" but was measured for a 58. Eventually I plan on getting a custom frame, but at the moment I can't afford it, so the plan is to get a felt f75 through my friend who works at a bike store at 60% off (later I'll canabalize it for parts for the other frame).

The question is, is it better to go for the 58 or something smaller and just raise the seat and the stem?

Thanks,
C
 
estherrose said:
Hi,
I'm looking to buy a road bike. I have scoliosis, its an s curve so my shoulders are straight and my posture is ok but my torso is disproportionate to the rest of my body. I'm 5' 11" but was measured for a 58. Eventually I plan on getting a custom frame, but at the moment I can't afford it, so the plan is to get a felt f75 through my friend who works at a bike store at 60% off (later I'll canabalize it for parts for the other frame).

The question is, is it better to go for the 58 or something smaller and just raise the seat and the stem?

Thanks,
C
I am not a tall woman, but in general, you are better off with the bike that fits your torso better and use a raised stem and longer seatpost to accomodate the longer legs. There is a lot of adjustment available with seat and bar height, but less so with reach adjustment. The 58cm may have too long of a top tube and you might need to use too short of a stem, which can adversely affect handling. Although if the difference you are looking at is between a 56 and a 58 cm, then the 58 is probably OK as you would not need too short of a stem. If you need a 53 or 54cm frame to get the right top tube length, the shorter frame is probably better.
 
Look at the Serotta Fierte. The 58cm frame has a top tube of 56.5cm.

The steel version isn't toooooo expensive.
 
estherrose said:
Any tall women have any advice (I imagine the proportions are probably about the same)?
Hi Estherrose, I assume you are a male, my appoligies if I've got it wrong.

Your on the right path about the frame size being really important.

The Womans Specific Frames have a shorter top tube, you may find them a better fit, just need to change a few parts such as the seat and handlebars, for the male equivilants. The handlebar stem can be easily changed to fine tune the bike to your dimensions.
 

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