What Road frame size do i need?



MountainPro

New Member
Aug 11, 2004
3,071
2
38
I am purchasing a road bike online and the form asks me for frame size.

I only have an MTB whose 16" frame fits prefectly and i am 5'8" tall.

Based on that would you say a 50cm road frame is my size? If not, what would you reccomend. The bike i have in mind is not a compact frame, its a fairly standard looking one.

cheers guys.
 
MountainPro said:
I am purchasing a road bike online and the form asks me for frame size.

I only have an MTB whose 16" frame fits prefectly and i am 5'8" tall.

Based on that would you say a 50cm road frame is my size? If not, what would you reccomend. The bike i have in mind is not a compact frame, its a fairly standard looking one.

cheers guys.

I highly recommend going to a bike shop to get properly fit, it will cost you between 50 and 75 dollars and then use that info to order your new bike. Those online fit guides do not take a lot of things into account, trust me on this. I did the wrench science one before I bought my last bike and after triple checking my measurements with a friend I ordered a Kestrel. When I got the bike it did not fit well at all, sure it was the right size but the seat tube angle was off for my femur size. So I sold the bike and got fit by a pro and ordered a custom Ti frame and let me tell you- it was the best decision I ever made. The bike fits like a glove.
 
I'm also 5'8" and I'm looking at a 54cm. If anything, the smallest frame size for you would be a 52cm.
 
thanks for the replys..

i'll try the online things and also ask a friend who is about the same height...

cheers
H
 
MountainPro said:
i'll try the online things and also ask a friend who is about the same height...H

Don't go by height, it's more complex than that (body geometries/inseams/etc vary a lot). You should go to a LBS and, if you don't want to do the full blown $50 fitting (I think that is more important once you have the bike to get it set up precisely), have them look at you on a bike, and ride, ride, ride.
 
As has been said , go into a shop and sit on a bike - sit on various bikes in fact.All brands have diff angles/sizes.
For instance , one guy replied he is 5'8 and looking for a 54cm , well im 5'10/11 (havent measured myself in years!) with an inside leg of 32inch and im a 53cm for a Bianchi.
 
a $50 fitting?! my LBS does fitting for free, even if you don't buy a bike from them eventually! they even have my size and info on file there so it's easier for me to try out bikes there. very bad business practice to charge your customers for that service.
 
Yeah never heard of people being charged for a fitting in the UK , let alone that much.Sheesh , cheeky buggers in your LBS ;)
 
Roadrash Dunc said:
Yeah never heard of people being charged for a fitting in the UK , let alone that much.Sheesh , cheeky buggers in your LBS ;)
Well, it depends on what's meant by "full blown fitting." I've never been to a bike shop that wouldn't sit with you for a few minutes, making various measurments and observations, all for free...

...but a truly professional fitting, the kind that takes a considerable chunk of time and puts you in the most efficient, aero, muscle-power-maximizing position possible is always done by a badass who charges a fee. Not really necessary for most recreational riding, but a worthy way to spend an afternoon if you're serious about winning some races.
 
how important is it to get a frame to fit you so perfectly you have to pay some guy to measure you up....i mean, you get a bike thats roughly your size and you can adjust the seat post up and down, the seat position and angle, you can adjust the reach by buying a longer or shorter stem, different types of handle bar and even different lengths of crank arms...

is it really worth paying for a fitting?
 
In my opinion it's not worth paying good money for a fitting, but plenty will disagree.

Just convince all the shops you visit that you're gunna spend big bucks, then pick their brains for all the info.

Did you try those online bike-fit calculators I posted?

My opinion (again), although it's shared by many :) : what's really crucial is head-tube length an top-tube length. You've got stacks of scope with your seat post, but if you find your top tube is wrong for you, you probably don't wanna put a 9cm or a 14cm stem......because it looks ****. :) But, seriously, you've only got a few centimetres with stem lengths to play with.

Head-tube length is a tricky one because you probably don't know how far you like bending over to hold the handle bars. If the head-tube is too short, and you're using a modern style stem and head-set, once again, there's only so high you can have the stem, even though there are different stem anlges available.

What's pissing me off these days is that I have a couple of nice,
non-compact aluminium frames in a 57 and 58, and the head-tubes are ~180mm and 185mm respectively (nice and long), but if I go and get a new steel frame in a 58cm, it won't have lugs, and the bloody head-tube will be lucky to be 160mm!?!?!?! SO, I can't bend over that far :cool:

Jeez, I rambling.......again
 
>>>>>>>>>>...but a truly professional fitting, the kind that takes a considerable chunk of time and puts you in the most efficient, aero, muscle-power-maximizing position possible is always done by a badass who charges a fee. Not really necessary for most recreational riding, but a worthy way to spend an afternoon if you're serious about winning some races.<<<<<<<<<<<<



If you were that serious , i'd suggest buying a custom built frame.There are plenty of companies in Europe and the UK who will make a frame tailored to your dimensions for a very reasonable price and being 'fitted' is included in the price youre paying for the frame.

For 99% of us though , an off-the-peg frame is fine , adjust components for a closer fit if need be as mentioned.

Being charged for a fitting for an off-the-peg bike just sounds ridiculous.
 
Are wires crossed here? It doesn't seem absurd to me that if i walk into a shop, tell them i'm not buyinga bike from them, but want them to give me all the measurements for a bike i'm buying elsewhere (top-tube, stem length, frame height, etc) then they have a right to charge me for that service.
I don't think we're talking about your lbs fitting you for a bike when you actually buy it from them...
 
MountainPro said:
how important is it to get a frame to fit you so perfectly you have to pay some guy to measure you up....i mean, you get a bike thats roughly your size and you can adjust the seat post up and down, the seat position and angle, you can adjust the reach by buying a longer or shorter stem, different types of handle bar and even different lengths of crank arms...

is it really worth paying for a fitting?
The earlier question was whether paid fittings exist, and if so, why. They definitely do exist, typically as a service for racers looking to improve their efficiency. They're probably more common among racers who already have bikes, and are looking to tweak things -- not those buying new bikes.

The basic measurments involved in buying a bike can, and should, be done for free.
 
In my opinion if you're going to spend a huge amount of cash on a high-end bike, it's probably well worth paying for a real fitting (like the Fit Kit system or the like). There is a big difference between that and having some dude at the LBS having a look at you on a few different sized bikes, making a few adjustments and saying; "there you go". Just go watch someone go through the "Fit Kit" and you'll see what I mean.