FWIW. I am 5'9" ... and, my current preference is to ride a 52cm (
c-c, with a 54.5cm top tube + 120mm stem) frame, or equivalently proportioned bike (
as far as the top tube + stem, etc.) ...
I have ridden & still own bikes with larger frames; and, once in the saddle, the difference is minimal ... but, depending on how a bike is set up, it can be meaningful to the rider -- specifically, stem & handlebar height.
When I am riding a bike with a larger frame, it is simply a matter of leaning the bike when stopped OR if in an urban area, placing one's foot on the curb (
unless the curb has been ADA'd).
Of the bikes you have indicated,
- I would bypass the one with the 27" wheels ...
- I would skip the bikes with the larger frames except for the "[SIZE= 12px]Schwinn Mens Bike - $60 (Temecula/Murrieta)" which is exceptionally priced (but, appears to be a 57cm-or-larger frame) ... for the cost difference, I wouldn't find leaning the bike when stopped to be that inconvenient[/SIZE]
- [SIZE= 12px]if you were taller AND inclined to fiddling with component updating & upgrading, then I would suggest the "[/SIZE]Vintage Trek 610 Road Bike/campagnolo - $230 (Corona)" because it's a nice frame
- in the end, of the bikes indicated, the 54cm Peugeot is THE bike which 'I' would choose ... as much for the size as for the (known) ride quality.
- FYI. the Peugeot appears to have a Turbo-OR-Turbo-copy saddle -- a very highly regarded (for its comfort for most riders) saddle which looks to be in very nice condition -- a definite plus.
Having said that, I have to
disclose that I had a similar vintage Peugeot PH501 (52x54.5) which I thought was a great riding bike. Although I designated it as being my "Winter" bike, I also used it to test components [
Peugeot switched to English threaded BBs in the 80s, so the particular Peugeot more-than-likely has an English threaded BB ... that may not mean anything at this moment, but it will be meaningful if you ever have the need-or-urge to change the crankset ... for instance, if you wanted a crank with different length arms, etc.] since it was a ride I was most familiar with AND because it rode so well ...
- other than the slightly longer chainstays, my Peugeot had the same geometry as my Carbon Fiber bike ... and, the handling was essentially the same ... and, because the components were of a similar quality, there wasn't a great deal of difference in the ride of the two bikes ... at least, IMO!?!
- the only reason that I finally sold the Peugeot frame was because I was choosing to ride it instead of any of my other bikes ... if I were wiser, then I should-or-would have sold everything else and simply kept the Peugeot!
- HMmm. if I were really smart, I would sell my CF frame while it still has some value & buy a steel framed equivalent from the same framebuilder ...
There IS an advantage to a larger frame. When you are riding a larger frame, the stem will more than likely be higher and THAT is an important factor for some people ... so, a lot may depend on a person's conditioning & flexibility.
With THAT in mind, because cosmetics (
i.e., "curb appeal" in how it is set up according to your aesthetic sensibilities) are certainly an aspect of frame sizing, a bike with a 56cm frame could certainly be a reasonable choice ...
So, if the Peugeot doesn't strike YOUR fancy due to the color or French heritage or for whatever reason, then keep looking for a bike with a 52cm-to-56cm frame ... try to avoid bikes with 27" wheels (
27x1.25 is equivalent to 700x32, and vice-versa) UNLESS you are mostly riding on rough pavement.
