Bike to small - accessorise, or new frame?

SPOODZILLA

Hi,

Owned a Giant FCR3 (L) (road bike with flat handle bars) for a few months now. Much as I love it, I've got the seat up as high as it goes but could do with another 2 inches, and because of the high seat my wrists are carrying too much weight and aching a little.

I dont have the cash to just go out and buy a new bike (having just bought a Merlin Malt 1 which is the right size), but was wondering it theres something out there I can strap to the handlebars, or whether my kit is transferable to another frame? particularly worried about swapping the forks.

The bike:
http://www.biketraks.com/products.php?plid=m15b3s172p1209&rs=gb

maddog 2

if the frame is too short then you could try a longer stem. Up to about 120mm should be fine.

if the bars are too low then you could try a stem with more rise (or filp the one you've got over)

obviously you need a longer seatpost...

You could also try moving you saddle back a few cms to free up some more room (or getting a seatpost with some layback)

Without seeing you and the bike it's hard to assess whether you're too big for the frame - what size are you?

As a rough guide though, I'm 5'11" and run a 57cm top tube and a 120mm stem on my flat bar roadie.

SPOODZILLA

Sorry, should have said, 6'4", 35" inside leg.

Messing around with the stem sounds like a good starting point. Are steering tubes for road bikes a standard size?

FCR3 Large frame size is 55cm.

Nuggs

SPOODZILLA wrote:

Sorry, should have said, 6'4", 35" inside leg.

Messing around with the stem sounds like a good starting point. Are steering tubes for road bikes a standard size?

FCR3 Large frame size is 55cm.

Short@rse!

55cm does seem very small for a chap of your size. You need to be careful with just fitting longer/higher bits as I would have thought it could adversely affect the handling...

Bronzie

SPOODZILLA wrote:

Are steering tubes for road bikes a standard size?

Most threadless (Aheadset) forks now have 1.1/8" steerers, but older frames may use 1" instead. The majority of stems are supplied 1.1/8" with a shim to suit 1" steerers.

maddog 2

Giants have quite a sloping TT so the key measure is the effective top tube length, measured horizontally, from the centre of the seatpost to the centre of the steerer.

For a bloke of your size you'll need at least 58cm in my opinion (unless you're an orangutan... )

Anything over 130mm for a stem starts to get daft IMO.

Ste_S

Nuggs wrote:

SPOODZILLA wrote:

Sorry, should have said, 6'4", 35" inside leg.

Messing around with the stem sounds like a good starting point. Are steering tubes for road bikes a standard size?

FCR3 Large frame size is 55cm.

Short@rse!

55cm does seem very small for a chap of your size. You need to be careful with just fitting longer/higher bits as I would have thought it could adversely affect the handling...

Is that 55cm centre to centre ? Bear in mind the FCR has a compact frame

SPOODZILLA

Couldnt tell you what the 55cm means, i'm just reading off the website. Its a small setup though, for me anyway. Looks like a dwarf next to my xc bike.

I tihnk I need a bigger frame - does anyone have a recommentations? cheaper the better.

Information on likely problems when transfering kit to a new frame would be nice too - I expect things like cable lengths to be out. Other bits I'll need to buy?

SDP

i am 6'3" and ride a TCR ( L ) ...with a 34 i.leg ....i use a 350mm seat post & a 12cm stem

i think with a 400MM seat post ( or 350mm at a push ) you wil be OK

try flipping stem over ...i assume you got no more adjustment with spacers to go

if in doubt PM me

SPOODZILLA

Cant flip the stem, as the bikes a flatbar its already pointing upwards.

Noticed on this mornings commute that I'm using my lower back to take some of the weight off my wrists, its not the right setup at all.

I'll have a scout on ebay for a second hand frame, I rely on the bike for getting to work, but its not doing me knees, back or wrists any good.

meesterbond

Just for info, according to the Giant site, a 'L' in their Compact Road Geometry equates to 58-60cm in 'traditional' sizing, presumably 58cm being C-C (I think I've got that the right way round).