What size Ridley?

manofsteel

I'm hoping to get a Ridley Crossbow from Halfords using the cycle2work scheme. Unfortunately, there are no Ridley dealers near me so I am unable to get a sit on one. Is anyone prepared to take a guess at what size I would need!?!

I am curently riding a 17" Rock Lobster MTB.

I am 175 cm tall (about 5'8") and my inside leg is 74cm. I think a 50 or 52 cm (c - c) is about right but can't tell from the sizing chart on the Ridley website.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

jmeadows

i have just got a ridley orion 08, i am 5'9ish and have a medium and its pretty much spot on for me, the lads in the shop said i would be bordering on being too big for it but i think its spot on now that i have tried it , any bigger and it would be too big.
hope this helps

neil²

Go on the smaller side if in doubt - that was what the Ridley dealer told me, so I got a 56 rather than a 58. It was the right size when I test rode it.

Also, it is easier to make it taller than shorter! If you are going to compete in cross then you really don't want an oversized frame.

yogi

Be careful what size you get. The Ridley cylcocross bikes tend to be on the large size. I bought a 56cm and it's a little on the large side. I'm 6 foot. A 54cm would have been better for me.

I would go by the top-tube length. Crossers tend to ride shorter top-tubes so that they get a more upright position. Also cross bikes tend to have quite high bottom brackets with the result that the top-tube will be higher on for example a 56cm cross bike than a 56cm road bike.

I ride a 56cm Cannondale on the road (the top-tube is 56) but require a cross bike that is 54cm.

Hope this helps. I've just bought a smaller Columbus X-Wing so my 56cm Ridley Crosswind F&F is now for sale. The Ridley is a great bike though and has served me well through a couple of winters. Enjoy your Ridley when you get it.

manofsteel

Thanks for all the advice. Looking at your replies, and the Ridley geometry chart, I think I'll go for a 50cm (c-c) which is 54cm to top of seat tube. This is erring on the side of caution a bit but I'd rather be a bit upright and keep a similar position to that of my MTB.

I'm not too sure about competing on it, but this geometry should make it ideal for the odd sportive now and again (wife and kids permitting! :evil: )

Cheers

yogi

Yeah, you can do pretty much anything on a cross bike using slick or knobbly tyres and plenty of clearance for mudguards too. Only thing is; no bottle cage mounts on the Ridley's in true cyclocross style.