Frame Size Advice for a Road Newbie ??

Leesykoi

Hi,

Seriously looking for a road bike (not hanging up my Spesh MTB yet tho) and was after some frame size advice.....I'm 5ft 10 with a 30in inside leg.

Some places seem to advise a 54 then some a 56 ? Also if the frame is measured as a Med or a Large ? Aaaargh help what size am i ????

I'm looking for a lightly used decent quality bike rather than brand new entry level so cannot rely on LBS expertise as i may have to travel to buy a bike.

Cheers.

Lee.

majormantra

Leesykoi wrote:

Hi,

Seriously looking for a road bike (not hanging up my Spesh MTB yet tho) and was after some frame size advice.....I'm 5ft 10 with a 30in inside leg.

Some places seem to advise a 54 then some a 56 ? Also if the frame is measured as a Med or a Large ? Aaaargh help what size am i ????

I'm looking for a lightly used decent quality bike rather than brand new entry level so cannot rely on LBS expertise as i may have to travel to buy a bike.

Cheers.

Lee.

There's no single right answer to questions like this. Partly it's a matter of taste and partly one of fitness and precise physique. If you want a more aggressive position and you can handle a bigger saddle to bar drop then a smaller frame is what you want. The bigger frame will give a less aggressive position.

That said there are a lot of variables likes spacers, stem angle, stem length etc. Also, your needs may well change as you get fitter. The best approach might be to test ride some bikes of different sizes. Some bigger bike shops (like Edinburgh Bike Coop) are quite relaxed about letting people do this.

Matthew

majormantra

Oh, I forgot to say - the reach (determined by the top tube length, the choice of stem and the saddle to bar drop) is much more important than seat tube length.

Matthew

Mister W

As MajorMantra says, you need to look at the top tube length more than the seat tube length. I think, from your description, you have short legs and a long torso so you'll probably be more comfortable on a frame with a longer top tube.

Here's a link to a website I've used to work out bike sizes - http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO It may be of use but remember it's only giviing you a guide and you need to ride the bikes to find the best one for you.