Another Ribble Gran Fondo - Opinions needed on size.

JD_76

Purchased this lovely machine recently - but am not sure about the size, it rides great and I love the looks.
I sometimes feel the bike is too big for me as the seat sits quite low, but the reach I think is fine so im a tad confused.
I took it to my local bike shop and they said it was the right size.

I have shortish legs and a long body so that may be a factor.
My inside leg is 80cms and im 5'10" tall. The frame is a 54cm L.

The Q is does it look big or ok? thanks in advance.

Bike:

Coach H

I have long body short legs and yes you will need a short seat-tube and long top-tube relative to what a "normal" set up will look like. Your set up looks much like mine, visually the seat height suggests the frame is too big but a size smaller would mean struggling with top-tube and head-tube length.

Its hard to see without your proper shoes on, but with my, un-trained, eye your seat is too high and you need a slightly longer stem. Other than that it looks to be the right size.

Karl2010

Lots of Gran Fondos poping up. Nice arnt they?

There is a couple up on ebay at the moment. Anyway.....

Looks like your seat needs tilting forward a bit. If you start experiencing numbness then its might be the cause.

I have a Gran Fondo also and im thinking it might be too short for me.

But when i ride it im not uncomforable so..... Maybe its the camera playing tricks on us.!

Is there a set rule/guideline anyone knows of that relates to:
The total lengh of bike/top tube in relation to your hight?

JD_76

Thanks lads, my leg is more bent with my SPD's on as the pedal is more on the ball of my foot, just want to be sure the frame is right.

I found the below info on the web about TT size Karl, I saw your thread your bike looks good to me. How tall are you?

The top tube length of your bike should be proportional to a combination of your trunk length and arm length. For these measurements you need to be seated with your back pressed firmly against an upright surface such as a wall. Trunk length is measured from the seat you are sat on to the top of your shoulder with you sitting fully upright. The forearm length is measured from the back of the elbow (with the back of the elbow pressed against the upright support and with the forearm horizontal) to the centre of your clenched fist. Total arm length is obtained with your arm straight out in front and measuring from the upright support to the centre of your clenched fist (keep your back firmly against the support). The measurements are used in the following equation: top tube length = 75.25% trunk length + 7.8% forearm length + 7% total arm length - 1cm (1/2"). The answer should be rounded out to the nearest 1/2cm (1/4").

Karl2010

Nice 1.

Im 5'11'' in bare feet and must be 6'1''with my cycleing shoes and cleats.

Karl2010

Whats does yuor bike weigh JD?

acidstrato

i'm 5'10 and have a large and my seatpost is way higher than yours and my stem is at the top of the steerer with all spacers underneath

fit to the frame looks fine bu you need to fine tune your fit setup

JD_76

The bike weighs in at 9.1kg or 20lbs, the seat post and seat are heavy items that could be changed to save a few more grams. I weighed it doing the old bathroom scales trick so the figures will be give or take a bit.

Thanks acidstrato it gives me more confidence knowing your the same height as me and have the same frame size, did Ribble size you up? Can you post a pic of your bike so I can see the setup?

Cheers.

acidstrato

no i have other bikes of different lengths so i kinda knew what sort of seat tube length i was after but the geo of the fram still makes it quite low which then gave my back abit of grief for a while but now it has a good race feel as opposed to my giant

my build weighs in at 8.5kgs

JD_76

Thanks for posting the pic- she looks a peach love the spokes on the wheels, now if my seat height looked like that against the frame id be happy.
I must have really short legs for 5'10" - what is your inside leg if you dont mind me asking? Last question i promise.

freehub

All I'd do is lower the saddle and try it.

acidstrato

31~32" i think

stand over height my bike feels a little small compared to my others and the handlebars are fairly low hence the bad back i got at first. in comparison my giant is a 56 so i dont need to run the post as high but also the bars are higher and the stem is flipped so its much more comfortable to ride over long periods but it also lacks the right feel for racing.

hope this helps

JD_76

acidstrato wrote:

31~32" i think

stand over height my bike feels a little small compared to my others and the handlebars are fairly low hence the bad back i got at first. in comparison my giant is a 56 so i dont need to run the post as high but also the bars are higher and the stem is flipped so its much more comfortable to ride over long periods but it also lacks the right feel for racing.

hope this helps

Thanks for the info bud but now im confused, my inside leg is 80cms, your saying yours is 81.5cms but your seat is way higher than mine on the frame. :?
I have measured my frame and it is deffo a L measuring 54cm from the centere of the BB to the very top of the seat tube, can you measure this distance on your frame?

JD_76

Done a bit of crude Photoshoping, by blending in the spacer on-top of the stem the bike looks a bit more in ballance now - its amazing how the eye tricks you in pictures.

macerello

Hi JD_76,

I'm also 5' 10" and have a 29" inside leg with a long upper body. I measured up as needing a 54cm frame and ended up with a 53cm Pinarello. My saddle position is the same as yours and the top tube length feels fine. A smaller frame would allow me to raise the saddle more but I think the reach would be too short.

I'll try to post a picture for comparison.

Cheers

Mark

JD_76

Macerello wrote:

Hi JD_76,

I'm also 5' 10" and have a 29" inside leg with a long upper body. I measured up as needing a 54cm frame and ended up with a 53cm Pinarello. My saddle position is the same as yours and the top tube length feels fine. A smaller frame would allow me to raise the saddle more but I think the reach would be too short.

I'll try to post a picture for comparison.

Cheers

Mark

Thanks Mark, id really appreciate that - its good to know im not the only one with shortish legs

James.

acidstrato

mines definitly alargemate 54cm seat tube BUT keep in mind i mentioned my Giant is a 56cm so I'm used to riding a slightly larger frame and thats why my seat post is higher.

my riding style is at the end of the day my own style and nobody else's will be exactly the same so you gotta make allowances for your own style, when seated, i keep only a very minute bend in my leg when its extended to the bottom of the crank. Plus remember I've set this bike up to race on not to train daily or complete any sportives. 2-3hrs max I ride this bike at any one time

JD_76

acidstrato wrote:

mines definitly alargemate 54cm seat tube BUT keep in mind i mentioned my Giant is a 56cm so I'm used to riding a slightly larger frame and thats why my seat post is higher.

my riding style is at the end of the day my own style and nobody else's will be exactly the same so you gotta make allowances for your own style, when seated, i keep only a very minute bend in my leg when its extended to the bottom of the crank. Plus remember I've set this bike up to race on not to train daily or complete any sportives. 2-3hrs max I ride this bike at any one time

Cool, thanks for clarifying that for me - really appreciate your input.
Im finding its a minefield of information to get the right bike size / setup correct.
Im thinking if I want a more aggressive riding position I need to put more spacers on-top of the stem to lower the bars further.

Blacktemplar

Macerello wrote:

I'm also 5' 10" and have a 29" inside leg with a long upper body. I measured up as needing a 54cm frame and ended up with a 53cm Pinarello. My saddle position is the same as yours and the top tube length feels fine. A smaller frame would allow me to raise the saddle more but I think the reach would be too short.

Like Macerello I'm also 5'10" with a 29" inside leg, and I ended up going for a 54 frame on my CAAD9 as I felt the 52 was a bit neat. However to get a comfy reach to the hoods I've flipped the stem to give me a slightly better back angle, and might even consider a slightly shorter stem. Everyone's a different shape!