Is this bike too small for me?

UPGRAYEDD

http://www.flickr.com/photos/g-ray-d/

The bike is a medium frame (50cm, 55cm top tube). I'm about 181 centimetres ( a tad under 6 ft)

The saddle height is absolutely fine, and what I have been riding for years.

The ride position generally feels OK overall, although a bit of lower back pain if in saddle for more than 3 hrs at a stretch, and drop position isn't too comfortable for very long.

Wondering though whether with hindsight a Large frame would have been preferable, particularly given my knee-elbow position in drops?

Appreciate your thoughts, ta.

father_jack

Possibly I ride 54cm road/tourer and I'm 5'10. Stem length 10cm. I have a Giant OCR-1 medium. I never use drops but can tell you're really hunched. The bells the bells!

UPGRAYEDD

Father Jack wrote:

Possibly I ride 54cm road/tourer and I'm 5'10. Stem length 10cm. I have a Giant OCR-1 medium. I never use drops but can tell you're really hunched. The bells the bells!

Heh!

Yes, that's what I wondered. I rarely use my drops, and I wonder whether it's just because they're too uncomfortable. The rest of the positions seem fine though (it's a 120 mm stem and +5 degrees if I remember correctly).

Helpful to know your height in relation to mine - was told by my LBS when I bought this thing back in the day that the large frame would've been too big (hmm...)

father_jack

181cm is 5'9. Are you sure? You look taller than that. Pic of mine although not on it and have changed stem. Your saddle is way higher than mine, my legs are similar stretched to yours at 6 o clock

downfader

If your elbows are coming that close to your knees then Iwould say yes, too small a frame. You could try a longer stem but I dont think that would work as well, as then you'll be too far over the front wheel when out the saddle.

I'm 6 foot 2 and ride a 58 or60cm frame depending on the make.

thel33ter

I'm around 160cm and ride a 50cm, so I think it would probably is too small, although I do have long legs and a short body.

LazyLoki

I reckon it looks a bit on the short side. Think I read somewhere that your forearms should be about parallel to the floor with a 90 degree bend at the elbow when you're in the drops.

UPGRAYEDD

Father Jack wrote:

181cm is 5'9. Are you sure? You look taller than that. Pic of mine although not on it and have changed stem. Your saddle is way higher than mine, my legs are similar stretched to yours at 6 o clock

5'9 is just over 175 cm, 5'11 is just over 180 cm.

You might have been doing yourself injustice on the height front over the years!

Note that your saddle is considerably lower than mine in relation to the bars, though (and probably a damn sight more comfortable riding position)

stannie

I am 5'4" and have just been measured up for a bike. They suggest 50cm frame ( 52cm top tube).
I would say you are definitely riding a bike too small .

Unless you are very flexible in your hamstrings your saddle is way too far above the bars.

danowat

Way too small, not only does the bike look tiny underneath you, your knees are hitting your elbows when on the drops.

Also, you've got alot of seatpost out, so you can get the right seat height, which means the difference between the seat and bars is alot, hence your "hunch".

carrock

Ridiculously small

I'm 5 11 and ride a 58 roubaix with a 58.5 top tube

I'd be equally as comfy on a 56, but 54 or less would just be too small

You look like you're riding a child's bike, to be brutally honest

UPGRAYEDD

carrock wrote:

Ridiculously small

I'm 5 11 and ride a 58 roubaix with a 58.5 top tube

I'd be equally as comfy on a 56, but 54 or less would just be too small

You look like you're riding a child's bike, to be brutally honest

You do have to take into consideration that this was Giant's most brutally compact frame design, and that the camera makes it look even smaller than it actually is.

Notwithstanding that, It does have the look of The Goonies about it!

downfader

carrock wrote:

Ridiculously small

I'm 5 11 and ride a 58 roubaix with a 58.5 top tube

I'd be equally as comfy on a 56, but 54 or less would just be too small

You look like you're riding a child's bike, to be brutally honest

TBH I've seen guys on smaller.

carrock

downfader wrote:

carrock wrote:

Ridiculously small

I'm 5 11 and ride a 58 roubaix with a 58.5 top tube

I'd be equally as comfy on a 56, but 54 or less would just be too small

You look like you're riding a child's bike, to be brutally honest

TBH I've seen guys on smaller.

what - in a circus????

Can't see how riding a bike 2 sizes too small can be anything other than uncomfortable, dangerous, and frankly, irresponsible given that it may affect one's ability to control the bike in an emergency

Same goes for riding a bike 2 sizes too big.

Monty Dog

Firstly, the guy is riding a compact frame - any reference to 50cm being too small is meaningless - it's probably nearer a 55 traditional, and maybe is on the small side, but not stupidly so.
Do the knees hit the handlebars? - surefire sign of short reach
FWIW bike fit is a 3-stage process:
1 Seat height, 2 saddle setback then 3 reach - as the photos don't really address step 2, any discussions about reach is meaningless.

UPGRAYEDD

Monty Dog wrote:

Firstly, the guy is riding a compact frame - any reference to 50cm being too small is meaningless - it's probably nearer a 55 traditional, and maybe is on the small side, but not stupidly so.
Do the knees hit the handlebars? - surefire sign of short reach
FWIW bike fit is a 3-stage process:
1 Seat height, 2 saddle setback then 3 reach - as the photos don't really address step 2, any discussions about reach is meaningless.

Hi Monty

FYI, the saddle is as far back on the rails as it will go. Knees brush the handlebars in the drops if elbows are tucked in.

Don't think that Carrock has any experience of Giant compact geometry, hence his comment, although TBF, it has caught a number of people off-guard and I do think that the reach feels cramped in the drops.

father_jack

Either way it's too small :-P

JesseD

I am a similar height to you and had a Giant TCR in a medium which upon reflection was too small, the drop to the bars was very "pro" but in reality was not usable for long periods. I wish I had gone for a M/L or a L sized frame.

I then moved to a 56cm Scott Addict, which was fine for reach but the head tube was too short, I then moved to a 58cm CR1 and that was perfect for reach and bar height.

I now ride a Cannondale Six13 in a 58cm and the fit is great, it would be the equivilent to a M/L or a L in a Giant.

Sorry UPGRAYEDD, but I think you need at least a M/L or possibly a L depending on your flexibility.

Here's a pic of mine as a comparisson, the stem in the pic is a 110mm but I have now swapped to a 120mm stem and dropped in by 10mm.

Berk Bonebonce

That looks spot-on to me. TCR's have short head tubes and coupled with the long seat post can give the impression that you are on too small a frame, but no.

I think some posting on this thread do not realize that your OCR is modelled on the original TCR compact frame. More modern OCR's are not - they are less compact, to the point of not being compact at all.

I think some posting on this thread may not have even been born when the original TCR design first appeared.

edhornby

before lashing out big money on frames etc. try flipping the stem, will get the bars up a bit more

JesseD

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

That looks spot-on to me. TCR's have short head tubes and coupled with the long seat post can give the impression that you are on too small a frame, but no.

I think some posting on this thread do not realize that your OCR is modelled on the original TCR compact frame. More modern OCR's are not - they are less compact, to the point of not being compact at all.

I think some posting on this thread may not have even been born when the original TCR design first appeared.

How is it spot on if the OP complains of back pain on longer rides, and the drop position isn't comfortable for too long??

Just looking at the pictures the OP posted, I reckon he needs a longer top tube and a taller head tube, which would indicate a bigger frame, I think a large would be slightly to big but with a 110mm stem he would be fine, but a M/L would have been spot on with a 120 stem. I am the same height as the OP and assuming his flexibility is not dissimilar to mine then a Large would be ok but he should have gone no smaller than a M/L.

Buckled_Rims

This bike fitting flash is from Canyon bikes, but it's interesting to use. Make sure you switch to Road bike on the right

http://www.canyon.com/_en/tools/pps.html

If anyone else knows a bike fitting website like this I'll be interested.

carrock

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

That looks spot-on to me. TCR's have short head tubes and coupled with the long seat post can give the impression that you are on too small a frame, but no.

I think some posting on this thread do not realize that your OCR is modelled on the original TCR compact frame. More modern OCR's are not - they are less compact, to the point of not being compact at all.

I think some posting on this thread may not have even been born when the original TCR design first appeared.

Well on the contrary I think most of us know what compact frames are and can recognise the simple fact that the OP is on a bike that's too small for him.....

EKIMIKE

Weightweenies has a member who has created a 'biomechanical' fitting spreadsheet (or something like that). It looks pretty good and comes up with sensible numbers.

I think the member's username is 'Beatnik'. Might be worth a look. It seems a few guys on their have used it and have done well from the results.

SgtFinaldo

Yar a little too small a frame for your height. Just under 6 ft is a large size IMO. Im 5'9 and medium is just perfect. You look like a giant riding a pony. Ok thats slightly exaggereated sorry.
To be honest, the knees hitting your elbows isnt too much of a concern as long as your handlebars are 400mm or wider and your pedalling correctly.

BUT, if your comfortable, why change your setup? Possibly a smaller crank length?(im just pissing in the wind here....) or, dare i say it, shorter stem/saddle with a set back?
Youve all ready been tole all this.

Or you could just get a BG Geometry fit in a local Spesh store.
Or just a trip to the LBS.
Best of luck.

all show no go

FWIW I used to ride a TCR in a M/L size. I'm 5'11'' with long legs. Everybody is different of course when it comes to torso, leg, arm length etcetera so it really is a case of trying different sizes of frame. Any bike shop worth it's salt will also let you try different stem lengths, seatpins and saddles to get your fit sorted.

You could always go down the route of getting professionally bike-fitted. This can cost upwards of £100 but may be worth it in the long run.

As a foot-note, my TCR was a M/L with a 110mm h/bar stem coupled with 44cm bars and an inline seatpost. I don't have any pics of me on the bike but hopefully a profile pic will give you some idea......

NatoED

i'm 5'11 and ride a medium boardman wich is also compact . i flipped themstem over and it felt much better . the strech on the large would be too much and give you much worse lower back pain . (it would make you form a "s" shape in your spine which is not good ) . flipping the stem would have the same efect as a taller head tube , pulling the bars further away from your legs and up towards your body while keeping the same reach straightening your back .

father_jack

pretty sure the boardman sizes are very different to giant.

rolf_f

Do your knees hit the bars when you are standing out of the saddle?

Fit depends on more than just height so someone saying 'I'm 8 foot 7 and therefore fit XXL' doesn't really mean anything. Any misproportion in length of torso, legs, arms etc can mean that you'll end up with a fit that will look odd to some people.

Personally, I would guess (emphasis on the guess!) that if you are uncomfortable on the drops on a small frame, you will be less comfortable still on a larger frame as more weight will be on your hands. Maybe the discomfort on the drops is down to lack of core strength. I taller head tube frame might also help.

P.S why is it so many people say 'I rarely use the drops'? The drops are great! If I didn't want to use them, I'd buy a hybrid!

P.P.S I am 6 '1'' - and ride a bike with a 550 virtual top tube. So you can see how meaningless it is to quote numbers like that without listing all measurements.

father_jack

P.S why is it so many people say 'I rarely use the drops'? The drops are great! If I didn't want to use them, I'd buy a hybrid!

The only time I've used drops is on my brothers old old road bike, he's much taller than me so has a larger frame. On the drops I don't feel like I'm trying to kiss my toes. But on my correctly sized frames I do. Also not sure don't like the bars on the drops, shape doesn't feel right, fingers are bunched up, brothers has ok.

soveda

Your leg looks like it might be overstretched on the bottom of the pedal stroke (I can't see the pictures clearly in close up) and you have even more seatpost showing than me (I'm 185 cm and ride a medium Giant Defy). Without knowing your inside leg/torso length/arm length (eg: I have a long torso, relatively short legs and a negative ape index so I'm not typical of 6 footers!) etc I don't think anyone can really say whether the bike is too small.