Right size of bike frame?

NPDoodles

I am new to road bikes, having had mountain bikes for years. I have just bought myself a Trek 1.2 from a decent bike shop where I live in Germany. I was measured by the staff and suggested a 60cm frame. I am 6'5" or 1.97m, or certainly was - was measured as 1.95m, have either shrunk or was not fully upright when measured... I realize that this is not the only relevant measurement but does this frame not sound small for someone of my height? Furthermore, my first outing on the bike felt as if I couldn't really put my foot down and concluded that my seat was too low...am concerned that I have not been well-advised re size and fitting of bike, however the other possibility is that I am simply not yet fit enough which was why I had trouble putting my foot down! Any advice gratefully received

TanukiRider

Hi,

This is from a total noob to road riding, but my experience may help. I just bought a Giant Defy, and from all the internet guides I had convincd myself I needed a 56cm frame.....so much so I almost missed out on a great bike.

Luckily the guy I bought it from was a top guy and has been riding for years, and in the end the 54cm frame I now ride is a perfect fit........


Best advice I can offer is to not buy a bike on guesswork, go and try it out...... eBay is littered with bikes that are bought from the internet and are the wrong size. Dont make that mistake, try one or two out then take advantage of this!

Mister W

Being able to put your foot down, or not, is absolutely no indication of a correct frame size. Neither is the distance from your crotch to the top tube, which is another measurement I've seen quoted. If you're new to road biking I would take advice from a good bike shop. They should put the bike on a static trainer and get you riding then take various measurements to check the size. They should firstly adjust the saddle so it's the right height and also move it forwards and backwards to get your knee angle right. Then they'll adjust the stem to get the bars into the right position for you. They might put a shorter or longer stem on to get it exactly right.

If they just meausred your height and gave you a bike then it's not a good bike shop.

Berk Bonebonce

A lot of new cyclists will invariably set their saddle too low.

A bike that is perhaps a little on the small size can be 'corrected'. Bet to have a frame on the small size than one that is too large.

Set your bike up as best as you can and then have someone take some side-on pictures of you on your bike. Can be a useful exercise, especially if you post them on a forum for comments.

mrwibble

You're very tall, I would recommend going to a bike shop that does some form of basic bike fitting. You will need a very big bike maybe a 62 cm at least if not a little bigger.

popularname

Hi NPDoodles.

I'm 6' 5" and I ride a 64cm Trek. They dont make all models in that size.

I used a bike fit service. Fit is excellent. 60cm will almost certainly be too small.