Scott CR1 Team size issue

7jason

Hi

I have just ordered a Scott CR1 Team, which arrived yesterday - it looks fantastic and is light as a feather.

I bought it from an online retailer and provided them with my height of 5'7" and inside leg measurment of 29 to 30".

They said that I 'definately' need a 52.

Never having a road bike before I am not sure how one should actually feel but I must admit it does seem a little small - especially when I get out of the saddle on hills, I am very much over the front wheel.

Is anyone able to provide guidence on whether or not the bike sounds the right size, or perhaps checks I should do whilst on the bike to determine the fit.

Thanks
Jason

merak

Sounds about right to me. I am 5'7", inside leg 30" and ride a 51cm frame. Other than feeling forward when climbing (which also sounds right) what makes the frame feel too small? Bars too low or too close? You can set all the spacers under the stem unrtil you get accustomed to the road position and then move them above the stem as you get more comfortable (assuming the steerer hasn't already been cut. Have you set the saddle height and setback correctly for you? Do you feel cramped in the tops, on the drops or on the hoods, or in all three positions? If you have a long torso and shorter legs, then you might prefer a longer stem.

You don't say how far you've ridden this bike. My advice is to get at least 100 miles in before jumping to any conslusions (assuming the saddle etc is well set for your size in the first place).

ollyridesfirst

depending on the crank length you have, and also what sort of reach you have, i'd have said you should be on a 52-54.

If you take into consideration your reach. Get your height (cm) and your arm span fingertip to fingertip (cm) and do: Arm span - Height. This is called Ape Index. If the number is positive then you have long arms and should go for a larger frame, if the number is negative, then you have short arms and should go for a shorter frame.

At the end of the day, if you've been riding it for a couple of weeks or so and it doesn't feel right....swap it for a larger size

7jason

Thanks very much for such a quick reply.

Is your 51cm a Scott CR1 Team?

I guess I just felt in a 'sat up' position and felt (not sure why) that I should be strecthed out a bit more.

when I ride down on the drops I do feel a little tight, cramped may be a bit too strong a description.

I must admit I only did about 15 miles, but I did not want to put too many miles on in case I wanted to swap.

Scott do not have a sizing guide for the CR1 on their website so I had to go by what the retailer told me.

I did try a 54 in Evans a while back, and although the guy in the shop said it seemed the right size, the seat post was pretty much as low as it could get (around 2 inch showing, if that) and to me it did not look right, so when Tweeks said a 52 it seemed to sound sensible.

A friend said a good test is to put your elbow on the tip of the seat (which is currently set to be as far back as possible) and the tips of your fingers should only go as far as the head tube, whereas when I do the test my finger tips end up between the head tube and the bars themselves.

Thanks again
Jason

merak

How much spacer have you got under the stem and how much seat post have you got above a horizontal line drawn from the point where the top tube intersects the head tube to the seat post?

(My 51cm is not a Scott CR1, but that is the size I ride in several different bikes. I know exactly what critical measurements I need to get exactly the same position on all my bikes, so when I buy a bike I can set it up without even sitting on it.)

markshaw77

I have a Scott CR1 Team (2009) in a 52 (535mm top tube) and I am similar size to you (5'6" and 29" inside leg) - i have around 6 inches of seatpost showing and the stem is now down on top of the conical spacer (was 10mm higher when I started, but it was my first road bike, so it took me a while to adjust)

Mine was professionally fitted at Epic Cycles (one of the best around), so I would guess that, unless you have non-standard proportions (long arms, short legs or vice versa) it is probably the right size.

The easiest thing to stretch it out a bit is to fit a longer stem - you could even ask Tweeks if they will swap yours for another one (Epic did this for me on a different bike). I have found that simply moving the stem down 10mm (by removing a spacer) and getting a 10mm longer stem made a noticeable difference to the reach.

Hope that helps

7jason

I have got all the spacers under the stem, as in the bars are the highest they can be in terms of the spacers.

Not sure about the seat post but can have a look tonight and post (at work at the moment)

Thanks again

redddraggon

Sounds the right size to me, have you ridden a road bike much before?

ollyridesfirst

7jason wrote:

Scott do not have a sizing guide for the CR1 on their website so I had to go by what the retailer told me.

http://www.scott-sports.com/us_en/produ ... 725/218104

click on the Geometry link just under the picture


As for when you tried the 54 frame in Evans, again it would depend on the crank length too. If it had a 175 crack arm, then it might feel perfect with a 170 ?

The importance of a proper bike fit right here!

7jason

redddragon - never ridden a road bike, always been on mountain bikes

Ollyridesfirst - sorry, what I meant by size guide was advising on what size bike to get for height and/or inside leg - they seem to have this for all other versions of their bikes.

The bike in Evans, excuse my ignorance to all this, I really am a bit thick when it comes to the technical stuff (people on here seem great) would the bike, and therefore crank arm not be identical? it was the same bike as I have bought from Tweeks

redddraggon

7jason wrote:

redddragon - never ridden a road bike, always been on mountain bikes

Could be that then, keep riding it, and it'll become more natural.

markshaw77

7jason wrote:

I have got all the spacers under the stem, as in the bars are the highest they can be in terms of the spacers.

Not sure about the seat post but can have a look tonight and post (at work at the moment)

Thanks again

If that's the case, I'd just try dropping the stem down a spacer or two (probably best to go one at a time) and/or a longer stem (again 10mm at a time) - it will make a noticeable difference

You can pick up cheap stems on ebay for testing purposes and then once you have got the right size, you can splash the cash on the ritchey stem to match your seatpost

7jason

Thank you to all that have responded - really appreciate your help

merak

Since all the spacers are under your stem, your problem could well be that the bars are too high. I have mine as low as it'll go on my 51cm frame. Tried the forearm thingy on my bikes - fingertips come to 40 - 50mm past the centreline of the stem so not that different from you. I'd drop the bars first (gradually) and see how that goes before you start playing with stem length.

With regard to the bike in Evans, if it was a different size frame, it might have been a different crank length. But I think the point Olly was making is that a lot of manufacturers sell bikes with 175 cranks regardl;ess of frame size and that tends to be too long for people of our leg length - I prefer 172.5, others 170. The shorter the crank length the higher your saddle goes (because the correct distance from saddle top to pedal at the bottom of the stroke is fixed) and so the longer the reach to the bars both horizontally and height-wise. As far as I can see Scott don't specify the crank length on their website which is a bit naughty.

merak

And here's another thing - looking at the Scott geometry drawing their 52cm frame is measured from BB to top of seat tube which is at least a couple of cm below where a horizontal top tube would meet the seat post - so your 52cm frame is nominally actually 54cm when compared to my 51cm. The 52cm has a standover of 30.1" which is a bit marginally large for someone with a 30" inside leg, so I'd say your frame is definitely not too small.

avoidingmyphd

I'm 5'10" and a size 54 CR1 is perfect for me.

ollyridesfirst

As Merak said....crank length is very important when sizing a bike up correctly. You really can't beat paying a bit of money to get properly measured up on a rig and having those measurement written down for reference.

You start with the distance between the saddle and bottom bracket, then work in the correct crank length. Then you work out the set-back of the saddle. This is normally done by ensuring your knee is over the pedal axle at the 3 o'clock position of the crank....this is not entirely correct as again, everyone is different and some people might have longer thighs than others (Lance has i believe). Once the saddle is sorted, you then work out reach to handlebars. This can be effected by upper body/arm length and also what sort of riding/style you will be adopting (eg, TT bikes are normally set out longer and lower to get a more aero position). This can be achieved by steerer length (using spacers if required), stem length and even handlebar reach.

It is an absolute art form, and i'd always recommend a new rider to get jigged up before even looking for a bike. If you pay £50-£80 for it, it is well worth the money just to save yourself the pain of an uncomfortable riding position and possible injury...

Hope i got everything right there....phew

EarlyGo

Jason,

Any chance you could post photos of you on the bike so we could see if you look right or not?

Otherwise drop the bars a spacer at a time and perhaps longer stem? How much seat post do you have showing? Are you sure the saddle is high enough?

Regards, EarlyGo