Riders using bike sizes that come as a bit of surprise

Raffles

Id been looking online at some of the best riders currently out there doing the rounds and the components and sizing of their bikes. One that peaked my interest was current TDF champ Cadel Evans. The common ground with Cadel was body geometry, it sure as heck aint riding ability . Like me, Cadel is 5 feet 9 inches tall and has the same short leg length that I have. His bike is truly a beaut , but I was so surprised to find out that his frame is a size 51cm. Id never have guessed in a million years that a rider with his body geometry would use such a small frame. My own bike is a medium size 54cm and I use an in-line saddle post as it just feels more comfortable to me than using one with setback. With the in-line post my saddle is clamped in the middle of the rails, using setback it would be right at the back too. What fitting adjustments do you reckon CE has made to his 51cm bike setup to make it fit like a glove for him and enable him to unleash TDF winning power ? I thought with such a small frame that he would have had to use a tower block of spacers underneath his handlebar stem and about 2 feet of saddle post to get any kind of fit at all.

As myself and CE are of similar build stature, Id be very interested in your views about how he makes himself fit to that BMC awesome bike .

Rigged

Have a look here for lots of the measurements of his bike in the TDF. http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/ ... r01_181844

NeilMick

He probably doesn't ride an off the shelf frame size, so some tube lengths will be changed suit his needs.

Raffles

I see, ordinarily would a 5 feet 9 inches bloke on a stock 52cm frame potentially result in a boatload of stem spacers and unusually long saddle post being required then ?

night_porter

Not if it had a compact frame!

Most manufacturers quote the size of the seat tube as the frame size but in reality the effective top tube is what really matters.

Raising the bars isn't needed if you like to ride really low and the top tube is extended with a longer stem so a 51cm bike could easily be made to fit someone of that size.

Raffles

Rigged wrote:

Have a look here for lots of the measurements of his bike in the TDF. http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/ ... r01_181844

Rigged, that was very insightful. Turns out CE bike ISNT one with custom geometry and is in fact STOCK dimensions. He also uses cranks that are 172.5 mm instead of the usual 170mm type that come recommended for his height.

Compact frame isnt something I am familiar with , must look into that.

Raffles

night_porter wrote:

Not if it had a compact frame!

Most manufacturers quote the size of the seat tube as the frame size but in reality the effective top tube is what really matters.

Raising the bars isn't needed if you like to ride really low and the top tube is extended with a longer stem so a 51cm bike could easily be made to fit someone of that size.

Using your information, with me being CE body sized, if I sourced say a 52cm frame with circa 535mm TT length, would the use of say 110 -120mm handlebar stem be a step in the direction of more suitable fit and also allow me to use a degree of setback at the saddle post ?

Maybe reliance on manufacturers fitting charts is a bit of blind faith ? Some are saying if you opt for a 52cm frame then the height range is 5 ft 3 inches to 5 ft 6 inches , but I think thats heavily seat tube dependant rather than than top tube.

giropaul

The ideal answer is to get a good bike fit (someone who comes well recommended - I've recently seen an appalling position and wrong sized bike after one shop "fit")

If not, start with the top tube length - that's the vital measurement - and use horizontal "virtual" length if it's a compact frame. Then work out how high you want your bars - high bars = bigger frame.

Set up your position on the saddle BEFORE you even think about stem length. The saddle set back should put your knee (just behind the knee cap) vertically straight over the bottom bracket - with slight adjustment for preference. Then you set up the stem length you need.

Pro riders are more flexible than 40+ year olds; therefore to get the bars as loww as they want they will usually end up with a size or so smaller frame than the 40+ year old.

And - who says 170 cranks are the only right ones for 5ft 9 inches? It again depends on many things, including the type of riding. I know several pros who used to use 172.5 usually, but 175 in the mountains.

slowondefy2

giropaul wrote:

The saddle set back should put your knee (just behind the knee cap) vertically straight over the bottom bracket

I think you mean 'knee over pedal spindle' (KOPS), which is done with the cranks horizontal. And even that is pretty controversial, but it seems to be a good start at least. It's very difficult to check your own KOPS positioning without someone else to help.

Sheldon Brown thinks KOPS is rubbish.

giropaul

Yes, my apologies, I do mean over pedal spindle. It's a good start, sprinters tend to be a tad forward of that, some climbers a tad behind.

Sheldon Brown never worked with competative cyclists.

Ber Nard

Doesn't Cadel Evans have proportionally long arms compared to most people? If you look at his TT bike the bars are set ridiculously low.

Rob

Raffles

Ber Nard wrote:

Doesn't Cadel Evans have proportionally long arms compared to most people? If you look at his TT bike the bars are set ridiculously low.

Rob

Even with that, apparently his 51cm BMC SLR01 bike is stock geometry with no variation in tube lengths to adapt for a better bike fit.