Frame too small??

Ollybfc

I (like a few others on there) bought a GT GTR Series 1 2012 road bike from wiggle for £560 down from £1399 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gt-gtr-series-1-2012/ Thought it would be a good inexpensive way into road cycling, having previously only cycled mountain bikes.

I went for the "XL" frame which according to wiggle's size guide should have been ok for my height/inside leg measurement. I have however found that I need to extend the seatpost beyond the "minimum insertion point" by about 4-5cm. I contacted wiggle about this, expecting the solution being as simple as buying a longer seat post but was told that this means that the frame is too small and that I would need to return it for a refund (wasn't expecting that!).

On checking the sizes of other road bikes, it appears that the XL (frame size 55cm) is equivalent to a M and a "standard" XL would be more like 60cm. Have GT messed up with the sizing or is the frame size correct for the rest of the bikes geometry?

I've looked at alternative bikes and nothing comes close for the price. Was considering the Felt Z6 Tiagra as an alternative which would be £725, however, everything except the carbon frame (?) seems considerably lower specced than the GT GTR, and I'd be paying £165 more for the privilege!

I'm loathed to send the bike back and would really prefer to make the bike work if possible (I realise that roadie purists would probably advise against this). Can anyone offer any suggestions for doing this? As mentioned, I'm a newbie to Road Biking so any suggestions would be welcomed!

Thanks!

wellbeloved747

Its like shoes in terms of sizing nike may have a size 9 but may be equivalent to a size 10 so that the sizing. when it come to bike i believe a boardman may suit you as they are very good vale for the spec for example:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165710

Mikey41

Added to that, different makers will measure the size from different points, so you can't always directly compare one against the other.

Ollybfc

I appreciate that there are indeed larger frames of different bikes available. Just wondering if there is anything I can do with the one ive got?

Grill

Considering that you're 188cm w/a 84cm inseam you need the XXL size.

Ollybfc

XL was the largest frame wiggle offered for this bike.

Would a longer seat post and stem riser be out of the question?

Mikey41

Doing those things is really bodging the bike to fit when you really need a bigger size. It would likely be rather uncomfortable to ride.

Ollybfc

Thanks for your replies guys. Looks like I'm sending the bike back.

Has anyone any recommendations on any good deals at the moment? A lot of 2012 bikes seem well discounted at the moment. My max budget is around the £900 mark though less would obviously be better!

I was going to hit the button on the Mekk Poggio 2.5 ultegra that was £792 the other day (£1600 less 45% less 10%) but this is back up at £1200 now!! Anyone else noticed that wiggles prices seem to change on a daily basis?

Grill

It's called "fluid pricing". Most of the retail industry use it. Think about the way flight prices fluctuate, same thing. They are a business after all...