bike size surprise

robtc3

HI
I was in a shop today looking at a new bike scott foil 20 and they were sizing me up .I am 5.9 with 32" inside leg from looking at me they all said a 56 would fit. i have a colnago 55s arty atm but after sitting on a scott 56 they found that i needed a 58 as i found out i have a long body and my back is to hunched over on a 56 . On the 58 it is much flatter no strange hump half way up. Funny if i went by online sizes i would have got a 54 or 56 glade i went to lbs and not orded off the net. long live the lbs!!

Grill

That's ridiculous. I'm 5'11" with a similar inside leg and my Foils are 54. Not sure what hump you're referring to, but it's sounds to me like a bigger red herring than KOPS...

Which shop?

mfin

A 58 has a 580mm effective top tube length with a 73 seattube angle, no way on earth that is correct for a person of your size, Grill is right,... looking at the geometry table its quite obviously a 54 you need.

The shop are muppets or you've misdescribed/misunderstood something or are having a laugh. Even the 56 would be too big, the 58 is a joke.

Also with your height and inside leg you don't have an unusually long back at all.

Calpol

Very surprising. My initial reaction is similar to Mfin and Grill. I would never put someone your height on a 58. Sitting on a bike in a shop is one thing, riding it for 5 hours is another and I 'll wager you'll either be using a 60mm stem or be crippled. I'd go for a second opinion.

mikenetic

Go to a different LBS. My measurements are almost identical to yours, a 54 frame with a 100 or 110 stem is going to fit you a lot better. Are they trying to fob you off with an end of season model or something?

giant_man

Sorry but at 5' 9" you are nowhere near a 58, had to be said, that LBS is just trying to get rid of stock ...

t4tomo

You're right that is a big surprise. I'm 5'11" with 32" inside leg so I reckon I have a longer back and a 57 cm bianchi which is 560mm top tube and no one said I look like a hunchback riding it

bobby999

I just ordered a foil 15 in a medium and I'm 5'10 so I'm surprised too.

robtc3

Hi i was thinking it was a bit odd they felt the same they would have put me down as a 56 but they recon the 58 fitted me better the angle of my back looked better to them they spent a long time trying stems ect . I would have thought a 56 would be better for me. They are not trying to sell old stock they have a 56 in stock but would have to order a 58.I can say who it is but i live in hastings and its not to far away . now i am confused !!

itboffin

54 all the way

Grill

56 is still too big.
One of my best friends is 5'9" and rode my 54 Foil last weekend. He said he would have been comfier on a 52. He's a local racer and as managed a bike shop for many years so he's no mug.
Why won't you name the shop?

Barteos

My view on frame sizing changed when my bike fitter showed me how to seat properly on the bike with a pelvis rotated forward and with a straight back. He also reduced my handlebar drop to more realistic figures based on my flexibility rather than the covers of the bike magazines or transmissions from TdF.
Suddenly the frame that I thought was right for me (based on many sources), became 1" too short...

As there are too many variables, the truth is that no one here has a f*****g clue what size frame the OP needs

Grill

We know it's not a 58...

Where you sit on a saddle is an entirely personal choice as some perch on the nose whereas others prefer to be slide all the way back, not to mention the multitudes in the middle. This simple fact renders your argument invalid. :P

mfin

Barteos wrote:

As there are too many variables, the truth is that no one here has a f*****g clue what size frame the OP needs

You're right, if he has thighs that are only 12" long and when stood with his arms by his sides he can tuck his hands in his socks perhaps a 58 will be bang on.

itboffin

I think you'll find there's a fair few people on here that have a lot of experience riding, building and fitting bike. Admittedly not everyones replies are going to be based on anything other than their own experience, others will be from proven trial & experience.

It's partly why BR is usually the top search hit in the UK for bike related questions.

robtc3

I am very confused now ! i will have to go back in and try the 56 if what they say about my back angle is right i can always put a longer stem on it. There good guys in the shop and sell high end gear this is the problem with bike fitting evey one has there own ideas on how it should be set up well that what it seems like . i have been looking and reading on the net about bike fit and trying to sus it my self. but if what every one is saying this could explain why my colnargo always fees wrong as a 55s is like a 58 in there sizing . thanks for all the help migh just have saved me getting the wrong size bike!!

Bozman

You could say that someone around 5'9" - 5'10" would be suited to a frame with a TT around the 54cm mark. I'm in that area and I do, I have friends who have had bike fits and they're there too and you only have to search on this forum and you'll find that the majority of folk will be around there as well, but there are exceptions all though 58 does sound OTT.
I've ridden my mates Giant TCR with a 57+ TT and it felt fine, it wasn't a stretch or uncomfortable but it did feel big, that maybe down to me spending my life on a smaller frame but it was like riding a bus.

giant_man

Barteos wrote:

My view on frame sizing changed when my bike fitter showed me how to seat properly on the bike with a pelvis rotated forward and with a straight back. He also reduced my handlebar drop to more realistic figures based on my flexibility rather than the covers of the bike magazines or transmissions from TdF.
Suddenly the frame that I thought was right for me (based on many sources), became 1" too short...

As there are too many variables, the truth is that no one here has a f*****g clue what size frame the OP needs

Well yes we do have a f*****g clue cos we've been there, done that with bike fits and endless idiots in bike shops thinking they know about sizing of bike frames. I don't care what manufacturer of bike it is, and of course they're all different geometries, but at 5' 9", 58cm is too big, simple as that. If it's not the top tube, which he won't have the required reach, then it will be the seat tube. Whatever the OP's body dimensions. Or variables. The OP is not 6' or more, he's 5' 9".

Grill

robtc3 wrote:

I am very confused now ! i will have to go back in and try the 56 if what they say about my back angle is right i can always put a longer stem on it. There good guys in the shop and sell high end gear this is the problem with bike fitting evey one has there own ideas on how it should be set up well that what it seems like . i have been looking and reading on the net about bike fit and trying to sus it my self. but if what every one is saying this could explain why my colnargo always fees wrong as a 55s is like a 58 in there sizing . thanks for all the help migh just have saved me getting the wrong size bike!!

Go to a different shop. Who cares if they're good guys if they can't even properly size you on a frame. You really need to try a 54.

Velonutter

Huh...why don't you take the geometry chart to a proper bike fitters and get them to tell you what size you need? :?

Grill

Because they're 'good guys'...

southdownswolf

I take it that it is an Eastbourne dealer that you went to as I cant think of a Scott dealer in Hastings?

Grill

Evo Cycles it is. They just happen to have a demo Scott Foil in a 56...

southdownswolf

Must admit, not a dealer that I have used very often, I prefer TriStore in Eastbourne, but obviously they both sell different manufacturers.

racingcondor

I'm with the others in thinking that that sounds like a big frame for you.

Bike fit is ackward to get right without a jig and a couple of hours but it's well worth the time.

gotwood25

This has me confused now. I am pretty much the exact same measurements as the OP and have just been to try a Scott Foil 15 in a 54 and 56. The 54 felt tiny, almost comedy small although the fella in the shop was adamant that it was the right size for me whereas the 56 felt right and the same as my current bike.

Grill

Bike fit is personal. It's quite possible that you currently ride a frame that's too big, but have just gotten used to it and see it as the norm.

mfin

southdownswolf wrote:

Must admit, not a dealer that I have used very often, I prefer TriStore in Eastbourne, but obviously they both sell different manufacturers.

Tristore are well worth trying for the OP. I have had lots of stuff from there.

robtc3

Hi
thanks for all the input a lot of it was very help full . I spent a good few hrs getting sized up took lots of photos of different frame and stems.Looking at the photos i could see why they were saying 58 fitted me looking at the angle of my back and arms .I am quite upright on a 56 and a bit hunched over my back was a bit flatter on the 58 not so hunched but after going for a ride on 58 and 56 with all kinds of stems i felt the 56 was a bit better 54 felt like a childs bike so thats right out. So i have a 56 on order and cant wait

Calpol

Good man - the 56 leaves you somewhere to go. What stem did you end up with on the 56?

robtc3

I going to keep the std stem on for the time being see how I get on with it I think I will be ok.the shop did spend a lot of time with me trying to get the fit right like they said we are not talking about a lot of mm . I did find when I went round the block a few times I settled in my normal position on the bike were we found I was not really on the tubo.I can't knock them at all they could quantify there thinking of a58 for me but like they said there was not a lot in it so I thought get the 56 as I would rather go longer stem than shorter if needed