Long inseam, what bike?

tuxpoo

Im after my first Road bike.
IM not new to cycling as Im a Very regular mountain biker and above average fittness.
As a gauge Im comfortable doing the SDW in 12 hours.

With the weather, flooding etc training is becoming a problem so Im looking at cross training on a road bike.
IM looking also to maybe enter some sportif events as Im pretty sure a few of the MTB events I ride in will be cancelled over the next few months.

Im 6'2" and 35" inseam. Ive tried the cannodale synopse in Evans And it seems right (in a 58) but im not really sure as Im trusting the sales guy that my position is right. It obviously feels far more pushed over than MTB bike but it feels so alien, i am not sure if its right.

Any advise on how I can tell if the stretch is right
And any advice on other bikes for endurance/sportif around the 600 -800 mark?

brownbosh

Bike fit has other issues to consider, are you flexible? How long are your feet back and arms? I would think you MAY be closer to the 61/63 cannondale size.
Consider the canyon roadlite AL or Rose Xeon . There are far more frame sizes including 3 or 4 above that 58 that may fit better. If you don't know what you are doing though, may be worth visiting a decent reputable independent dealer rather than a volume sales place like evans.

sharky1029

I'm about the same height as you and with the same inseam and I find that a 58 with a fairly high saddle is pretty comfortable but it does put you in a reasonably aggressive position.
To be honest, it depends on how you like to feel on a bike as leg length can be facilitated just by adjusting saddle height.

To get a true picture on what's going to be comfortable for you you need to ride a few bikes to work out the size, saddle height and stem length combo.
If possible head to your LBS and get some sort of idea of the size you want.

kajjal

You need to workout what riding position you want. While road bikes are more stretched out than mountain bikes you don't have to have the handle bar height way below the saddle. My trouser inseam is 35" and my cycling inseam is 36". I am over 6ft6 and have a relatively longer body which until I started road biking coming from mountain biking I had no idea of.

My road bike is in a quite relaxed position for doing rides of a few hours with only about an inch drop from the saddle to the bars. Others would go for up to several inches drop for a very Aggressive head down position.

Due to this I ride a 62cm Trek bike with three spacers below the stem and the stem flipped into the upright position which raises the bars and reduces the reach slightly. To make the position more aggressive just move spacers or flip the stem downwards. If needed you could swap to a shorter or longer stem.

I also ride mostly on the hoods, changing to the bar now and then but rarely using the drops. Other riders spend a lot more time in the drops, it just depends on personal preference.

I am very rarely overtaken compared to when I first started road biking so must be doing something right

the_jackalcp

I'm also pretty much of a similar size/inseam length as you.

I currently ride a 58cm cervelo and before that had a 58cm Allez and 58cm Tarmac. Don't take this to mean that 58cm is the frame size you need as each manufacturer labels their frames differently. When I was measured the LBS basically said I fell in between sizes 58 and 60. My current set up is pretty aggressive ( lots of seatpost, negative stem and no spacers) so the 58 works for me. Were I new to road cycling I wouldn't want a position that full on however you always have the option of using spacers and a positive stem angle to make things more relaxed.

My advice would be a 58cm Allez or equivalent size in another brand. If you have any roadie mates then get them to come to the shop with you and have a look at you on different bikes. If that isn't an option then do a little reading on road bike fitting so you can apply some basic principles and see how things fit.