Small frame fit advice please

livb

Hi,

I'm a 5'3'' woman with pretty short legs, I started cycling a 44cm cannondale last year as my old 47cm frame felt a bit big. However after seeing some photos of me riding etc. although my fit is better on this bike, I look pretty crammed up with my arms. So I thought I'd ask for some advice before heading to my lbs.

Would the best way of fixing this be a longer stem? is fitting a new stem just a job for the allan keys or do i need anything else to get enough tension?

Also I always feel the saddle needs to go back further (but it can't), when comparing with my old bike (and boyfriends bike) the position of saddle relative to peddle is further forward. Is that something that varies from saddle to saddle?

Also does anyone know anything about whether smaller cranks are a good option....the amount my knee moves up and down relative to other longer legged people looks ridiculous.

Thanks everyone

dj58

Hi,

Yes you can fit a longer stem to your bike to increase your reach, however you need to be aware that if you do not have enough slack in the control cables you would also need to lengthen these, depends how much longer you want to go on the stem length.

Yes allen wrench, either 4mm or 5mm sometimes both and torque wrench if your bike has a carbon steerer tube.

If your saddle is as far back on the rails as it will go then you would need to change the seat post for one with more layback, but if you change the stem first it may be alright as it is.

What crank length are you using 170mm? depending on you inseam you may need to go shorter 165mm e.g.
Have a read through this, you may find it helpful.

http://www.bikefit.com/s-13-road-bikes.aspx

drlodge

Sounds like everything is possible, subject to constraints of the frame:
- a new stem is easy to fit, just an allen key or two. What's the curent stem length? Anything over 120mm is going to look odd.
- If you really need the saddle further back, there are posts availaable with extra "set back". Standard setback is 20-25mm, but I have a carbon stem with 35m setback which I need as the seat post angle is a bit steeper (74 degrees). The amount a saddle can go back does vary bewteen saddles, depending on how the rails are positioned.
- smaller cranks may be a good option, what size are yours, 170mm? Finding some may be a challenge but there are shorter ones out there I believe like 165mm. Unlikely to be cheap though.

Another option would be to get a good bike fit, that way someone with experience can take a look at your overall position and give you some options to make the fit better.

livb

I need to double check the crank length and stem length. I think the current stem is only 60mm (virtually non-existant!) I think perhaps it might need to be around 100mm, would that feel unbalanced for steering?
If I can relatively cheaply change stem length now perhaps I can get a bike fit as a Christmas present! I have a feeling the seat needing to go back is due to the odd geometry on the smaller frames meaning the seat tube is nearer vertical?! I'll look at seats and seatposts then.

Is there any way of knowing which stem length to get without trying them...I heard something about lining the handlebars up with the hub?!

Thanks

drlodge

Stems typically run up to about 120mm, certainly try the "lining the handlebars up with the hub" as a starting point. 60mm is extremely short! Try the classifieds here for stems at reasonable prices, I have a 120mm stem knocking about I think, a 100mm stem might be a good starting point. Think about how further forward you'd want to place your hands...

Yes, a steep seat tube angle means a greater set back seat post, exactly the issue I have, and small frames tends to have steeper seat tube angles. 1 degree difference (73 to 74 degrees) means about 1cm difference in effective top tube length.

dj58

These are not to bad for the money, and if you are careful when trial fitting you could return it for a shorter/longer one as required, using their free returns service.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/deda-zero-1-2014/