Road bike / commuter sizing

kinioo

Hi all,

I asked few questons in 'Commuting' section regaridng what bike etc.

but I think its better to aske here for frame sizies etc.

I am probably after B'Twin Tribe 3 (if I can find decent second hand) or Specialized Tricross*.

Going through the web for frame size for me.

I am 5'9"-5'10" - 178-180cm.

Evans chart says 56-58 / Large frame.

Web clacualtor I found here: http://www.ebicycles.com/bicycle-tools/ ... =Calculate
says 56cm / 22" frame.

What frame size should I look for ??

I know its all about the feel but as they will be second hand bikes I would like to know roughly what size I should look at befor I make my trip to see the bike.

Cheers,

Chris

PS:
*I like Tricross as it has a bit higher riding position (not so agressive) - any other road/commuting bikes with similar geometry (in a budget of 300max)??

fatsmoker

I'm 5'10" and ride a 54 Spec, with the saddle high. A 58 might leave you a bit stretched out. Visit your local Halfords, Evans, wherever and try a 54, 56 and 58 for size. Remember that not all 54's or 56's will be the same.

kinioo

OK guys,
Went to my local Halfords to try some bikes and get 'some advice'.
What a bunch of monkeys there !!
Absolutelly not a clue re bike sizing, bike suitable for me etc.

I asked: "What frame size do I need for a road/touring/commuting bike' ?
He/She went: "Yep, this one!" (it was sopme Carreras road bike)
I asked: "OK, what size is it"
He/She went "I dont know" and he/she went to his computer searching for frame sizes, then she comes back:
"Oh, you know, different makes have got different/their own sizing...."
thanks for that love but what size suits me and what size is this bike...
I went "OK, thanks for your help"

Anyway, it was size 54 I felt OK but something was missing there.
I went to 'a proper' bike shop askin same thing:

He told me: "Oh, yuou are same size as me so it should be 56, as I have 56 and I feel OK"
Right, but is that mean I have to be comfortable on 56 frame.
I told him I am after Specialized Tricross etc.
He had ONE 2014 (apparently they stopped manufacturing them) and you know what, it was size 56!!!
I jumped on it and the fella says: "Perfect fit!! I can do you a good deal on it its £600 and it was 750" !!

Ok, out of my budget anyway.

But in terms of size it felt OK. To be honest the previous on in size 54 I felt much more stretched than on this 56 one ??

Still not sure on sizing.

As I am after second hand bike, so there is not much choice in sizes so still dont know 54,56,57 ??

Found few B'twins Triban 3 on ebay/gumtree, not far from me, good price etc, but size is 54 ?!

Do you think I will be OK with 54 ??

I dont want to lean forward too much (Specialized tricross is OK as the bars are slightly higher).

What do you think ??

Chris

fatsmoker

You can move the seat forwards a bit and get a shorter stem (although that's a more expense if you're on a budget) if you feel stretched on a 56.
With a 54 frame you'll have a higher seatpost so more space for lights and/or a saddlebag.

cswitch

i think a 54 will be fine. 56/58 sounds too large unless you have very short legs and a very long body. I'd go for a top tube of about 540-545 and take up any additional length in a different length stem. Top tube is really what you want to focus on not how much seat post showing you have.

hammond1975

I am the same height, a 54 / 55 cm frame should be fine, you can always tweak stem length etc.

ai_1

I think you could probably get away with either a 54 or 56 in a Tricross but 54 would probably be the best bet.
I'm 5'10" and fairly average leg, torso proportions. I've ridden a 56 Tricross for a few years and while it served me well, it was a little oversized. I gradually tweaked it over a couple of years and ended up with handlebars that had a shallower reach than the originals (maybe 15mm less) and a shorter stem than the original (100mm versus the original 110mm). I also ride with a slightly further forward saddle position than most which shortens the reach (moving the saddle forward is not the right way to get a bike to fit - I just like it that way). I think the 54 would be a better size in the Tricross for most people around 5'10".

Bike sizing is not really standardised so it's not possible to carry figures confidently from one frame/manufacturer to another. A Specialised Tricross 56 may not correspond to a BTwin Triban 56. You'll need to look at the frame geometry to see how they compare. The frame "size" is generally based on seat tube length or it's "effective length". Whereas top tube length is more critical for sizing. These dimensions are generally similar and in fact I think the Tricross in size 56 has both a 56cm top tube and 56cm seat tube but this is not always the case.

kinioo

Cheers chaps.

I felt not bad on Tricross 56 but it was 3min in the shop and for longer ride I may be too stretched - clearly the fella had only one left in the shop and it was size 56 that is why he said its perfect fit.

Regarding B'twin looking at 57frames they look quite big top tube seems quite long and I think I may be stretched.
This is why I am thinking about 54 ??

ai_1

kinioo wrote:

Cheers chaps.

I felt not bad on Tricross 56 but it was 3min in the shop and for longer ride I may be too stretched - clearly the fella had only one left in the shop and it was size 56 that is why he said its perfect fit.

Regarding B'twin looking at 57frames they look quite big top tube seems quite long and I think I may be stretched.
This is why I am thinking about 54 ??

Well if it's any help I am a similar height to you 1.78m (5'10") as I mentioned previously and I think of relatively average arm/leg length proportions. My inseam is about 840mm (33"). For my preferences a top tube of about 550mm is perfect with a 100mm stem. Since a change of +/-20mm on the stem length shouldn't cause any problems this should be a reasonably safe bet but it's hard to be sure without a full measurement.
If I recall correctly I've ridden bikes with top tubes from 539mm to 570mm (the extremes were rental bikes) all with stems of 100-120mm and none were horrific but the lower end of the range was better and also gives more flexibility to adjust later.