What would you do if you thought your bike was too big?
bmxboy10
Posts: 1,958
So I have an issue as I think one of my bikes (my nice one!) is too large for me. I have a 90mm stem on a 56cm frame but the reach seems too long and the proportions of seat height and bar height look all wrong. I could add an in line seatpost but will this affect reach? Its not too uncomfortable but since getting a Caad 10 I feel the difference (Caad seems fine fit wise and that's a size down).
I am frustrated as the bike was sold to me following a "bike fit".
So the question is would you try to make it work or sell on (at a significant loss!)
I am frustrated as the bike was sold to me following a "bike fit".
So the question is would you try to make it work or sell on (at a significant loss!)
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How long ago? If the bike sold to you with a bike fit doesn't fit then they need to think about sorting it.My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
Facebook? No. Just say no.0 -
Sell It.
Inline seatpost will not help. You cannot make a bike fit you by shoving the saddle forward.0 -
If any help CAAD 10 frames are known to be 'big' for their size. I would normally ride a 58 frame, but my CAAD 10 is a 56 frame. Perhaps the frame for your' nice' bike might be ok and it just the way Cannondale size their frames which suggests to us that other frames are too big if they are one size up.
Hope reassuring.0 -
Go to a shop and sit on/ride a 54. That should tell you straight away if it feels better than yours.0
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Bender it's my Condor I think you had the same issue?0
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Mine was too small (Acciaio). My Bivio, which should be too big, is just fine!
But I would go in and have a word. If it's been sold on the basis of a bike fit and doesn't fit then they should accommodate you.My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
Facebook? No. Just say no.0 -
Evans bike 'fit' worries me, they picked a 56 Caad10 for me based on standover clearance
My other bikes are 54, but, i guess, i could be between sizes at 5'11 and '34 inseam. If this frame builds up too big, I shall be writing a letter.0 -
English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg0
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solboy10 wrote:So I have an issue as I think one of my bikes (my nice one!) is too large for me. I have a 90mm stem on a 56cm frame but the reach seems too long and the proportions of seat height and bar height look all wrong. I could add an in line seatpost but will this affect reach? Its not too uncomfortable but since getting a Caad 10 I feel the difference (Caad seems fine fit wise and that's a size down).
I am frustrated as the bike was sold to me following a "bike fit".
So the question is would you try to make it work or sell on (at a significant loss!)
You really can't say that the CAAD is a size down as manufacturers do not work to a common standard as far as sizing is concerned. Are you sure that what you are experiencing is not just the different geometries of the two bikes...?0 -
Really can't see you wanting a 54. I'm a very similar height and ride a 56 CAAD10 with 120 stem; it's a purr-fect fit.mamil314 wrote:Evans bike 'fit' worries me, they picked a 56 Caad10 for me based on standover clearance
My other bikes are 54, but, i guess, i could be between sizes at 5'11 and '34 inseam. If this frame builds up too big, I shall be writing a letter.
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no way is 5 11 & 34 ins a 54 size frame0
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Carbonator wrote:Sell It.
Inline seatpost will not help. You cannot make a bike fit you by shoving the saddle forward.
This ^0 -
Who did the bike fit?
I have come to realise that frame sizing is very personal.
I'm 5ft 10" and on my training bike a Retul fit put me best off with a size 56cm but with a 110 stem. I have recently bought a new race bike and the bike fit put me at a 54 frame with a 110 stem - two different manufacturers, two different size frames, 1 rider who hasn't changed in size (maybe a lb or two heavier but no more or less flexible). Highlights how different two frames from different manufacturers can be.
A bike fit should be able to provide the correct size bike for you, or, in the case where you have already purchased the bike, adjust the fit to best suit you (or as close as possible if the frame is the incorrect size).
The bike fit usually gets you in the perfect riding position. I will admit that after my first bike fit i hated the position. I felt too stretched (saddle had been raised significantly and stem changed to 110 from a 100) and just didn't feel right. The shop told me to persevere for a week and assured me i would adjust and the performance gains would be worth it - they were spot on, within a few rides it felt perfect. My speed had improved, my backache disappeared, my neck pain vanished and i was able to ride for considerably longer due to the increased comfort.
My point here is if the person doing the bike fit is experienced and skilled then it should be close to perfect. If they are not then it may well be the wrong size for you.
I would go back to the shop and discuss it with them. If they did c0ck up and sell the wrong size frame request they change it down a size. If they refuse and you cannot get the fit closer to comfortable, the only real option would be to sell it and buy the size down.0 -
Saddle position is to get your legs in the right position not to amend reach.
Bikefit is part theory / experience and part personal preference. Most average riders do not want a bike with long reach and long drop to the bars. If possible go back to the shop, if not just sell it as making a bike that is too large fit is just an expensive frustration that is unlikely to work.0 -
Kajjal wrote:Saddle position is to get your legs in the right position not to amend reach.
Bikefit is part theory / experience and part personal preference. Most average riders do not want a bike with long reach and long drop to the bars. If possible go back to the shop, if not just sell it as making a bike that is too large fit is just an expensive frustration that is unlikely to work.
Correct Sir.25th August 2013 12hrs 37mins 52.3 seconds 238km 5500mtrs FYRM Never again.0 -
mamil314 wrote:Evans bike 'fit' worries me, they picked a 56 Caad10 for me based on standover clearance
My other bikes are 54, but, i guess, i could be between sizes at 5'11 and '34 inseam. If this frame builds up too big, I shall be writing a letter.
It sounds a bit big to me.
Which store did the 'Bike Fit'?
Only about 6 Evans stores do that and all London area I think.
The other stores might 'size' you for a bike, but its not a 'bike fit', and if its a newbie mountain bike/BMX minimum wage kid who works one day a week and thinks he is ace, rather than a half experienced roadie who actually gives a damn........then you are fcuked!
If your other bike is say a Specialized type 54, then a CAAD 56 is about one and a half sizes bigger IMO.0 -
gaffer_slow wrote:no way is 5 11 & 34 ins a 54 size frame
I would say more 'yes way' given what we know.
I am 6'1" with 32" inside leg (I think) and 56 initially feels a little big to me (although thats what I would have to get in a CAAD I guess).
He is 2" shorter with longer legs.
Bottom line is that If his other bike is a 54 (and not an Eddy Merckx etc.) then I cannot see how the 56 CAAD will feel right.0 -
Standover clearance means nothing.
If I went on standover clearance I'd ride a 58 bike on average as my legs are very long for my 5' 11 1/2" height. However I actually ride a 54 as I can get the seat up high enough and as I have a short body it reduces the length of reach compared to a 56 or 58.0 -
If you go on standover height then they would have put me on a smaller frame even though I am taller :shock:0
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MikeBrew wrote:
Really can't see you wanting a 54. I'm a very similar height and ride a 56 CAAD10 with 120 stem; it's a purr-fect fit.mamil314 wrote:Evans bike 'fit' worries me, they picked a 56 Caad10 for me based on standover clearance
My other bikes are 54, but, i guess, i could be between sizes at 5'11 and '34 inseam. If this frame builds up too big, I shall be writing a letter.
I'm about 5'11" and ride a CAAD10 56 and a CAAD12 56.0 -
Height means very little at the end of the day.
You guys with 56 bikes seem to be ignoring the other factors but I hope it fits.
Let us know how you get on with it mamil
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Carbonator wrote:Height means very little at the end of the day.
You guys with 56 bikes seem to be ignoring the other factors but I hope it fits.
Let us know how you get on with it mamil
Solboy thinks his bike may be too big for him and on the basis of one post he has been given the following advice:
1. Sell it
2. Go back to the shop who sold it to you and talk to them
Of course bike sizing is complex - but I'm simply providing him with one additional data point to factor into his decision. Personally, I think he should go back to the shop who sold it to him and discuss it with them.0 -
I think therein lies the problem : You are guessing . Far from ignoring other factors, Singleton and I are offering real world advice based on experience using the bike in question, in the size in question, and being the height in question.Carbonator wrote:56 initially feels a little big to me (although thats what I would have to get in a CAAD I guess).
Granted, height is not the whole picture, but to state that it means "very little" is rubbish. As is your contention that an inline seat post won't affect reach.
Stop guessing, and if you want to cite other factors please enumerate them. Obviously, proportionality is a factor, but as someone who has ridden 54 and 56 CAAD 10's I still think a 54 would be too small for a 5'11" rider with 34" inseam. For a start, there would be way too much seat pin out on a 54 moving the riders weight too far back and increasing reach at same time..
A guy I ride with has 33" inseam and is 6 foot exactly. He prefers the fit of a 58cm CAAD 10 to the 56cm EVO he bought previously. Even with only a 33" inseam he has a plenty of seat post out on a 58cm.0 -
Lol. Let's just wait and see shall we 0
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Lazy reply, lazy initial advice advice. At least you're consistent. 0
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Lol. Let's just wait and see shall we
It's not advice anyway. Mamil has the frame already. It will either be ok or it won't. :roll:
I think you guys are confusing my advice to the OP (which is spot on) and my comments to mamil.
Read the whole thread (lazy :roll: )0 -
Carbonator wrote:gaffer_slow wrote:no way is 5 11 & 34 ins a 54 size frame
I would say more 'yes way' given what we know.
OK you might call it a poor opinion, if you really want to split hairs...However, it sounds more like (poor) ADVICE to me.Carbonator wrote:Sell It.
Inline seatpost will not help. You cannot make a bike fit you by shoving the saddle forward.
If you think that the above is "spot on" advice, I think that you are confusing knee-jerk, dogmatic verbal expulsions with intelligent, considered advice, and confusing yourself with someone who knows the difference ..... :shock:
Never trust a LOL-er, eh :idea:0 -
You should start an online bike fitting service
Calm down (why are you so bothered anyway?) (your bike too big for you?).
Have a cup of tea and wait for mamil to get back to us on whether it is too big or not.
You 100% (getting back to the OP's question) cannot use Saddle position to make a bike that's too big for you fit.
That's about as spot on as you can get in the advice world.0 -
As Carbonator says, we will find out. I have most of bits, just recently replaced Praxis adaptor for Rotor, silly bottom cable guide was in the way. All that's left is to figure out which Cane Creek headset i need for the blasted CAAD10 2015 thing and i can start playing with fit.
OP, sorry for hijack!0 -
Carbonator wrote:You should start an online bike fitting service
Calm down (why are you so bothered anyway?) (your bike too big for you?).
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It fits perfectly thanks. If you read the thread you'd already know that, lazy boy. As for being bothered, not at all. Just pointing out the obvious short comings of your "advice", lest anyone take it seriously and let it influence a buying decision That would be an expensive mistake to make.
... Still LOL-ing ? Really ? Oh dear. :roll:0
