Cervélo R3D - Frame size: 54 or 56?

chrizzl0r

Hey guys,

I've been cycling before but it's more than 10 years since I got my first and only road bike. Since I just graduated I wanted to treat myself to a new bike and I've instantly fallen in love with the Cervélo R3D, especially since I could get a great deal regarding the new frames coming in October. However, I am not sure yet which size to get: I've been torn between frames 54 and 56.

My measurements:
Height: 178 cm (5' 10")
Inseam: 87 cm (34")

Sorry for the awful pictures but I hope they give an impression of my position on the bike. That's a 54 frame. My LBS said it was the perfect size - since I'm already a little stretched, I shouldn't get the bigger frame. What do you think?




Thank you so much for your help.

Best regards
Christian

cougie

Hard to tell but it looks a tad too small from that picture.

munkster

I'm 5'10" (admittedly with littler legs than most my height, inseam 79cm) and the 54 fits me perfectly. I have recently come down from defaulting to a 56 and I am glad I did.

ps - your face is very pale :-)

mfin

Looks like you could be picking a bike that doesn't have a goldilocks size for you and maybe with geometry that doesn't suit either. That's what it looks like.

Some bikes don't work in any size for some people. Try something else.

(I am the same with the R3, the 54 is too small, the 56 is too big, so I could not buy one and be quite right on it).

chrizzl0r

Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it ... I just don't want to spend that kind of cash on a bike that I don't fit 100%.

Harry182

The bike looks a bit small (and your helmet very un-aerodynamic.)

chrizzl0r

Could a larger stem (currently 100mm) fix the sizing issue?

@mfin: any suggestions? ;-)

mfin

chrizzl0r wrote:

Could a larger stem (currently 100mm) fix the sizing issue?

@mfin: any suggestions? ;-)

In this case it's more about the headtube and the spacers and the height at the front. (Of course stem length is tuneable)

IF you are likely to leave all those spacers, forget it, it's too much in my opinion. There will be another bike with a size and geometry where you can get a great fit and not have much in the way of spacers, that's the way bikes should be.

If they made a 55, I reckon you'd be about ok, but they don't.

Why not go look at something else, you'll get an idea, you can start comparing measurements and see what I mean.

If you fall in love with the thought of a bike, you look at the numbers of the closest fitting size they do, then put aside all your feelings to do with liking the bike and prioritise the right numbers over any lust for it. It's always the best way to do things.

A chap near me rides past on a Supersix Evo, he must be 6ft tall, he has I reckon a 100mm stem and 30-40mm of spacers under his stem plus the headset topcap. He's an idiot. He obviously wanted a Supersix, and he should have bought something like a Synapse. He probably thinks he's having the experience of riding the Supersix as per the reputation, he's not, and it's not an aesthetic thing either remember (even though it looks crap).

There are a few bikes I would love to be able to buy, but I can't, for the same reasons I am saying to you. Luckily there are a load of others that do work (this is the same for loads of people).

I know it is difficult to tell from photos and some shop feedback, but I think the stuff I am saying is in the ballpark of correct here.