how to know if my bike is to small?
ChILd_ReBoRn
Posts: 92
Hello everybody. I'll try to be as short as possible, but please, bear with me. So I'm an XCM rider who decided that it's high time to get a road bike for winter training, and occasional road rides. I'm 186/7cm, with a 86 cm inseam. I was thinking of buying a size 58 bike. I got in touch with my club president, who gave me a sweet deal on a focus cayo, but size 56. It was to big for him, so he was selling it. I was concerned about the size, but he said that the top tube length is 565mm, and that I will be fine with a 56 frame. Since he is a roadie for along time, as well a coach for a junior cycling team, I was presuming he knew his sh*t. The fork steerer is cut really short, and the stem is slammed to the frame. I got a 110mm stem (ordered 120mm as well), I put everything together, and got this:
I have some back issues that I mostly keep at check (disk herniation), and my MTB is pretty aggressive as well, So i thought I was fine. I did a first 55 km ride, and had absolutely no pain issues.. no discomfort whatsoever. Granted, I did spend a little time on drop bars, but I was really pedaling since we had a bad head wind, I tried pedaling out of the saddle.. and everything. No problem. My team mate is riding only road, is as tall as I am, and rides a specialized sworks tarmac or something with a TT of 56cm (size L frame) and he loves it( he has a 5mm spacer under the stem). One other colleague who is 5 cm taller than me, rides a 57TT frame with a -17 degree stem. A lot of people still claims that the frame is to small for me, and I'm risking health issues with my neck and leg muscles which will suffer due to the bad position. So.. Is a 55km ride any notion to go by, or should I listen to other more experienced roadies who claim I'm to big for my bike? Or should I continue to ride it, until I feel any ( if ever any) discomfort.
I have some back issues that I mostly keep at check (disk herniation), and my MTB is pretty aggressive as well, So i thought I was fine. I did a first 55 km ride, and had absolutely no pain issues.. no discomfort whatsoever. Granted, I did spend a little time on drop bars, but I was really pedaling since we had a bad head wind, I tried pedaling out of the saddle.. and everything. No problem. My team mate is riding only road, is as tall as I am, and rides a specialized sworks tarmac or something with a TT of 56cm (size L frame) and he loves it( he has a 5mm spacer under the stem). One other colleague who is 5 cm taller than me, rides a 57TT frame with a -17 degree stem. A lot of people still claims that the frame is to small for me, and I'm risking health issues with my neck and leg muscles which will suffer due to the bad position. So.. Is a 55km ride any notion to go by, or should I listen to other more experienced roadies who claim I'm to big for my bike? Or should I continue to ride it, until I feel any ( if ever any) discomfort.
0
Comments
-
One ride will not be enough to tell, regardless of the duration. I would level the saddle though, as that will not be helping. Assuming the saddle is set at the right height, the only other limitation you will have is a lack of movement in the stem, thanks to the cut steerer. If needs be, you could always flip the stem upwards if you feel the need for a bit more height at the front..0
-
this is my MTB (don't mind the TT in clamp... I learned the hard way not to do it any more)
0 -
Imposter wrote:One ride will not be enough to tell, regardless of the duration. I would level the saddle though, as that will not be helping. Assuming the saddle is set at the right height, the only other limitation you will have is a lack of movement in the stem, thanks to the cut steerer. If needs be, you could always flip the stem upwards if you feel the need for a bit more height at the front..
the saddle is comfortable I didn't get any numbness. If I level it more.. the "nose" pokes my gentle parts
0 -
We'd really need to see you on the Bike to give any reasonable stab at an answer. And most road riders barely use the drops.0
-
I would imagine that looking at that setup you will have a lot of weight on the bars which is not ideal unless you've got a very strong core. Can you remove your hands from the bars and stay in the same position with your body?0
-
I can hold that position for some time, but not indefinitely0
-
0 -
dstev55 wrote:Can you remove your hands from the bars and stay in the same position with your body?
Why would he want to do that?0 -
ChILd_ReBoRn wrote:
Position looks fine to me. I've seen far worse. If it's not giving you any issues, just stay with it.0 -
-
ChILd_ReBoRn wrote:
Yes, I got that, but there's no obvious benefit in being able to do that.0 -
If my bike was too small, and the position was bad, core strength would alleviate some back pain. I suppose0
-
It looks about right to be honest ?0
-
Thnx0
-
Imposter wrote:ChILd_ReBoRn wrote:
Yes, I got that, but there's no obvious benefit in being able to do that.
It gives you a good idea of whether you are putting too much weight on the bars and therefore could mean your position is too aggressive for your body. It was something reputable bike fitter told me. It's not a definitive gauge but if you can't hold that position at all then it may be a good idea to try and bring your position back (more upright) a little.0 -
dstev55 wrote:Imposter wrote:ChILd_ReBoRn wrote:
Yes, I got that, but there's no obvious benefit in being able to do that.
It gives you a good idea of whether you are putting too much weight on the bars and therefore could mean your position is too aggressive for your body. It was something reputable bike fitter told me. It's not a definitive gauge but if you can't hold that position at all then it may be a good idea to try and bring your position back (more upright) a little.
I don't see how being able to hold an unsupported position like that would tell you anything useful.0 -
Imposter wrote:dstev55 wrote:Imposter wrote:ChILd_ReBoRn wrote:
Yes, I got that, but there's no obvious benefit in being able to do that.
It gives you a good idea of whether you are putting too much weight on the bars and therefore could mean your position is too aggressive for your body. It was something reputable bike fitter told me. It's not a definitive gauge but if you can't hold that position at all then it may be a good idea to try and bring your position back (more upright) a little.
I don't see how being able to hold an unsupported position like that would tell you anything useful.
Ok, well that's up to you but I'll take the word of the qualified bike fitter that I use and I'm only passing this knowledge on to others and then they can decide whether they want to use it or not.0 -
If anything it looks like you're hanging off the back of a saddle which could do with raising and moving forward. Actual reach and torso look ok but that's based off the saddle. Purely subjective opinion of course!.
The above reference the superman impression, I've heard a bike fit chap say this - idea being if your torso drops as you move your hands away, you've a weak core and need shorter/taller stem, saddle moving back. Does sound a bit hit and miss as a setup, but I guess it all adds to the picture.0 -
Bike fit is the best way to ensure a close fit with advice on tap.
With regards the SMP saddle these effectively saved my cycling after a fractured pelvis and though 8 years down the line I don't use them anymore they are fantastic when set up properly. The current set up you have will be overloading your fore arms and asking more of your lower back than it should.
You will get good set up advice on this site
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/09/all-about-smps/0 -
Thnx0
-
Hi ChILd_ReBoRn
I've always been told that a good base for bike fit/size guide was having the knee over the pedal when the pedal is at 3 o'clock position (combined with hands on hoods position, and if you look at the handlebar, it should be covering the front axle).
I'm a road newbie myself and in no way an expert but I trust my LBS guy who said the above points were a good starting point. The rest can usually be sorted using slightly shorter stem, saddle position etc. without going to extremes that will start affecting handling (e.g. going from 120mm stem to say 80mm to adjust reach)
Looking at your pics it seems that you might have the saddle set just a bit too far back because your knee seems to be just short of the pedal but cannot tell for sure (also seems your foot is quite a bit forward on the pedal although that could just be because you're "Just do(ing) it".0 -
The seat was to far back, because I was fixing the angle, and didn't tighten the clamps. But I see your point0
-
I agree with the core strength check
page 10 of this pdf ....
http://wheel-easy.org.uk/uploads/docume ... 02017a.pdf
This is pretty useful
http://bikedynamics.co.uk/guidelines.htmFCN 3/5/90 -
Is your saddle height right?
Hard to say from those pics , heel on pedal leg straight is a general benchmark
FCN 3/5/90
