Cannondale sizing

Agreed - dales size big and you often end up with a smaller frame size than many other makes.

I would say 56cm is there abouts for someone 6ft.

I have a 54cm and I and 5ft 10.

The 56 leaves me virtually no stand over room and the reach to the bars is too long.

BUT - you really need to sit on one before buying!!!!

I am 5'11" (just) and I have a CAAD 5, 8 & 9 all 56cm and all fit me perfectly. A slightly smaller frame is better than a slightly larger one I think as it is easier to have a longer stem than a shorter one (sort of). I think a 56cm should be OK for 6ft but ideally try to ride one before. Or if you live near St Albans you can try one of mine - well for only £50 ;-)

I'm 6 foot, 33 inch inside leg and ride a caad 10 56. According to my bike shop, I was close between a 54 and a 56 mostly on the reach.

I decided to go with the 56 on the basis that I could put a shorter stem on if I felt it would help. I did recently swap the stem for a shorter (90mm) one and it feels better for me.

-edit- also good deals on caad 10 at pauls cycles if you want a 56.

You really need to sit on, and ideally ride a few bikes.

Riding a road bike involves staying in a very similar body position for long(ish) periods of time. This position needs to be one that allows you to be comfortable and pain free but also one that allows you to get your power into the pedals.

Size, fit and geometry are very important.

Another 5'10" on a 54 Cannondale. I run a 120mm stem and it's perfect. I'd say you'll be 56 almost certainly.

I am 6' 1" and bought a 63cm Cannondale on the basis that I already owned a 60cm bike of a different brand and needed a lot of seatpost and spacers under the stem on that. At the time I didn't realise one brand's 60cm might be totally different to another's.

Looking at the measurements of each size on the Cannondale, as you go up the sizes, the length of the seat tube & head tube both increase disproportionally more than the toptube, i.e. you get a frame that's much taller but not so much longer. The 60cm frame's seattube and headtube are both 3cm shorter than those on the 63cm, but the toptube is only 1cm shorter. To ride it I would need a longer seatpost (I'm already on the minimum insertion line with the 63cm bike) to get the same saddle height and 5cm of spacers under the stem (as opposed to 2cm) to get the same saddle to bar drop.

At first I felt that the 63cm was way too long and I regretted buying it without test riding a smaller one first. To make it shorter I rode it with a straight seatpost (the original was 10mm setback) with the seat all the way forwards and a 90cm stem (the original was 120cm). When I finally coughed up for a bike fit I ended up with a 130mm stem and the seat almost all the way back. Yet I didn't feel stretched out.

Basically what I'm saying is, don't buy a bike based on what size anyone on an internet forum thinks will fit you. You can get away with having a bike that's slightly too big or slightly too small, but you're better off getting a bike fit and ensuring that you get the correct size. Whatever the reason is that you can't get to a shop to try a bike out for size, you're better off getting around that somehow rather than relying on guesswork.

JesseD wrote:

Herbsman wrote:

Basically what I'm saying is, don't buy a bike based on what size anyone on an internet forum thinks will fit you. You can get away with having a bike that's slightly too big or slightly too small, but you're better off getting a bike fit and ensuring that you get the correct size. Whatever the reason is that you can't get to a shop to try a bike out for size, you're better off getting around that somehow rather than relying on guesswork.

+1

+2

Although if you can only visit one shop then beware of them recommending what they happen to have in stock.