Teach me about road bike sizing please
Discussion
I find myself looking at road bikes, the problem is I know nothing about them except what I read on here, and I don't know what size I should be going for.
Whilst I was out I popped into my 2 localish LBS's who both put me on the back foot slightly as they wouldn't discuss size until point of ordering! This seems a little odd to me, as this leaves you in a situation where you are blind on buying, and forced into a sale just to see what your size is. It also forces you (driving around here for miles) to visit every shop as none stock a range of more than 1 manufacturer. They also tried to steer me to 1k+ bikes, and there is s snow flake in hells chance of that, so I'm still none the wiser.
Last time I bought a bike, they stuck me on various bikes until I said I was comfortable, that was 8 years ago, has that much now changed with bike fits that effectivly every bike is now custom to that particular purchaser?
Can you guys help? I'm 6 foot with a 32ish inside leg, so suspect from my looking around today I'll be on a 58 or a 60cm frame.
Whilst I was out I popped into my 2 localish LBS's who both put me on the back foot slightly as they wouldn't discuss size until point of ordering! This seems a little odd to me, as this leaves you in a situation where you are blind on buying, and forced into a sale just to see what your size is. It also forces you (driving around here for miles) to visit every shop as none stock a range of more than 1 manufacturer. They also tried to steer me to 1k+ bikes, and there is s snow flake in hells chance of that, so I'm still none the wiser.
Last time I bought a bike, they stuck me on various bikes until I said I was comfortable, that was 8 years ago, has that much now changed with bike fits that effectivly every bike is now custom to that particular purchaser?
Can you guys help? I'm 6 foot with a 32ish inside leg, so suspect from my looking around today I'll be on a 58 or a 60cm frame.
Any bike shop, local or not, should not require an order before sizing. That's just piss poor service there buddy. Now sizing can get a little complicated owing to sloping top tubes etc etc. but to keep it simple and owing to the fact that you are looking for your first road bike, based on your height and inside leg you'll be going 56cm. You'll have plenty of seat post showing, no problem and the only other real factor will be the length of your handlebar stem. Now these, you can flip, basically the stem may be near flat when you buy a bike and you may feel too low down on the bars, simply flip it upside down, again very normal and it will bring the bars closer. You can also ask for a shorter stem if you feel too stretched.
Now one of the "rules" if you like is to support your local bike shop, sounds like you need to break that rule with your two!
Now one of the "rules" if you like is to support your local bike shop, sounds like you need to break that rule with your two!
I would say 58cm will be ideal. I don't see why your LBS wouldn't give you an indication on size, although to get your set up perfected, they would need to have the bike ordered, delivered and then adjusted to suit and if required, a stem and or seatpost swap.
I'm 5'11 and when I had my recent bike fit, my LBS worked out that my perfect size would be a 57cm. So my 56cm has a longer seat post as I have long legs but am quite short in the body.
I'm 5'11 and when I had my recent bike fit, my LBS worked out that my perfect size would be a 57cm. So my 56cm has a longer seat post as I have long legs but am quite short in the body.
Yep the specialised will be great, first road bike and all, the equivalent trek, giant will also do the job. These bikes are produced with very close margins for the retailer and whilst not quite a lost leader, they are priced to get you hooked into the brand, so basically you win on this one. The smaller firms can't afford to offer the same bike/equipment generally speaking and so struggle a bit. A few years ago Boardman was literally covering cost with his entry level road bike, in an effort to get as many people on them as possible, you'll find it hard to get the same deal these days now that he has established himself in the market.
I worked in a number of high end bike shops for years so this type of question with the sizing and type of bike was absolute standard. By the way, I am exactly the same height and leg length as you and for what you are spending, 56cm is spot on, any bigger and it'll look like a garden gate!
I worked in a number of high end bike shops for years so this type of question with the sizing and type of bike was absolute standard. By the way, I am exactly the same height and leg length as you and for what you are spending, 56cm is spot on, any bigger and it'll look like a garden gate!
Can't help with sizing issues, but...
...don't discount Merida as a brand. Depending upon which side of 'Herts' you are, Great Dunmow might not be too far to travel... http://flitchbikes.co.uk/ ...I bought my 'best' road bike from them a couple of years ago, and they were very patient with me, not pushy at all, and very keen to make sure I got the right bike for me. Ask for Stuart, he's their bike fitting man.
...don't discount Merida as a brand. Depending upon which side of 'Herts' you are, Great Dunmow might not be too far to travel... http://flitchbikes.co.uk/ ...I bought my 'best' road bike from them a couple of years ago, and they were very patient with me, not pushy at all, and very keen to make sure I got the right bike for me. Ask for Stuart, he's their bike fitting man.
yellowjack said:
Can't help with sizing issues, but...
...don't discount Merida as a brand. Depending upon which side of 'Herts' you are, Great Dunmow might not be too far to travel... http://flitchbikes.co.uk/ ...I bought my 'best' road bike from them a couple of years ago, and they were very patient with me, not pushy at all, and very keen to make sure I got the right bike for me. Ask for Stuart, he's their bike fitting man.
Second that, the other guy to speak to is Pete, both pretty handy riders. ...don't discount Merida as a brand. Depending upon which side of 'Herts' you are, Great Dunmow might not be too far to travel... http://flitchbikes.co.uk/ ...I bought my 'best' road bike from them a couple of years ago, and they were very patient with me, not pushy at all, and very keen to make sure I got the right bike for me. Ask for Stuart, he's their bike fitting man.
Really nice guys to deal with.
The last time I was in Pete was talking about riding with his buddy Alex Dowsett. Must be pretty handy to not have to tell the story as the other day I was passed by Alex Dowsett who disappeared up the road!
yellowjack said:
Can't help with sizing issues, but...
...don't discount Merida as a brand. Depending upon which side of 'Herts' you are, Great Dunmow might not be too far to travel... http://flitchbikes.co.uk/ ...I bought my 'best' road bike from them a couple of years ago, and they were very patient with me, not pushy at all, and very keen to make sure I got the right bike for me. Ask for Stuart, he's their bike fitting man.
Cheers for the heads up but thats miles away. I'm A1 corridor, I work in Welwyn, and live just outside Sandy....don't discount Merida as a brand. Depending upon which side of 'Herts' you are, Great Dunmow might not be too far to travel... http://flitchbikes.co.uk/ ...I bought my 'best' road bike from them a couple of years ago, and they were very patient with me, not pushy at all, and very keen to make sure I got the right bike for me. Ask for Stuart, he's their bike fitting man.
Celtic Dragon said:
Any particular makes / models I sould look at? I found the Spcialized Allez, nice bikes and I have a Spec MTB, but their recent bully tactics have left a bitter taste, also saw a very nice Felt F95.
Canyon offer excellent value for money. They are a direct sales business so you won't be able to try before you buy, but their online size tool together with countless reviews/feedback on the web means you'll find the right size quite easily.This is a bargain. Full 105 groupset, Mavic Askiums, Conti GP4000s and 8.3kg for £899. If you can stretch further there are plenty of other models, but for a first bike this will be more than enough...in fact I'd say this is enough bike for a couple of years of big miles before you treat your self to something special.
http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=31...
I agree with most of that- word of caution though, I (and some others) have found that the Canyon sizing tool tends to put you on pretty much the largest frame you can ride.
I'd treat that aspect with an amount of caution- compare the geometry charts against something you can test ride locally.
I'd treat that aspect with an amount of caution- compare the geometry charts against something you can test ride locally.
I've had the same issue at my local shop. Polite refusal to size me as it depends on the bike I'm buying. But then leading me towards the Giant Defy @ £999 as the best bike with 105 for the price. . .
Biking friends tell me this is a common retail tactic along with some free equipment to stop you being sized then buying online from wiggle etc.
Biking friends tell me this is a common retail tactic along with some free equipment to stop you being sized then buying online from wiggle etc.
dtmpower said:
I've had the same issue at my local shop. Polite refusal to size me as it depends on the bike I'm buying. But then leading me towards the Giant Defy @ £999 as the best bike with 105 for the price. . .
Biking friends tell me this is a common retail tactic along with some free equipment to stop you being sized then buying online from wiggle etc.
Thats what I thought, and not suprizing really. Biking friends tell me this is a common retail tactic along with some free equipment to stop you being sized then buying online from wiggle etc.
You should have seen the guys face when he said you had to factor in pedals and shoes and I told him I'd be using spds as I have the pedals and shoes from my MTB! I swear his eyes turned red
Hi Celtic Dragon,
Like you I'm a mountain biker that's recently been tempted back into road biking.
What kind of riding will you intend to do - racing, sportives or just recreational riding? This will influence the frame geometry of the bike.
A lot of people will recommend that you buy the best frame you can afford as its easier to upgrade everything else later.
Its worth trying to get demo rides to see what appeals to you. Whilst none of the manufacturers makes a bad bike any more, some do feel better than others.
You could always buy something cheap or second hand, just to dip your toe in the water to see if you like road biking (its very different to mtb with different brakes, skinny tyres and a more leaned forward/crouched riding position). If you do like it you can always sell the 'cheap' bike, by which time you will have a good idea of what to look for next.
Be careful with the sizing as it does seem to vary slightly between the manufacturers. The best thing to do is sit on as many as possible to judge what feels right.
Good luck!
Like you I'm a mountain biker that's recently been tempted back into road biking.
What kind of riding will you intend to do - racing, sportives or just recreational riding? This will influence the frame geometry of the bike.
A lot of people will recommend that you buy the best frame you can afford as its easier to upgrade everything else later.
Its worth trying to get demo rides to see what appeals to you. Whilst none of the manufacturers makes a bad bike any more, some do feel better than others.
You could always buy something cheap or second hand, just to dip your toe in the water to see if you like road biking (its very different to mtb with different brakes, skinny tyres and a more leaned forward/crouched riding position). If you do like it you can always sell the 'cheap' bike, by which time you will have a good idea of what to look for next.
Be careful with the sizing as it does seem to vary slightly between the manufacturers. The best thing to do is sit on as many as possible to judge what feels right.
Good luck!
I'll mainly be doing training rides on it to get my fitness back, just ask Max Torque how quickly I got left behind when we had a PH MTB meet!
I think a target goal would be good and I'm contemplating setting it at the Pru Ride100 in 2015! From unfit smoker to Century rider in 12 months.
I think a target goal would be good and I'm contemplating setting it at the Pru Ride100 in 2015! From unfit smoker to Century rider in 12 months.
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