bicycle bigger than it should

[caminsk]

hello everybody!

about a week ago i got a second hand bicycle
i did a mistake measuring it I thought it was a 54 but its a 57 frame

its not really uncomfortable when im riding it but i can feel the bike is a bit high to me when im standing on my feet,
also the handle bars were abit too far and I advanced a bit the saddle to reduce the distance... i dont know if its a good way to correct it

my questions are... can it be a problem riding for a long period?

should I move the saddle back and change the stem for a shorter one?

should I look for a smaller frame or its not that bad?

im 1.73 tall (5 feet 8 inches) and the bicycle 57cm

thanks a lot!

 

[Plax]

You could try putting a shorter stem on (or flipping the one that you have to see if that works). I've heard you can get lower back pain if you are "over reaching" when pedalling (i.e. your saddle is too high). So make sure you have your saddle the right height, even if that means putting the saddle as low as it can go.
These links might help;
http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/handsup.html

 

[caminsk]

ok i´ve been doing some research

on the dawes website they have a chart with the frames sizes,
i got a super galaxy 57cm

the main difference between the 54 and 57 frames are

seat tube 54= 540mm, 57= 570mm (30mm)
top tube 54= 564mm, 57= 577mm (13mm)

the rest of the specifications are basically the same

is it a matter of adjustments?

 

[samid]

FWIW - I'm also 5'8" and have a 56cm and a 58cm bikes - both feel fine. IMHO - don't sweat over the numbers too much, if you're too stretched out on the bike just move the saddle forward a bit (as you did) and maybe get a shorter reach stem.

 

[Randochap]

Bike fit isn't as simple as moving the saddle forward if the frame is too big.

Proper bike fit involves the interplay of a number of variables. If the main component -- the frame -- is too far from the norm, no amount of fiddling with the rest of the components will make it right ... especially over distance.

 

[Tedx]

Caminsk

I did the same thing, bought a Dawes Galaxy Tourer without much experience and it was a little too big. I took the bike to France covering about 60/70 miles a day. By the third day, due to reaching too far forward, my pinky and ring fingers where becoming numb and the end of each day. I put the seat forward as you did, but this caused me to be too far forward of the pedal and I started to get stabbing pain in my knees. When I looked these syptoms up they where all caused by reaching too far forward. I bought an adjustable stem and put the seat back and haven't had a problem since.

Hope this helps.

 

[caminsk]

thanks a lot!

i´ve noticed the tension on my knees with the saddle in the front as well
ive already moved it back to the good position.

now im looking for another stem, mine has 100mm im changing for a 60mm

its kind of hard to find a quill stem
on ebay i could find only old school ones

 

[palinurus]

You could try one of those quill- Ahead type adaptors, should give you more options for stem length.

 

[Tedx]

I just went for an adjustable one. You can move it up and back and adjust it easliy while touring

 

[caminsk]

an adjustable one is not a bad ideia actually!

isnt alot heavier?

i´ve seen on ebay some stem adaptors for regular stems

i think im going for this

 

[willem]

The crucial size is that of the top tube. If it is too long you will be stretched out, and that is very uncomfortable. You can use a shorter stem, but if you shorten it too much the steering of the bike wil be affected.
There is nothing wrong with traditional stems for a threaded fork, if that is what you have (probably). One big advantage is that they can be raised. Adjustable ones will help you even more to find the right handle bar position. The snag with adjustable ones is that they are heavier, more flexible, and will start creaking. So if you can borrow an adjustable one to find out what you need, by al means do so. But get a fixed one afterwards. Nitto do nice ones in a multitude of sizes for 25.4 and 26 mm clamp sizes.
Willem

 

[samid]

You also could use the adjustable stem to fine-tune your position on the bike, then measure the effective stem length and buy a regular stem in that size, and sell the adjustable one.

(Edit: Sorry, did not see Willem's post when sent this...)

 

[caminsk]

im going on monday to the LBS to see what they have

thanks for all the advices guys