Confused: bike felt right, LBS says too small...

[mrmacmusic]

58 cm sounds too big to me but it depends on your dimensions i suppose. However i dont quite understand why an experienced bike fitter would be saying go up a frame size so you can have a more racey position. There are pros around your height who ride 52 and 54 cm frames and they certainly dont have sit up and beg positions on the bike!

I was surprised when he suggested I really needed a 58cm, and it did seem to me that the reasons for going up to a 58cm could also be argued as the reasons to stick with a 56cm... Definitely left the shop a bit bewildered for sure!

 

[bicyclos]

I basically go for a 21" frame which for me is a basis to go off when looking for a bike. I go off my own intuition and if it fits and feels right then I buy. Never gone wronge in 36yrs.

 

[RedRider]

...a bit longer than I'm used to on my Flight...

I might be giving him too much credit but maybe the fitter's going on a 'give him some room to grow into it' thing. My previous bike was a Flight 04 and the few before that also flat-barred and it's taken my body a few months to re-adjust to a more stretched out position. What felt comfortable when I first switched back to drop bars six months ago would feel cramped now. I've had to swap longer stems in and I'm now looking at bars with a greater reach. It turns out the bike which felt big at first is only just this side of the too-small-for-me divide.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

By the sounds of things, what I think feels right might be too upright.

I am 6 foot with relatively looong legs and short body (not unlike my avatar ), so most "standard" fitting rules are imho somewhat meaningless for me. My bikes are all over the places in terms of "size" yet giving me nearly the same contact point (hands/saddle/pedals) relative dimension without exceptional stem length or seatpost setback.

Why not measure the contact point relative coordinates of one of your bikes that you are most comfortable with and compare with the one in the shop? The thing is different people have different preferred posture on the bike. Only you could be the judge of what is comfortable, not the shop assistant.

 

[Rob3rt]

If you are really concerned, get a "proper" fitting. Sitting on a bike and the LBS guy looking you over is a good guide (generally), but it takes a good while to optimise a bike fit and a bit of fettling.

Find a LBS that use the http://www.bikefit.com/ equipment and systems maybe and pay for a bike fitting session, it takes about an hour and they take lots of measurements of your anatomy, enter them into a software suite along with your requirements and it outputs a load of bike settings, they then set up either your bike or a special fitting machine that resembled a gym bike into these settings and fine tune from their, again with software assistance.

I have been thinking about doing it for a while now and a recent thread on another forum regarding these bike fits was very positive in their initial opinions to fittings in this way. It will cost a bit (£35 I think the closest place to me charges), but some LBS discount or give the fitting free if you buy a bike from them, so it could be a good investment. Also you get a printout with all the measurements so you can take it elsewhere should you not buy a bike from them.

 

[amaferanga]

How much seat post was showing on the 56cm Trek? Unless it was near its limit and unless the top tube is way too short (unlikely given your height) then you could get the right fit with a longer stem. IMO slightly too small with a longer stem (only talking about 1-2cm longer here) is far better than too big with a short stubby stem.

As for getting a test ride - people make way too much of this. You'd need to do several hundred miles to get a real feel for the differences between bikes and no bike shop is going to entertain that. Get a bike that's approximately the right size that you like the look of and tinker with it. An off the shelf bike is going to fit very few people perfectly so all that you'd achieve by test riding numerous bikes is find that one bike that firs you perfectly off the shelf, when all you'd probably need to do for the others is change stem length (assuming you get approximately the right frame size). Swapping bits doesn't even cost much as you can buy and sell on forums or eBay.

 

[vickster]

I spent 6 months riding a bike that was too big and am now being treated for chronic tennis elbow

I'd say get fiited or if not, have a good testride - everyone says you can make a slightly too small bike bigger but it's much harder the other way round!

Maybe try another shop and brands and see where you get to?

Trek's own website would suggest a 56cm is right for 5'10 http://www.trekbikes.com/faq/questions.php?questionid=63

 

[Norm]

As for getting a test ride - people make way too much of this. You'd need to do several hundred miles to get a real feel for the differences between bikes and no bike shop is going to entertain that.

I took a Tricross out for a test ride in Feb 2010 and it has done around 1,900 miles since without going back to the shop. I did pay for the bike, but it wasn't until about a week after I took it out for a ride. I realise that I have a pretty good relationship with my LBS, though.

 

[GrasB]

Bike fitting is an art form. You can't just look at someone on a bike for a few seconds & say if the fit is right or not. I'd not give someone the time of day regardless of how good they report to be when it comes to a bike fit until they've watched me ride or actually listened to my comments.

The first thing that should be done when fitting bike it sit down with the rider & discuss their needs. From there you'll have a rough idea of the position on the bike they should have & set the bike up. At that point you get them on the bike on a turbo trainer & rollers. The fitter can adjust the fit to counter problems that they can see in your motion & how you feel about the bike. You need to ride in all the typical positions you will use on the bike. This means on the drops, hoods & tops, also different positions on them if you're likely to use them.

Listening to the rider & watching them ride is important. When getting fitted I need to have my riding position evaluate with my hands wrapped around the bars & stem with my forearms parallel with the ground & my hands right on the shoulders of the bars, however there's no point in having a fitting which looks at me with my hands on the flat of the tops, I simply don't use the tops of the bars like that. Also I need my hoods positioned so that my wrist angle is greater than 180 degrees, that means the hand position suggested bike dynamics would simply leaded me to have numb hands within 15 miles of starting a ride, anyone fitting me on a bike like that would find that I'd be constantly moving my hands around the hoods searching for a comfortable position.

Until you're getting to the point where you're willing to train into a riding position (top-level TT bike fitting for instance where the rider rides in a wind tunnel) then one of the most important factors is how the rider feels on the bike. If you don't feel good on the bike you'll produce less power & get tired more quickly.

 

[MacB]

As for getting a test ride - people make way too much of this. You'd need to do several hundred miles to get a real feel for the differences between bikes and no bike shop is going to entertain that.

This is a very good point and, much as there's some great advice on this thread a lot of it does make assumptions about the prospective buyer already understanding their own bike fit, ride style and positional preferences. You've also got to be aware that nearly all of these characteristics can alter as your fitness, flexibility, weight and age changes. Plus a heck of a lot of people walking into a shop to buy a bike will have no idea about fit.

People that require exceptional fit characteristics, or are looking to perform at their highest level, need to really get into it and avail themselves of every facility to that end. For the rest of us I reckon the various online fit charts are a pretty good guide.

Personally I would advise buying a frame that put you in mid range for a stem and a seatpost. This gives you the maximum amount of play in either direction. For example if you select a bike that, on paper, means you need a 100mm stem you can then vary the stem by 30mm either way with ease. Unless you really know your needs I'd avoid sizing up or down that leaves you with an extreme of stem/seatpost length/angles, as this would limit the potential for future adjustments.

 

[mrmacmusic]

Thanks everyone for the input, advice and further reading... most helpful

I called another Trek dealer local enough to drive to today, and their opinion was that the 58cm was too big. They had a few choices in stock that were an option for me, and I took a 2012 Madone 3.5C out for a spin... I'm smitten It felt perfect from a fit perspective (although the dynamic ride will take a bit of getting used to), and at least it has plenty room for adjustment if required re saddle position and stem etc...

Think I'll get the Boss to warm up the credit card tomorrow!

 

[mikeIow]

weird thing to me here is that it sounds like you were about ready to buy, when he told you it was the wrong size. What kind of a sales person is that ? When the customer is happy & looks like buying, don't tell him reasons to put him off !!!
Good luck: I'm looking at a Trek 7.6 in 20" frame (I'm just shy of 6' with a relatively short 31" inside leg).....think it ought to be about right....

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Sounds like rubbish to me, I'm 5'10 and an inside leg of between 31 and 32 and have been told categorically that a 54 would be the best fit. Why? Because I'm (and maybe you) are in-between 54 and 56, so 55 ideally. That said, the mechanic I trust, told me that if it wasn't custom built for me then a 54 would certainly look racier because I'd be lower than I would be on a 56. Makes sense to me and I'd therefore get a second opinion and another bike fit somewhere else, regardless of the test ride issue.

Saying that, my last bike and my current are both sloping geometry so I was a Giant Defy Medium and a Ribble New Sportive Medium too. I had the same issue looking at the charts when I nearly bought a Focus Izalco earlier this year...they told me a 54 but to replace the stem to a longer one due my 'ape index.'

 

[mrmacmusic]

weird thing to me here is that it sounds like you were about ready to buy, when he told you it was the wrong size. What kind of a sales person is that ? When the customer is happy & looks like buying, don't tell him reasons to put him off !!!

To be fair, I think his attitude was somewhat admirable – he did his utmost to put me off because, in his professional opinion, the bike was too small. He lost a sale though, as 56cm was spot on.

 

[mikeIow]

mmmm.....suicidally honest!!
Well, I've decided on the Trek 7.6FX.....just need my Ride2Work paperwork to be sorted !!