Do manufacturers change their same brand sizing?

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Nomadski

I Like Bikes
Location
LBS, Usually
My 2012 Cannondale Synapse is a 54cm frame but feels significantly bigger than both my Dolan and Cube. Now I get that cross brands will have their own sizing, but looking at Cannondales website, a Synapse for someone 5ft11" tall would be a 56cm model.

If they keep to a similar sizing, one size up from my old Synapse would be WAY too big for me.

So daft question probably, is Cannondales 2021 Synapse 56cm 2012's 54cm?
 

Big John

Guru
Somewhere on the net there'll be a drawing of a 2021 Synapse with measurements for the top, down, head and seat tubes for a 56cm frame. Just compare these measurements to the measurements of your 2012 54cm frame. If you're unsure of how to take the measurements I believe BikeRadar has a 'How to' guide.
 

Mike_P

Guru
Location
Harrogate
Not sure how accurate size guides are becoming as my experience with Giants was that the next size smaller than the guide was recommending was needed. According to one vendor I needed the next size larger:eek:
 

weareHKR

Senior Member
I'm 5ft 8'' & a peanut ... My new Trek has a 21" frame & admittedly with the seat at its lowest (see avatar pic) it fits me nicely, can even touch the floor albeit with a tiptoe.
My Retro bikes are all 20" anyway, I always prefer a larger frame than what The Book says... :becool:
 

vickster

Legendary Member
I'm 5ft 8'' & a peanut ... My new Trek has a 21" frame & admittedly with the seat at its lowest (see avatar pic) it fits me nicely, can even touch the floor albeit with a tiptoe.
My Retro bikes are all 20" anyway, I always prefer a larger frame than what The Book says... :becool:
But it’s a mountain bike looking at your avatar? The OP is talking about road bikes :scratch:

Size guides are just a starting point, you need to sit on to check reach, step over height etc. My height might have me on a 56cm TT but being long of leg and shorter of torso, my bikes are 54s :okay:
 
Location
London
I always prefer a larger frame than what The Book says... :becool:
Me too.
I have frames that are all sorts of sizes.
But the key contact point dimensions are all pretty much the same.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
I’m also in the same camp. Prefer a larger frame over smaller. I have a 56cm Trek road bike but also a 61cm vintage steel bike which I slightly prefer size wise but both are comfortable. So the variation can be quite large. I am 6’1 with a 33” inseam. You can always fiddle with the stem and saddle to get it how you like.
 

CanucksTraveller

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Location
Hertfordshire
Big John covered it well... yes they do change a bit and if you look at historic frame size measurements you see it.

I'm usually on one size lower than the manufacturer suggests, or at least, where I'm within the band of two sizes, (say a "M/L" and also a "L") I'll own the slightly smaller bike, that's the case with all my stable. I think none of them are quite comparable in terms of the "book" size, but they all feel similar.
 
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