Hello
I'm a newbie so hope that this advice is ok to ask for on here - apologies if not, will have a dig around elsewhere.
I ride to work and do a bit of long riding and touring in summer. I've been using a steel framed hybrid that weighs in at about 16kg (cost £99) so am ready for something a but lighter and quicker.
I'm in the process of buying a road bike and have tried a few and done a fair bit of research. The one I'm most keen on is the specialized allez sport.
My issue is that I don't have very standard proportions for a bloke. My legs are proportionally longer, and my reach is shorter.
I used the online bike fit calculator and the suggestions for top tube and seat tube for my size are quite extreme. I'm not just going on that though.
The 52cm seemed to be the most comfortable, although I did feel that I got a bit more power from the 54cm. The reach on the 54cm was too much though and I could feel it in my shoulders when riding on the hoods. Even on the 52, I think I would have been a good deal more comfortable with the 2cm shorter reach. I definitely wouldn't want a smaller frame than the 52cm however because I have to have the saddle quite high to get my leg position right - and have to pop off the saddle to get feet down when stopping (just). Obviously the more I have to do this, the bigger the drop to the bars and I don't want to have an unnecessarily aggressive riding position the whole time.
I appreciate that I can adjust the saddle, flip the stem, try a slightly shorter stem length etc, but as a new-ish rider who has made size errors before, I don't want to mess with the bike so much that it is not balanced and set in a way that it was designed for. I can also slide the saddle forward but obviously I'd rather have it positioned in such a way as to have the relationship with the bottom bracket right and get the most amount of power to the pedals, rather than bodging it just to solve the reach problem.
My instinct is to go for the 52cm, and fit a different stem with a slightly different angle, and shorter length. Does this seem like a sensible solution. Are there any things to watch out for with this, or with moving the saddle up and forward? I appreciate that there'll need to be a compromise somewhere but am trying to make that compromise where it matters least. Would a shorter stem and different stem angle compromise the bike or its performance in to a significant degree?
Any thoughts or advice very much appreciated.
Many thanks.
I'm a newbie so hope that this advice is ok to ask for on here - apologies if not, will have a dig around elsewhere.
I ride to work and do a bit of long riding and touring in summer. I've been using a steel framed hybrid that weighs in at about 16kg (cost £99) so am ready for something a but lighter and quicker.
I'm in the process of buying a road bike and have tried a few and done a fair bit of research. The one I'm most keen on is the specialized allez sport.
My issue is that I don't have very standard proportions for a bloke. My legs are proportionally longer, and my reach is shorter.
I used the online bike fit calculator and the suggestions for top tube and seat tube for my size are quite extreme. I'm not just going on that though.
The 52cm seemed to be the most comfortable, although I did feel that I got a bit more power from the 54cm. The reach on the 54cm was too much though and I could feel it in my shoulders when riding on the hoods. Even on the 52, I think I would have been a good deal more comfortable with the 2cm shorter reach. I definitely wouldn't want a smaller frame than the 52cm however because I have to have the saddle quite high to get my leg position right - and have to pop off the saddle to get feet down when stopping (just). Obviously the more I have to do this, the bigger the drop to the bars and I don't want to have an unnecessarily aggressive riding position the whole time.
I appreciate that I can adjust the saddle, flip the stem, try a slightly shorter stem length etc, but as a new-ish rider who has made size errors before, I don't want to mess with the bike so much that it is not balanced and set in a way that it was designed for. I can also slide the saddle forward but obviously I'd rather have it positioned in such a way as to have the relationship with the bottom bracket right and get the most amount of power to the pedals, rather than bodging it just to solve the reach problem.
My instinct is to go for the 52cm, and fit a different stem with a slightly different angle, and shorter length. Does this seem like a sensible solution. Are there any things to watch out for with this, or with moving the saddle up and forward? I appreciate that there'll need to be a compromise somewhere but am trying to make that compromise where it matters least. Would a shorter stem and different stem angle compromise the bike or its performance in to a significant degree?
Any thoughts or advice very much appreciated.
Many thanks.
My instinct would be if your legs are more right on the 54cm go for that and make the tweaks (flipped and shorter stem) but I've not seen or measured you.
