Short legs?

[Dommo]

Hi all,

I'm looking at getting my first road bike after five years of blasting around London on a hybrid. I realise that there is no correct answer to this question other than go and sit on the bike and try them for size but.... For my height (174cm) my inside leg (78cm measuring using book/wall) seems short, leaving me with the conundrum of which size frame to go for. It feels for my height that 54cm should suit but my leg size seems to point to 52cm? I tried out a 54cm bike a couple of weeks ago and it felt pretty spot on but I won't have a chance to really go for a long ride... I'm looking a Cannondale CAAD 10 and have read that they size slightly larger than other manufacturers...

The sizing chart here puts me in one or the other again :

http://www.evanscycles.com/product_...ed6/676/cannondale-road-bike-sizing-chart.pdf

I guess I need a 53! Without the opportunity to go for a prolonged ride on either size, which would you go for? I should also point out that I am a "chunky" 174cm

Cheers

Dom

 

[Kestevan]

General advice is to go for the larger frame if you fall between 2 sizes. Its better to ride a larger bike with the seatpost lower, than to try and squish yourself into a bike with too short a reach.

Obviously you dont want a bike thats too massive, and on mountain bikes it's always nice to have more clearance in the gentlemans area just in case.

Personally I could fit on either a 56 or a 58 frame. The larger is much more comfortable for reach, but I don't have masses of seatpost showing.

 

[Zakalwe]

I'd go the other way personally, smaller frame and stick a longer stem on if necessary. A seat post may be able to go down but the head tube won't, you can end up sitting almost as upright as on your hybrid.

 

[woohoo]

I have a long body/short legs combination and went for the longer TT size of my preferred bike model. It never felt right (despite all the sizes matching the normal fitting recomendations) so when I treated myself to the next up the range, I went for the smaller TT size, put on a longer stem and it feels perfect.

 

[Norm]

For my height (174cm) my inside leg (78cm measuring using book/wall) seems short

That converts (sorry, I'm really old!) to 5'8" and 31" inside leg. I'm 2" (or 5cm) taller and my inside leg is 1" (3cm) shorter. My road bike is a Specialized Secteur in 54cm, my all-rounder is a Specialized Tricross in 56cm. My smallest bike is a 22-year old rigid MTB which is now used as a commuter and the low bars make it really agile, but the bars are about 10cm below the saddle and I get pain in my hands if I don't make an effort to relax them every 20 minutes or so. Conversely, my largest bike is a hardtail MTB which has been set up as an all-roads tourer more than anything, and I can easily ride that for 8-10 hours a day with it's bars set a few cm above the saddle height.

The point is that it depends what sort of bike you want. Smaller bikes with shorter front ends tend to result in better aeros and the riding position allows you to use your core muscles better, but they are also more hunched and possibly not as comfortable for longer days in the saddle, especially if you are of larger build and not as flexible as you once were.

 

[vickster]

Test ride the two. On Your Bike at London Bridge sell Cannondale as I am sure you are aware if in Borough. If parking your bike outside, use a D Lock, an alarm and a Rottweiler...not a cable lock - many thieving so-and-so's around there as I found out to my chagrin

I'd go smaller rather than bigger - I am living with chronic and painful tennis elbow caused by a too big bike I think (conincidentally the one that got nicked from outside OYB)

 

[Dommo]

Thanks all. I think I'll go for another test run. I feel like I'm tending toward the 54 on the basis that it did feel more "right" the last time around. I guess in the end, since I'm seemingly smack-bang in the middle then neither will kill me!

...and yeah, Vickster I take your point about where the shop is! I got the back wheel nicked off my hybrid not far from there as I foolishly only used a d-lock...

 

[Sittingduck]

Do you want comfort or speed? Size up for the former and down for the latter.

And yes, I realise that both can be achieved but as a general rule, I believe the above applies.

 

[Dommo]

Hmm, both?

To be honest I was aiming for speed. Moving from a hybrid I realise any road bike is going to feel fast but my selecting the CAAD 10 was based on what I've read about it being quite an aggressive geometry. The longest rides I ever do are around 100km with the average being 60-70km so I wasn't thinking about long, long hours in the saddle. I'd willingly sacrifice some comfort for a bit more speed - my hybrid is now on 28 tyres at 120 psi to squeeze a bit more speed out of it.