What size do I need?

[Jamieblfc]

I am looking for my first road bike second hand under £500 and struggling to find a suitable one. I am 6 ft 4 and think I would need an XL, 60cm frame and above in most brands but these are hard to come by. I have seen a few bikes that are Large, such as a boardman road bike which is nearby me. The boardman size guide says large is suitable up to 6 ft 1/2 depending where you look. Do you think a large would be okay for me?

 

[Cycleops]

I should say you’ll need an XL. Maybe you’ll have to wait for one to become available. Why don’t you buy new? Because there is less demand for this size you find retailers find they are harder to shift, especially older models so look around for a deal.
Even without a deal, this Trek Domane goes right up to 62cm:
https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-domane-al-2-2020-road-bike-EV340566

what about this Triban in XL? Excellent vfm.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rc-500-disc-road-bike-turquoise-sora-id_8554411.html
Lifetime frame warranty and one year on components, they get very good press on here,

BTW welcome to the forum.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Road bike as in drop handlebars etc?

 

[HLaB]

Generally a bike that's slightly too small for you is more agile and can be adjusted to fit (longer stem/ raised seatpost), whereas a bike that is on the slightly side (higher head tube etc) can be more comfortable but may not be adjustable and you might need that adjustment to make it perfectly comfortable. On the face of that I'd say that a large would be fine after adjustment. Good luck

 

[vickster]

Presumably you'll try them out, but XL/60cm sounds correct. You can always ask the seller how tall they are - if they say 5'10, walk away as it's probably not theirs to be selling

 

[MarkF]

My cousin is 6'5" and when he visits from Oz he can't ride my bikes, even though I am 6'+ and ride 23"/58cm large frames. I bought him a 62cm XL Ridgeback and he is fine all day on that.

 

[faster]

I'm a similar size to you and one of the first things you should be aware of is the length of seat tube quoted for any bike is rarely a good indicator of how big it is. Due to differences in geometry (a sloping top tube tends to provide a lower number) and the way they are measured, this number is little more than a very rough guide.

I've got a 56, a 60 and a 63 and they are all pretty much the same sized bike and all described as XL by the manufacturer.

For most manufacturers, unless you have unusual proportions, you'll need the biggest size they do. Careful though, as there are a few manufacturers that make some really huge bikes which might be too big for you.

 

[Milkfloat]

At 6'4" myself I have a variety of bikes including 58cm Cannondale, 60cm Genesis, XL Pinnacle, XL Giant, L Giant, 17" Trek (this really is too small), XL Edinburgh Bike CoOp and a 25" Dawes. For your first road bike the geometry charts won't really help you know what fits, but for me I am very confident I can buy a bike that fits from a chart alone, although I may not love it, I can ride it.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

It really depends on the brand, I'm only on a M/L on Giant bikes and im 6 foot, so a L might do you. Until you've owned / ridden a given make, it's hard to tell from a graph or table. I agree with @HLaB that erring on the slightly smaller side whenever you're in between or in doubt generally results in a better fit, you can stretch a bike out and up a bit with the adjustable parts, but it's harder / impossible to shrink a too-large frame down.

 

[Jamieblfc]

Hi everyone, thanks for the helpful replies! Turns out just after I posted I called up a local shop who had just had a second hand genesis 62cm frame in. They are custom building me my first road bike so very happy with that. Thanks again!