Cycle Fan Posted December 9, 2008 Share Hi clever hubbers. I recently had my bike set-up (after months of fiddling with it myself) and the guy who set it up (an Ironman athlete and biokinetist) said that the frame was too small for me. I'm ?1.8m and the bike is a Raleigh RC4500 (2006) 51cm - medium. The LBS that sold it to me said that because it was a compact frame it was equivilent to a 56cm (confirmed by Raleigh's website). So is the frame too small for me? If it is, what are the consequences? Thanks for the advice.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxiet Posted December 9, 2008 Share I'm riding a 51cm 2006 Compact RC3000, my height is 1.72, inside leg ~79cm. The bike fits me well. I would feel that @ 1.8m it probably is too small for you. You need to take into account your specific geometry (arm length, inside leg...) When it comes to MTB's you can go on a slightly smaller frame, ideal for control. This isn't the case for road bikes. If your're too big for the bike your riding profile will be uncomfortable, you will be cramped for space, basically on long rides you're going to feel pain. If your saddle requires a rediculously high setting to accomodate your legs, then you may exceed the max safe extension resulting in possible frame damage. Daxiet2008-12-09 13:11:23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummibear Posted December 9, 2008 Share I am 1.75 and ride a M(51cm) RC7000 and i am very happy . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxiet Posted December 10, 2008 Share I have more thoughts about this, it really boils down to do you feel comfortable on the bike, are you sitting too upright, etc. I have had my bike fitting done on my MTB and once done I customised the settings because they were uncomfortable and I felt the new setup caused me to lack power. That said, the fitting is more a guideline, everyone is different thus it boils down to how you feel on the bike. Ride some more, if you find you have twitches that just don't go away or you saddle is too high in relation to the handle bars, then perhaps you're too big for the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreZA Posted December 10, 2008 Share Who cares about how long hte seat tube or inner leg length it. They;ve invented 400mm seatposts to solve that. You need the right top tube length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cycle Fan Posted December 11, 2008 Share Thanks for the advice guys. I've tried to measure my inseam and it looks to be 89cm. I feel fine on the bike - so I'm not sure if I need to bother with a bigger frame? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomo Posted December 18, 2008 Share Who cares about how long hte seat tube or inner leg length it. They;ve invented 400mm seatposts to solve that. You need the right top tube length. Top tube length seems to be the measurement being used more and more especially since the arrival of compact frames.As a result, I have been coerced into going from medium frames to small and even x-small (? 52cm top tubes).The smaller frame does however result in a different saddle to handle bar drop. My question: When is this drop too much.?Obviously it will differ from rider to rider and the traditionalists will say that that the two should be as close to level as possible ... but is there an acceptable norm.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxiet Posted December 18, 2008 Share Who cares about how long hte seat tube or inner leg length it. They;ve invented 400mm seatposts to solve that. You need the right top tube length. Called a ratio, and thus having inside leg length, arm length, upper body length and so forth completes the ratio which ultimatley differs from person to person. The reason I use inside leg length is to get a quick ballpark sizing. You need to clear the height of the top tube when standing over the bike, unless you like your bits resting on the bar. With a road bike you want 2-5cm clearance, with an MTB you want as much as possible without having the toptube too short (5-10cm and will have to be less on a dual suspension in most cases). Furtermore having a 400mm seat post won't help you when your rear is sky high and your bars are around your knee caps. The ratio of all these things determine your profile and comfort on the bike. But don't get me wrong, once your stand over height is fine, your need to consider the top tub length to get the riding style you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spano Posted December 18, 2008 Share cycle fan,, if the size of the bikes bothers you, eg makes your knees or anything else hurt, then it's probably too smallI'm 1.75 with inner leg length of ~ 85cm and I ride a 87cm top tube...if the glove fits...wear it...my opinion, same with the bike (unless you have money to spend and want to get a new one??) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckstopper Posted December 18, 2008 Share 87 top tube? you must have loooong arms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckstopper Posted December 18, 2008 Share Cycle fan what is your stem length? Can you ride comfortably on the drops and for how long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spano Posted December 18, 2008 Share yeah I look like some kind of mutant girraffe.. but if you subtract about 30cm you'll be closer to the truth! (57) thanks for pointing that out for me buckstopper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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