Racer Ex 

Too small. EDR is selling my old Dean if anyone is looking in the 52-54 range.

misterwaterfall

Ahh damn thank you for that if only I was a bit shorter. Now to scour ebay for a tri spoke front wheel and a cheap advantage 2 helmet

gtrob

Why is that too small? Im 6'4 with similar measurements and according to cervelo's guide I fit exactly in the middle of the large size (which is a 58). The next size up is a 61...

Ygduf

6'2" is a lot to pack onto a 54 which is what Ex was referring to as "too small".

misterwaterfall

Correctomundo. I pack quite a bit, so a frame that small wouldn't work too well...

tetonrider

sizing a TT bike can be about more than height & inseam. i know you and others in the thread probably know this, but i just want to emphasize this as i'm 5'11" and fit on a small shiv…and actually could ride an extra small, too.

if there's any way for you to get on a few bikes, that might open up some possibilities on the used market in terms of sizing. if you're new to TTs, you may find that your fit (esp the cockpit) changes over time..and possibly by a lot.

tetonrider

just noticed this. that could be in the 20-22 minute range. that is important because what your body can tolerate for 20 minutes may be different than if you were doing 40k's regularly, so you might be able to go with a more aggressive position and fit.

although those are short, as you probably know the TT can have a huge effect on the GC.

misterwaterfall

That's a good point. I was originally thinking something in a 56 or slightly smaller, but found this deal that I couldn't pass up. I'm hoping that I can make it work, if not I will get rid of it for something smaller.

Good point on the cockpit fit as well, something I hadn't really thought about. When you mentioned that, are you meaning that I can get very aggressive ala Tony Martin/Fabian with a downward angle at the front or?

tetonrider

ok, so this would be a MUCH longer conversation, but TTing (and fitting on a TT bike) comes down to so many things.

in general, the shorter the event the more aggressive a position can be. if you look at positions for top level athletes competing in, say, a prologue vs an ironman the differences are apparent. this can have an impact on torso angle (lower the torso the more aggressive the position, but 5 degrees beyond horizontal gets untenable for anyone).

i don't know how you are set up now (or how you would be if you hopped on a TT bike for the first time), but, yes, getting your back more flat is probably a good thing, especially for events that are on the shorter end of the spectrum. 10 miles is not a prologue, but it's also not anywhere near a 40k.

why do i use words like 'general' and 'probably'? because reducing drag is complex. the back angle often has a lot more to do with what happens next to the shoulders and the neck, and how the helmet interacts with the rider profile.

if you look to the pros it is WAY more than just a flat back. many of these guys have incredible flexibility (check out bert grabsch--he's on an extra small shiv because he needed even more drop), but it is not universal. tony martin's torso is not as extreme as it sometimes appears in a google image search (many online photos actually have the bike tilted down, which is deceptive). what's amazing about martin is that it looks like he can dislocate his shoulders to go so narrow. this may not be possible if he were lower.

then there's forearm angles….

so, long-winded answer but i wanted to give you a bit more context. know that you can get a little more aggressive (whether that is smaller bike for you i don't know for sure) because you can endure more discomfort in exchange for reduced drag in a shorter event than a long one. to say more i'd need to see you. when we talk about bikes sizes, we start to get into handling issues, but for most people doing non-technical TTs, this is not much of an issue.

hopefully this gives you a few things to think about.

gtrob

Sorry I thought he meant the 58 would be to short for him (based on the quote). I was on a 56 last year and it was tight, but not impossible.

I'll agree that 'comfort' is less of a goal for a stage race TT than for triathlon folk and you should be set up as such.

misterwaterfall

Cool, yes that does help and give me a lot to think about. I already ride an aggressive set up(56cm top tube, slammed and flipped) and usually ride in a pretty flat-back position anyway so I don't think I will have a problem on a TT bike.

I enjoy the technical part of racing with equipment and set up changes so I kind of see think spiraling out of control on me already as far as set up goes lol. Should be fun

tetonrider

just to be clear, when you say you currently ride a 56 you mean a road bike, right?

remember that one's TT saddle will usually be forward (and higher) relative to the position of their road bike position. this can result in needing/wanting a different size frame.

there can be some challenges in using road bike sizing to determine TT bike size.

misterwaterfall

Yes, road frame. I didn't know where else to start so that's what I used to ballpark what I might need on a TT frame

tetonrider

yep, fair enough. gotta start somewhere. here is why it may not work, though; i am just one example.


i ride a 56cm road frame (565mm effective top tube) with a 130/-10 stem.

my tt bike has a 527mm top tube, with a 75mm/-18 stem.

i like a shorter stem on a TT bike (partly depends on things like rake and HTA) because you have so much weight over the front wheel already.

so many variables, but basing off your road bike size may not result in the fit you need. internet sizing of TT bikes is tricky. if you were buying something like a shiv, i'm intimately familiar with the bike and can offer more specifics, but i don't know as much (or anything) about many others out there.

Gramercy

Where did you find that good of a deal? I was at a bike shop this weekend and was looking at the Cervelo's and he said since they haven't changed the shape of the aero bikes in 7 years or so, there can be good deals on used ones, but I don't know where to look. I also figured the new ones with aero frame would cost more than they do, but he said it's the same reason: they already have the molds for the bikes.

misterwaterfall

Local racer wanted to get rid of it. Right place right time kind of deal

gtrob

Maybe the P2, but the P3 is completely new this year.

Ygduf

anyone willing to look at my very-rough self-fit on the tt bike? shout out or pm me anything glaring. I just tried to get the saddle up high enough and fore/aft where it felt good. I fit it for feel on what felt like it made the most power, open lungs, etc. I gave it at least 30s each try to assess these items.

https://imgur.com/a/3bnub

shovelhd

Your saddle looks about 1cm too high, but it also looks like you have 1cm to play with up front.

Ygduf

fair enough. I did look more toe-down than I expected. I'll drop it a smidge.

What do you mean with the "up front?" I'm temped to dig out a -17 degree stem to go down just a tad more. That what you meant?

Racer Ex 

You're moving fore and aft on the saddle in the pictures. I'd have your elbow pads further back.

shovelhd

Spacers or a different stem. It's hard to tell exactly what might work best without a shot of the front end of the bike without you on it.

Nate552

+1 You mentioned raising your saddle so your lungs felt open, what length cranks are those? Nice bike BTW.

Racer Ex 

He lives!

aaronmcd

I would not be able to tolerate that pointed foot to reach the bottom. If it were me I'd also lower the saddle & get -17 stem.

I've never ridden a TT bike, but when I first started riding I would keep trying to get in that position on my road bike, sitting on the nose all the time.