Road Cycling - Question for Lemond owners... sizing...

I've been looking at the Lemond Zurich after reading mass reviews, and personal experiences from both the forums here, and other sources.. and all in all, it looks like an incredible bike... now my LBS that stocks them only had a 57cm when I was in there a few weeks ago... so I rode it.. a little too big for me.. but sooooo smooooth... anyways.. my question is on sizing.. I know of the laid back geometry, and nothing beats actually riding one to determine fit... but in normal bikes I ride a 54-55 cm bike.. i'm 5'10" tall, and have a 31.5" inseam... my question is since the geometry is a bit funky on those.. would I be better with a 55cm, or even possibly the next lower size... any help would be great.. personal experiences, etc.

Thanks

Jeff

Jeff,

I'm 5'10" with a 31.5" inseam. Traditionaly I road a 56cm. My lemond Zurich is a 55 and it measures out to be exactly the same as my 1986 Specialized Allez (56cm). You can adjust the length of the stem if needed, but a 55 should be fine unless you have an inordinately long, or short torso. My stem is a 120mm.

You will appreciate the ride of the 853 steel.

Thanks Bikedud... how you like your Zurich ?

Jeff

Hey Jeff,

I own an '03 Victoire 57cm. and have a 120mm stem on it. I am 5'11" tall with a 33.75" inseam. I have ridden a 55cm (w/a 130mm stem) LeMond and found that for me, the saddle position was just to high placing too much strain on my lower back while riding in the drops for any length of time. The 55cm. didn't work for me... Good Luck!

Mike

I've got a 2001 LeMond Zurich, the yellow and blue one, in a 55cm. I'm 6'0", but only have a 31" inseam. (Think short legs long torsoe).

I can fit on either a 54cm or 56cm Cannondale, and feel great on my 55cm.

LeMonds generally have a longer cockpit, so for me it was the right bike!

L8R

how you like your Zurich ?

I love the ride, the comfort, the handling. It's a great ride and I have put many thousands of miles on it. I'm not too pleased with the paint job. Mine is white, which is OK, but for some reason the paint seems tremendously soft. It nicks too easily. I haven't seen that problem in any of the newer ones. All in all, I would certainly buy another Zurich.

Blake

I have a lemond also! Very nice... I found that they did run a bit big. I am a 58 or 60 in a trek or cannondale, but in a lemond I am a 57.

My 57cm. Victoire w/a PowerTap. (I am a 58cm on a Trek frame).

I'm a hair over 5'9'', with a 32.5 inch inseam, and I'm on a 53 buenos aires. Sometimes I think I should have gone with a 55, since the drop to the bars seems large, but then on the 55 I think the reach would have been too long horizontally. I'm comfortable on the hoods, but the drops are not comfortable. Also, I think the stems on the zurich, like the BA, is flippable, which gives you some flexibility on the setup. My stem is flipped "up", as opposed to being almost flat (compare the green alpe d'huez to the victoire in the posts above); the drop to the hoods is too much for me when it's flat.

I'm 6'2", with a 32" inseam. I ride a 59cm LeMond Poprad. It's actually a tad small for me. I wish I had gone with the 60 or 61cm version. The seattube and toptube are fine... it's the fact that the handlebars are so low, even with the most upright stem available. I actually keep the seat a smidge lower just to keep from getting lower back pains and hand pain (from putting too much wait forward).

I'm 6' and I ride a 57cm Lemond Buenos Aires. The fit is great for me. I personally like my bikes to fit larger then a lot of people are doing these days. For some reason in the past few years there has been more and more seatpost sticking out of the top of the frames. I don't know if it is coming from the compact frame phenomenon or what. I think people are getting used to that visually and are in turn buying bikes that in reality might be a bit too small for them. By running the seatpost higher your increasing the drop to the bars, and because of that a lot of people are running with really high spacer stacks and steeply angled stems. I don't get it. I have about 1" of clearance when I stand over the top tube of my Lemond and my post is about 6" or so out of the frame. Just something to consider when sizing it up.

I love my Lemond. The ride is great and it is backed by Trek which is a plus in my book. Working at a bike shop I have dealt with many companies and if there is ever a problem, Trek is by far my favorite to deal with.

Originally posted by Cipher
My 57cm. Victoire w/a PowerTap. (I am a 58cm on a Trek frame).

wow...love that paintjob! :D

Hello all, I am trying to get a better feel for what size I need to be looking for in a Lemond, I am 6'3", bike inseam 34.5 - 35", (pants 33").
I am getting back into road biking after a fifteen year run at MTB's.I am alarge biker , 235lbs and am wondering if I should be a 61 cm size, local dealer does not have any larger sized Lemonds.
Anyone out there close to those measurements?

Originally posted by Coppi51
wow...love that paintjob! :D


Hey Thanks Coppi! The splashy paint took a little getting use to, but the ride is pure heaven! And all of it for an absurdly great deal! ;)

Just got my Zurich last week - 55cm. I am 5'9" with a inseam of 31. Tried the 53cm but it was too small. I have the stem flat and find the bike to be very comfortable. I was riding a 56cm Specialized. My advice, FWIW, quit looking and BUY! The best thing I ever did. This is one great bike "Steel is Real"!

I am about 5' 10.5" with a 31.5" inseam and ride a 53 cm Alpe D' Huez and I love it.

Jeff,

I thought you were building up a Lemond from a frame you won on Ebay??? Anyway I normally ride a 56cm bike. When I was fitted for my Lemond I ended up with a 55cm with 13cm stem on it.

Bikedud: If your Zurich is the white and red 99 model let me know if you ever decide to get rid of it. That's the one I lusted for when I bought my 99 Buenos Aires.

Zack
Hating myself even more for selling my Lemond :(

Originally posted by ZackJones
Jeff,

I thought you were building up a Lemond from a frame you won on Ebay??? Anyway I normally ride a 56cm bike. When I was fitted for my Lemond I ended up with a 55cm with 13cm stem on it.

Bikedud: If your Zurich is the white and red 99 model let me know if you ever decide to get rid of it. That's the one I lusted for when I bought my 99 Buenos Aires.

Zack
Hating myself even more for selling my Lemond :(

I also ride a 55cm Lemond with a 12cm stem and all my previous bikes were 56cm (5"10", 31.5" inseam).

Yes Zack, My Zurich is the white 99, signed by the man himself. I personally preffered the red 98 model but I didn't have the cash that year.

I am 5-7" with a 30" inseam and I am riding a 55cm with a 100 mm extension stem. The bike came stock with a 130 but it was too long for me the ride is so smooth!

Well I finally picked up a Lemond Maillot Jaune Frameset in a 55cm.. I still need to pick up the rest of the components... hopefully by the end of summer... I need a wheelset, cranks, cogset, handlebars... etc... about another $900-1000 or so...

I'll post pics when it is all complete

Jeff

He measures his bikes different then most.Most uses ct,center of bb to top of tt.Lemond is cc,center of tt so they measure a little smaller then most.