General Cycling Discussion - roadbike sizing.

ok. to start off with i am new to road bike riding. currently i have a 33 year old panasonic road bike with 26 inch wheels. as i was looking online for bikes that i like and finding more information about the current models of road bikes i realized that alot of the pages that distributed bikes only went up to 60 cm. now i checked this out and found that 26 inches translates to roughly 66 centimeters. are road bikes made smaller now? am i looking at the wrong thing to measure the bike by? someone with a little more common sense than me please help me out. thanks.

Are you talking about wheel size or frame size?
Modern frames are usually designed to give more standover clearance than older style frames, so the frame "size" is quite small, but length is the same as older modesl (or even longer). Some modern frames are designed in the "compact" style, where the top tube slopes down at the rear. This gives MTB like standover cleararce, so the frames are even smaller in seat-tube length.
As long as you have adaquate standover clearance, you should judge frame fit by its top tube length.
There are some online sites which can recommend a frame size given your body dimensions. There are also some good online references. Check some of the other frame sizing discussions.

Yeah those numbers you see are not wheel size.
See diagram below and those numbers are either A1 or A2 ....depending on the bike maker. You may also want to look at the top tube length(B) for a better fit. Some bike makers use a slightly longer/shorter top tube than others. If you have a shorter upper body you could go with a slightly shorter top tube design frame for a better fit. You can always tweak fit with a longer/shorter stem(C) also. Check out a few of the bike manufacturers websites and look at their bike's specs. Then go to a few bike shops and see which one feels best to you. Good luck.

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/images/image_MiniFrameDimensions_300x236.gif
Image borrowed from Colorado Cyclist (http://www.coloradocyclist.com/) :D

thanks alot for your input. i've been looking all over for something like that to give me a good idea of what the measurements are. thanks alot.

To size yourself, a quick and easy way is:http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit/

That should get you started.

I do NOT recommend getting a bike online if you've been away from cycling for as long as you have. Get thee to a bike shop and get some assistance.

L8R

Panasonic did in fact make some of the largest stock frame sizes available. I believe 27" was the largest frame size, a size which you would need to custom order from manufacturers like Cannondale, or otherwise have custom-built.

Yes, for the most part, road bike frames seem to be smaller than they used to be. It's not uncommon to see some bikes using 130mm stems, wheras 90mm used to be about the longest you'd see. Add to that the recent trend toward "compact" style frames, so now all the old rules are obsolete.

A 26" frame is built for somebody that is very tall. You would need to be at least 6'4" to really need a frame this big, but people used to buy them too large all the time in the old days. The wheels it used would've been either a 27" (630mm rim), or a 700c (622mm rim). Road bikes with 26" wheels were usually only for very short people.

Do a Google search for bike sizing.
Keith Bontrager has a good article about the myth of KOPS.
Jon White "How to fit a bicycle"

The most important fit is the "cock pit" combination, it's the top tube and stem combination.
The seat tube length, which is how most bikes are sized can be adjusted with seat stem.
DO NOT let some LBS employee fit you on a bike that is in stock because he is trying to move that bike. Go to a minimum of 5 shops and try a minimum of 5 bikes. Read those articles and know what you're looking for.
There are a few reputable bike fitters in a few shops.
Ask as many local riders where to go and use good judgement.
If you have the cash, go to any number of custom bike builders. Check the back of any cycle mag. Waterford, Steelman, etc.

all your input was really helpful and it got me a bike that i really enjoy and fits me well. its a fuji FINEST AL. too good. i've put more miles on it than i can count already and i've only had it about a week. my only qualm is that the handlebars are a little wide. next tune-up i'm gonna buy smaller handlebars.