[nikolajbaer]

Hi, I have a potential to snag a sweet cross bike for a good price (gonna use it for commuting, road and trail, and maybe even get into a race). However I don't know that much about sizing cross or road bikes. I am just under 6 ft, with around a 33 inseam (give or take). When i ride an xc bike I usually like a small frame (16"), and my freeride bike is not too big (i have a beater road bike that is a bit too big).

I would prefer a bike thats pretty quick and nimble, and agile, yet will provide me with the proper leg extension, and more importantly, when my seat is that high, will not have me putting too much weight on the handlebars.

Having said all that, the bike i am looking at is a 54cm Diamondback Podium. Is this too small for me?

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[velocipedio]

hard to say. if your inseam measure is correct, then you'd want a 55-56 cm road bike. you normally want to go down a cm or two for a 'cross bike, so if your inseam measurement is correct, 54 might be your [vertical] size. but that doesn't mean the horizontal size [top tube] is correct...

[SteelCommuter]

I just took advantage of a similar opportunity. I got a real nice cross bike used from someone at my LBS, and I am also just shy of 6 foot. with a 32 inseam. The bike is a 56 cm, and the fit is just perfect. The guy I bought it from was the same height, but had a somewhat shorter torso and longer legs, and he was planning to get a slightly larger frame. So I would suggest you spend an hour or two trying a few different seating configurations, such as seat height and moving the saddle forward or backwards. Depending on the length of your legs and your torso, and the bike's top tube length, it might be fine. Be cautious, and don't bring your money with you. If you have the opportunity to try some other frames for reference, do that. Because that will be the only absolute way you can figure this out. Nothing anyone will write in response on this thread will make the bike fit better.