Commuting - Trek Portland Frame Size Question - or other similar bike

Hi- I am considering a Trek Portland. It is sort of my attempt to meld my two current bikes: a Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD 57cm and Jamis Coda Elite 56cm. I find myself favoring the body and multiple hand positions of the Pilot and the practicality of the Jamis which makes every outing a debate. After numerous calls, I have located a Portland 56cm and Portland 58cm - each 30 miles away in opposite directions. So, it will not be easy to compare the two. To at least head in the better direction to start, I was wanting fit guidance as I noticed a long thread about "is my Portland 56cm really a 56 and gee it seems small". I am 5'10" with a 35" inseam. Will it be easier for the Trek techs to stretch a 56 or shrink a 58? Should I just can the whole idea and look at a different bike? I love the steel bikes... I am what I would call a practical fun rider. I like to use my bike for transportation but hate feeling like it is cloddy. I vastly prefer the smoother shifting of the Pilot but love the stop on dime of the Jamis. I don't find myself doing fitness rides as I thought I would with the Pilot; evidently the juxtaposition of riding for fitness and then driving to the store is something I cannot reconcile. I rather take a scenic route one way and beeline route the other, and take care of the store or dentist or whatever along the way. Thanks much. -FP

I think I contributed to that older thread, but here's my take anyway.

Test ride the 56cm Portland first.

The way my LBS explained it to me, these days bike sizing isn't like it used to be. Now it's more like clothing sizes. In one line you may wear X, and in another you have to wear Y. It's all in the way they cut the cloth.

I was riding a 58cm Trek 1000. (Still own and ride it.) Shopping for my Trek Portland I was absolutely certain the LBS was trying to dump old stock on me when they said to try the 56cm. Finally I tried it just to shut them up and prove them wrong. Turns out, I was the one who was wrong.

I cannot explain how a 58cm Trek 1000 with a 120mm stem fits me perfectly, as does a 56cm Trek Portland with a 90mm stem. (They have a nearly identical saddle-to-bar drop too.) But that's what I own and ride. Don't get me wrong, due to geometry differences they fit me differently but they both fit me perfectly.

I think I contributed to that older thread, but here's my take anyway.


Well, yes you did, but I didn't want to name names;-).

Thanks for the suggestions and comments. I will head south and try the 56 first. I just rode my two bikes one after the other to confirm my leanings. If I had listened to my LBS, I would have been on a Portland months ago. But nooooooo, I didn't want anything to do with going back to drop bars. Thank heavens for Craig's List to save me from my purchasing transgressions.

I have a 56cm one and I'm 5'10". Don't think my inseam is quite that long though. The 56cm should fit you fine. I believe the 58 will probably be a little stretched out for you.

Edit: I also had a 5.0 Pilot as well, but sold it a couple years ago. Didn't like the fact that I couldn't put a rack on it if I wanted. It rode well enough, but for a carbon bike it was a bit heavy. I think the Pilot and the Portland are pretty comparable in regards to speed and comfort. The components on my 2008 model Pilot are all 105 level so I doubt that the Pilot is much better performance with just a Ultegra RD. Doubt most would notice a difference between the two bikes in performance.

I cannot explain how a 58cm Trek 1000 with a 120mm stem fits me perfectly, as does a 56cm Trek Portland with a 90mm stem. (They have a nearly identical saddle-to-bar drop too.) But that's what I own and ride. Don't get me wrong, due to geometry differences they fit me differently but they both fit me perfectly.

I thought about this on the way to work this morning.

How the bikes fit differently: The 1000 fits me right when I get down, stretch out and crank or descend. In the city where I want to be a little heads-up, it feels long. The Portland fits great in the city where I like to be heads-up and looking around. It feels short when I get down in the drops to crank or descend.

Why the two sizes fit: I remembered reading this but I had to look up where I'd read it. The September 2009 issue of Bicycling magazine (Yeah, I know, don't hit me.) said this about the Portland (on page 75): "...it features a longer top tube, a taller head tube and a slacker head angle..." which may explain why the cockpit of the "smaller" size still fits me--that it's top tube is long for its size.

Or maybe it's just flying monkeys or some sort of voodoo...

Thank you both for your insights!

I studied the geo of the 56 & 58 Portland and the Pilot 57 WSD (had to use the '08 but I assume it's the same) and both Portlands have a longer top tube than the Pilot. So I knew it was 56 or bust. So, I went south and rode it. The not so LBS (at least for me) had already shortened the stem as they knew that would be a first step and after my test first ride angled the bars up because they felt lower than the Pilot, whose position I was trying to mimic. It worked a treat and the next ride, I had balance on the bars that was wonderful. So, I took it home. The Pilot is now listed on Craig's List. The downside is that it has black seat and tape and they said they never had the brown that is on the website (still a girl... I really liked that look!) but the plus is that my black Brook's bag (it goes on the handle bars and is my 'clutch purse') and Selle D'Italia Ldy saddle are not obsolete.

Now it's time for a ride....

For the sake of full disclosure, I only commute from my bedroom to my office at the opposite end of my house. I am going to use this for errands but there wasn't an 'errand' forum.

So, I took it home.

Another convert to Portland goodness!

And that would be a rather short commute for cycling...

I think I contributed to that older thread, but here's my take anyway.

Test ride the 56cm Portland first.

The way my LBS explained it to me, these days bike sizing isn't like it used to be. Now it's more like clothing sizes. In one line you may wear X, and in another you have to wear Y. It's all in the way they cut the cloth.

I was riding a 58cm Trek 1000. (Still own and ride it.) Shopping for my Trek Portland I was absolutely certain the LBS was trying to dump old stock on me when they said to try the 56cm. Finally I tried it just to shut them up and prove them wrong. Turns out, I was the one who was wrong.

I cannot explain how a 58cm Trek 1000 with a 120mm stem fits me perfectly, as does a 56cm Trek Portland with a 90mm stem. (They have a nearly identical saddle-to-bar drop too.) But that's what I own and ride. Don't get me wrong, due to geometry differences they fit me differently but they both fit me perfectly.

Same thing here.