Road Cycling - First Post - Newbie & Bike Questions

Howdy everyone. Been searching the forums for about a week and now I'm gonna lay it all on you guys.

Before I learned about bike size and fit, I road a Schwinn Sprint 10-speed. Got it when I was 12, have ridden it sparingly for the past 8 years. I measured it just the other day, and of course I don't have a metric system but based on the 2.54cm/1 inch conversion, it came out at about 54cm. This probably fit me fine when I was little but I am 6'2" now. That's 6'2" on the dot. (Is it just me or does everyone pretend they're an inch or two taller)

Questions & Info:

1. I'm 220 lbs. How does this affect my choice in frame, components, etc.?

2. I'm 6'2" with about a 34 - 35 inch inseam. Based on that alone, should I be focusing on 60cm+ frames or look at the 58s & 59s as well?

3. Price range is less than $500 in the used market (probably ebay since there is such vast selection and you could always resell if it didn't fit or whatever)

4. I will probably start out at 50+ miles a week, not necessarily focusing on speed and performance, but conditioning for now

5. I plan to drop about 20 - 30 lbs.

6. Upgradability is not important. If I want a better bike I'll probably just get a better bike.

7. Eventually I want to get into racing and group rides

8. I will definitely be using it for hills


What's my best bang for the buck in terms of components etc.? Anything with a carbon fork in this range? What are some good steel-framed bikes?

Here's what I've looked at:

Fuji Ace/Finest/Newest
Trek 1000/1200

Several of those are below budget. I just want a good bike to start out with for less than $500. Don't mind paying $500 if I know it's a good deal on a good bike.

Thanks in advance!

Lots of used bikes to be found. Just ask around and you will be given lots of sites or other info...
I am not a pro but considering your height I would definately go 60cm+
I am sure you will get a bunch of different opinions here in the forum, best bet if you were to buy new to have your lbs fit you for the bike...
Good Luck and ride safe

Howdy everyone. Been searching the forums for about a week and now I'm gonna lay it all on you guys.

Before I learned about bike size and fit, I road a Schwinn Sprint 10-speed. Got it when I was 12, have ridden it sparingly for the past 8 years. I measured it just the other day, and of course I don't have a metric system but based on the 2.54cm/1 inch conversion, it came out at about 54cm. This probably fit me fine when I was little but I am 6'2" now. That's 6'2" on the dot. (Is it just me or does everyone pretend they're an inch or two taller)

Questions & Info:

1. I'm 220 lbs. How does this affect my choice in frame, components, etc.?

2. I'm 6'2" with about a 34 - 35 inch inseam. Based on that alone, should I be focusing on 60cm+ frames or look at the 58s & 59s as well?

3. Price range is less than $500 in the used market (probably ebay since there is such vast selection and you could always resell if it didn't fit or whatever)

4. I will probably start out at 50+ miles a week, not necessarily focusing on speed and performance, but conditioning for now

5. I plan to drop about 20 - 30 lbs.

6. Upgradability is not important. If I want a better bike I'll probably just get a better bike.

7. Eventually I want to get into racing and group rides

8. I will definitely be using it for hills


What's my best bang for the buck in terms of components etc.? Anything with a carbon fork in this range? What are some good steel-framed bikes?

Here's what I've looked at:

Fuji Ace/Finest/Newest
Trek 1000/1200

Several of those are below budget. I just want a good bike to start out with for less than $500. Don't mind paying $500 if I know it's a good deal on a good bike.

Thanks in advance!

You are def. at least a 60+. I recently was looking for a "bang 4 buck" bike and there are a few. I seriously considered the Specialized Allez Sport. It should be going on sale soon (last year's stuff) for about 700ish. I ended up getting a Santa Cruz Roadster (2003).

Check out used bikes. A lot of people buy and do not like, etc..

Welcome, these guys are great here and have a lot of info and experience.

What you should do is go to a shop and get fitted--its the only way to really ensure a proper fit. Also, not every manufacturer measures their bikes the same way.

Questions & Info:

1. I'm 220 lbs. How does this affect my choice in frame, components, etc.?

2. I'm 6'2" with about a 34 - 35 inch inseam. Based on that alone, should I be focusing on 60cm+ frames or look at the 58s & 59s as well?

3. Price range is less than $500 in the used market (probably ebay since there is such vast selection and you could always resell if it didn't fit or whatever)

4. I will probably start out at 50+ miles a week, not necessarily focusing on speed and performance, but conditioning for now

5. I plan to drop about 20 - 30 lbs.

6. Upgradability is not important. If I want a better bike I'll probably just get a better bike.

7. Eventually I want to get into racing and group rides

8. I will definitely be using it for hills


!

1) It mostly affects your choice of wheels. Ultralight, low spoke count wheels aren't a good choice, but they aren't in your price range either.

2) Is that inseam the length on your Levi's or your true inseam from crotch to floor? It makes a big difference. Either way, you're probably in the 60+ range. It's just a matter of how far.

Given your budget and your goals, you're going to want a better bike, maybe before the season is over.

I'll suggest you not fully trust a bike shop fit. They have a strong incentive to sell you what they have in stock and that's usually 58cm and smaller. Furthermore, the tendency is to fit people as if everyone is a racer, which means smaller frames because they are lighter and stiffer. That's fine until your distances start increasing.

Here's what you can do to get a good idea on sizing - go to www.wrenchscience.com - and go through their roadbike fitting program. This will give you a general idea of what size bike may be right for you. Even if you go to a professional fitter, this information will be helpful.

I saw a beautiful Lemond Buenos Aires go for less than $500 on Ebay a few weeks back - so there is definitely good buys out there. Check out the classifieds at www.roadbikereview.com as well.

Good luck and welcome.

55/Rad

Oh, and one other thing. Frame sizes are by no means standardized. A 61 cm on one bike can be a 59cm on another depending upon how they are measured (seat tube from the center of the bottom bracket to center of the top tube or center of the bottom bracket to top of the seat tube. The bottom bracket height, top tube length, angles and everything else about the geometry affects the "size" and fit.

I'll suggest you not fully trust a bike shop fit. They have a strong incentive to sell you what they have in stock and that's usually 58cm and smaller. Furthermore, the tendency is to fit people as if everyone is a racer, which means smaller frames because they are lighter and stiffer. That's fine until your distances start increasing.

I don't know why you keep saying this as if all bike shops are criminals to get your money. No shop I have worked at or bought anything from would ever do this, and as a salesman/mechanic I find this pretty offensive and quite frankly, entirely untrue. Do you think he would be better off randomly buying a bike on eBay using Wrenchscience... which makes no allowances for the fact that different manufactures measure their bikes differently... than going to a recommended and reputable shop?

We don't fit people as racers, unless of course they ARE racers... we fit people on whatever they feel comfortable on... again, every shop I've worked at or done buisiness with does the same.

If there is ever a doubt on sizing, we bust out the Fitstik and measure the inseam, which then gives us a suggested range of sizes. We then tell the customer you can ride from a xxCM to a xxCM, and usually have them try a median size to start. If they need a different size after seeing them on a smaller or larger bike, we order it. Theres no incentive to sell whats on the floor... by doing so you risk your reputation and selling someone a bike they won't fully enjoy. Now in many cases if someone needs a 60cm but COULD ride a 58cm, we will tell them to ride the 58cm and see if they feel they are too compacted on the bike or anything, and go over some of the standards of fit with them so they can guage whether they want to wait a week for a bike or if the 58 would suit them just as well.

[QUOTE=halfspeed]

2) Is that inseam the length on your Levi's or your true inseam from crotch to floor? It makes a big difference. Either way, you're probably in the 60+ range. It's just a matter of how far.

Given your budget and your goals, you're going to want a better bike, maybe before the season is over.
QUOTE]

Here's some info:

Measurements
-------------------------------------------
Inseam: 35
Trunk: 27
Forearm: 15
Arm: 31
Thigh: 25.5
Lower Leg: 24
Sternal Notch: 61


The Competitive Fit (cm)
-------------------------------------------
Seat tube range c-c: 57.6 - 58.1
Seat tube range c-t: 59.4 - 59.9
Top tube length: 60.0 - 60.4
Stem Length: 12.7 - 13.3
BB-Saddle Position: 81.9 - 83.9
Saddle-Handlebar: 60.2 - 60.8
Saddle Setback: 5.8 - 6.2
Seatpost Type: NON-SETBACK


The Eddy Fit (cm)
-------------------------------------------
Seat tube range c-c: 58.8 - 59.3
Seat tube range c-t: 60.6 - 61.1
Top tube length: 60.0 - 60.4
Stem Length: 11.6 - 12.2
BB-Saddle Position: 81.1 - 83.1
Saddle-Handlebar: 61.0 - 61.6
Saddle Setback: 7.0 - 7.4
Seatpost Type: SETBACK


The French Fit (cm)
-------------------------------------------
Seat tube range c-c: 60.5 - 61.0
Seat tube range c-t: 62.3 - 62.8
Top tube length: 61.2 - 61.6
Stem Length: 11.8 - 12.4
BB-Saddle Position: 79.4 - 81.4
Saddle-Handlebar: 62.7 - 63.3
Saddle Setback: 6.5 - 6.9
Seatpost Type: SETBACK


So, is this a difficult setup to find? Thanks guys for answering! Might swing by a LBS tomorrow if I got time. Since I am set on used, I'm wondering how a LBS would be of any assistance other than measurements? I mean, I know how to read a ruler. :-D

Try www.wrenchscience.com It won't give 100% accurate info, but it will get you close. I'm 6'4" on the dot and some 59cm aren't that far off. Actually, the 2004 Zurich felt pretty darn good to me in 59. it depends on the frame. I wouldn't walk in and totally breeze by anything with a "5" in front. Although, it probably will be a 60cm that's the ticket. Only way to know for sure is saddle up.

I don't know why you keep saying this as if all bike shops are criminals to get your money. No shop I have worked at or bought anything from would ever do this, and as a salesman/mechanic I find this pretty offensive and quite frankly, entirely untrue. Do you think he would be better off randomly buying a bike on eBay using Wrenchscience... which makes no allowances for the fact that different manufactures measure their bikes differently... than going to a recommended and reputable shop?

I am sure it is an exception, but I have definitely seen this happen. I don't think
he is saying that buying a bike without any fitting is better than buying
at an LBS: he's simply advising a cartain caution. Before we understood the concept
of fitting, my wife bought a bike at an LBS that advertised themselves as being
passionate about fitting. They found her the "perfect bike," which they happened
to have in stock. She wasn't 100% sure they were right, and went back and forth
with them over the particulars, but ultimately their confidence that this was the
perfect bike overcame her doubts. She has never been happy with the bike, and
I expect we'll sell it and shop elsewhere. I don't say that these salesmen were
being intentionally deceptive, or that they were just trying to pull a snow job.
Indeed, they did spend a lot of time trying to get the fit right and I am sure they
sold her the very best fitted bike that they had available. But at no point did they
say: you need something we don't have. If we had been reading these forums,
and had known more about bicycles and fitting at the time, we would have been
empowered to trust our instincts a bit more.

An informed and confident shopper probably makes a salesman's job easier too.
If we had known more, we probably could have worked with the LBS to try to
narrow down the possibility to something that was orderable. Or we could have
just moved on sooner and wasted less of their time. Now we probably won't go
back there, which is undoubtedly a little unfair to them, but that's the way it is.

I don't know why you keep saying this as if all bike shops are criminals to get your money. No shop I have worked at or bought anything from would ever do this, and as a salesman/mechanic I find this pretty offensive and quite frankly, entirely untrue. Do you think he would be better off randomly buying a bike on eBay using Wrenchscience... which makes no allowances for the fact that different manufactures measure their bikes differently... than going to a recommended and reputable shop?



I've never been to your shop, so I'll certainly not comment on how you do business. I can tell you that I've had bike shops try to sell me a bike I test rode that required the seat post to be raised to its maximum height for me to get proper leg extension on a non-compact frame. Maybe =somebody= could be comfortable with that fit, but it sure wasn't me.

Bike shops aren't criminals. They are businesses. Despite all the FitSticks and gimmicks, fit is not a precise science and all bike shops are not the same. Not all theories about fit are the same either. It's not hard to scan the forums and find numerous people with aches and pains because their bikes were improperly fitted. Many of those bikes were purchased from reputable shops and not just on the internet.

Good fit requires some knowledge and blindly trusting a bike shop is unwise.

cycle4life,

i'm also 6'2, 220. my inseam is shorter though, i wear 33/34 pants and my inseam's around the same from what i can tell. maybe i'm not a good measurer, but i see almost no difference between my pants inseam and my crotch-to-floor inseam. anyway, i ride a 58cm c-c bike just fine. when looking at bike sizes, make sure you know what a c-c seat tube and c-t seat tube is; typically you just add 1 or 2 cm's to the c-c to get the c-t measurement, so you know the equivalent. the top tube is either going to be the standard c-c, or "effective top tube measurement", which are equivalent. this is because a sloping top tube with a c-c of like 56 might have an effective top tube of 57 or 58, since the horizontal distance from stem to saddle would be more/less depending ont he slope of the top tube. bikes without the sloping top tube obviously have a horizontal distance that is equivalent to the actual c-c measurement.

anyway i like the eddy fit the most. since this is your first true road bike, i'd say go for the eddy or the french, both will be fine. so in reality i don't think u need to be too concerned with sizing as long as you're in the ballpark of eddy/french. you'll find which one is "perfect" for you after you ride for a few months.

oh, along hte same lines, the fuji and trek are fine. and so are used bikes for cheap, occasionally you can get older steel bikes for cheap, bianchi/etc.

sd