billmc40

I bought a 58cm Trek 2011 2.21 off craigslist. Took it to the local LBS. Being told bike is a bit small for me. Well the fix seems to be a longer and more angled stem[for lack of a better word]. Also having it tuned up. Seem like a 60 would be a bit to big. LBS worried seat post might be to high and it is carbon. I am down to 265 from 340 this was a gift to myself. Should I try to sell and get my money or ride for a year or so? Is there a better fix? Says my legs are hitting my gut.
Bill Mc

OshkoshBiker

How tall are you? I ride a 56cm and I am 5' 10".

Andrew R Stewart 

My suggestion is to make the Trek work as well as you can without excessive expense. Ride it for a season or two. A few things will happen soon enough. One is that you will continue going through a change as to your body's shape, flexibility, strength and more. So any new bike will likely be needing the same changing fit set up that your changing body will want. After a season or two your understanding as to where you want to be (say 5 years later) will be so much more set too. This is the time to get that new bike. It's initial set up will be strongly influenced by how the Trek is set. But don't get rid of the Trek too soon. Having two bikes is a good thing, but if you must get rid of the Trek wait until after the new bike is established to be the better fit. If you keep all the old parts off the Trek when you did sell it it could be offered with the stock set up or yours. Andy.

Raiden

It's difficult for us to judge your fit from our side of the internet. Best case, we could opine if we had your bike frame measurements and your measurements. It might be nice for you to write down the measurements of this bike anyway, so you have some sort of base line to look at when you shop for your next bike.

I'm assuming that "LBS worried seat post might be to high and it is carbon." means that to fit you comfortably, they had to raise the seatpost substantially. There is a minimum insert distance line on your post- is it visible?

If the post is a stock Bontrager model, there's a good chance it's actually carbon wrapped aluminum. If the material is an issue, you could get a cheap, heavy, long aluminum one for peace of mind, and swap it back after you shave a few more pounds.

Though you can raise the seatpost quite a bit, there's only X amount of stack height available on the fork steerer tube for the stem to clamp to. You can raise your bars with an angled stem easily. You can also clamp a steerer tube extension to the top of an aluminum steerer tube for extra height. With these options, cable/housing length may become an issue. For economics, if you're raising your bars substantially, you'd probably want to have them install new longer cables and housing during a tune up, you'll likely save yourself a few dollars.

If you go the another-new-bike route, keep in mind that you even if you get a bigger frame, it may correct the seat height issue, but you may still have to consider handlebar stack height on that bike, just as on this bike (the typical difference in head tube height from one size to another on a given frame is only 1cm). Also, a taller frame will have a longer top tube length / longer reach, and may also have a higher standover clearance height.

These are mostly just a bunch of notes and thoughts- again, its really tough for us to judge if modifying your current bike or getting a new one is the best course of action here.

Edit: I agree with Andy.

I am concerned about the current bike's fit given the possible seatpost issue that the shop mentioned, however, if you swapped to a bike that would noticeably change the issue, it would be a huge bike in comparison to this one and would likely bring its own set of problems. You can make a small bike bigger but you can't make a big bike smaller.

The only other way around this issue is to have the shop find a bike that truly fits you, right out of the box or with minimal modification. But that bike will likely be 1) expensive, 2) not the style of bike you have currently, and 3) may still be a heavily modified bike.

gsa103

Generally a 58cm frame should fit someone in the 5'10" to 6'3" category, depending on exact proportions. What size stem was originally on the bike? Typically, the bike should come with a 110mm or 120mm stem, you could potentially go up to about 140mm, beyond that would probably not be advisable.

Most seat posts are marked with a "Minimum insertion point" usually 2-3" above the bottom. It's possible the previous owner cut-off the post, so getting a new one might be needed.

fietsbob

265 on a carbon seat post? I'm on the 'get a non carbon seat post', metal post team ..

dont scrimp on the weight of the post since you are not a lightweight.

Ronsonic 

I'm on the team too. A bike that's a bit small is okay, but a carbon post under that much weight I wouldn't trust, especially if it's being asked to make up for a slightly under-sized frame. Get a quality alloy post. A long one.

Road Fan

Thighs hitting gut is clearly (to me, I have the problem too) not a major problem. If it doesn't hurt, don't worry about it. It does hurt your energy efficiency to some degree, but I don't think that's worse than sitting up straight such as on three-speed. Sitting up straight makes your aerodynamics a lot worse.

Overall I agree with trying to make this bike work, with parts that are strong enough for your weight. It's a safety issue, not just reliability or durability. I would consider the most significant ones to be the saddle, seatpost, and wheels. I'm about 190# in the altogether and I ride on well-built tubular wheels, but I use leather/steel saddles (Brooks or Selle AnAtomica) and aluminum or steel seatposts (Thomson, Campagnolo, or Nitto). My guess is my wheels would not work for you for very long, but that doesn't mean you need to go to a paper-boy bike.

We have another forum here, called "Clydesdales." Not sure where the name came from other than the old Budweiser advertising, but in there avid but heavier cyclists talk about what parts and choices are durable for them (among other things).

bradtx

Bill Mc, Two cm is not a fatal flaw, many folks can tweak fit +/- 2 cm from their ideal size. I'd worry about the carbon seat post also and would substitute it with an aluminum one.

Best wishes towards your target weight.

Brad

billmc40

Sorry guys been busy. I am 6'1". I will more then likely have the seat post replaced. I do frequent the Clydesdale section. Thought the sizing question belonged here. Hoping to make this work if only for a year or so. LBS is pushing the new Trek road bikes with suspension, quite honest I am just not intersted. I believe the stem is suppose to be here toward the end of the week and the tune should be done by the middle of next week so we sill have to wait and see.
BIllMc

GravelMN

+1 on getting an aluminum seat post for now, other than that, with a tweek to the stem length and angle you should be good to go. I'm 5' 11" and ride a 56cm frame.

deapee

According to Trek's website, 74" (6'2") would put you at the upper end of the 58 or the lower end of the next size up. You're fine on the 58.

The stem is the right thing for them to change. And if you need more seat post, then so be it, add what you need.

For the record, I'm 5'9 or 5'10 and I can ride a 54 or 56 -- I chose a 54. It allowed me to tuck and get aero more easily without over reaching. My default position is forearms nearly parallel...I don't feel like I'm a powerful rider at all, but if I need to catch a group or move from a fallback group to the lead group, I almost feel like I'm fighting less wind than the guys that are already in the pack. Ride smart not hard. Get your fit dialed in and you're golden. The 58 is fine. Don't sell it.

rm -rf

A Thomson seatpost would be good. Their two-bolt design means the saddle angle will never slip & tilt. The cheaper posts with notched surfaces inside the clamp can get mangled and slip, especially with your heavier weight.

gsa103

He's most likely just about perfect on the 58cm then. Given that he's having trouble with the seatpost being too short that would imply longer than average legs, and therefore a shorter torso, leading to needing a frame toward the smaller end of recommended.

gsa103

I had one on my mountain bike. They're definitely worth the money. The clamp design is way better than most other variants.