MandaRin

Hello everyone, Manda here. I recently purchased a new road bike for commuting and have a few concerns about it. I would love to here all of your expert opinions on the matter and all advice is welcome.
All goes back to when I 1st moved here to Austin and needed to find a bike for commuting(..sorry I'm a story teller) and I needed to find one fast. I instantly fell in love with the 07 SE Lager, mostly because of the aesthetics, I love the geomety of it and it came in that classic wheat color, I also had heard really good reviews about it. Needless to say I couldn't afford it so I ended up buying what I could afford at the time which ended up being the worst bike possible for commuting , a big heavy single speed beach cruiser with back pedal breaks. So it was time to get a real bike, I started looking on craigslist.. and low an behold I found the SE Lager in the color I wanted but unfortunately not the size I needed..but I bought it anyway. Now I realize that there are some saftey issues as well as some comfort issues I may experience but I mean how much does it really matter.?.?. and what are some mods that would help. Oh and to put it in prospective I 5"4 and the bikes got a 57cm top tube

jsmithepa

There are at least 5 questions about size everyday here. While yer waiting, why not use the SEARCH button? When ppl say a bike is 57cm, they mean the length of the seat tube.

MandaRin

Yea I've already been accross a few size questions. I guess in the long run only I can tell if I'm comfortable as far as saftey goes ..I'm not so sure I have control over that.... and I know what all the measurements mean by now...hence why I realized before I agreed to buying it that it was clearly going to be too big Update for the commute back home tho... It was fun and fast, but I think I may need to change to drop out bars ...Im riding with bull horns now and i think they are just accentuating the size and length plus my brake lever is quite a reach.

Bill Kapaun

A too big of a bike can stretch you out too far.
I'm guessing you are female? Women tend to have longer legs than men, which means your arms & torso tend to be a bit shorter yet. That aggravates the "reach" problem.

jsmithepa

It's better to buy a smaller than a bigger bike, if u have to chose. Bigger bike, no fix. Smaller bike, can always raise the seatpost to a certain extend. Plus a smaller sounds may help with the reach.

cyclingsource

You can also try a shorter stem to see if this brings things in closer for you. If a shorter stem does not do it, you will need to get a smaller frame.

rmfnla

Nobody has asked the most important question: Can you stand over the bike without your voice changing?

If not, nothing else matters; the bike is not safe for you to ride.

MandaRin

I can stand on my tippy toes hahaa

gascostalot

Tippy toes? Man, you are going to be in a world of pain....

MandaRin

It's been really okay so far. I had a long ride last night and it wasn't a leg or knee issue, my pedals aren't getting away from me but I am extending my knee all the way. My back and left shoulder is sore from over extending to reach my break lever because of the bull horns. Im swapping out for some drops and getting a finger lever which I hope will solve that lil problem.

IntoThickAir

Dear MandaRin,

I'm afraid I agree with the naysayers: get a smaller bike. Sure, you can ride it, but sooner or later you'll slip forward and get hurt on the top tube.

Sorry,

Jim Malusa

operator

11 useless posts and all that needed to be said that, 5'4 person does not fit on a bike with a 57cm top tube, end of story.

A guy who is 5'10 would be riding a top tube of around 53cm for a direct comparison. Everyone is different but 57 for someone 5'4 is really ****ing out there.

Get a smaller bike, or go to a real bike shop and get fitted properly.

Siu Blue Wind

I agree with operator. You are going to be very uncomfortable and could possible hurt yourself if you are on your tippy toes. I'm 5'5" and ride a 50cm.

tdister

Person A: My bike is too big, is that OK?

Person B: Probably not a good fit.
Persons C-Z: It is unsafe, get a different bike.

Person A: OK, I'll keep it.


LOL. Sorry to pick on you MandaRin, but I was reading another thread right before this one where the same type of thing happened.

Do you know about the Full moon cruise tomorrow? Lamar Pedestrian bridge at 11:59 PM.

Oh, get a different bike. Don't spend extra cash on band aid solutions. It is far too tall and you will likely hurt your hooha before too long.

MandaRin

Yea..yea yea, I hear ya..I guess I don't wanna loose it yet but my bf is 6ft and has no problem taking it over cause its a really awseome bike and I don''t want to just get rid of it. Maybe leg extension surgery...not a bad idea huh. Haha thanks for all the "support" hahah I know you guys are just watching out. Yea moon cruise tomorrow sounds awesome if I get out of work early.