Circulating

Hey folks,

Recently I bought a 2007 specialized sirrus (https://imgur.com/JI4Qtsk).

I'm really new to cycling and found it for $80. The bike is in super clean condition. Just needs tubes.

Well he said it was 54cm (perfect! I'm 5'8) And I went and checked it out yesterday (midnight). Bike seemed great, so I picked it up. Not until I got it home did I realize the TOP TUBE says 54cm, the SEAT TUBE says 51cm...

Now being super new to bikes, paying only $80, and knowing I'm not going to try and win any races with this Hog, what should I do? I know bike fit means A LOT. But for someone like me that just wants to be more active and ride maybe 50-60 miles on the weekend, is it a big deal? I can always resell it and try to find another "smokin deal". What do you guys think? I was just gonna raise the saddle and put some drop bars on it.

Jakedatc

Sounds like my bike.. my seat tube is even shorter than that and have a 53 top tube. i'm 5'7

depending what the derailieurs are then changing it to drop bars will not be as simple as you think. you will need different shifters/brake levers at least. which will probably cost more than the bike so far..

beatlebee 

The top tube is more important than the seat tube for fit.

jimc101

Putting drop bars on a flat bar bike is expensive (plenty of threads on BF about this), given that the bike is too small, would sell it, and get a correctly sized drop bar bike.

elmore leonard

Can you not just adjust the seat and handle bars for a decent fit?

garciawork

I would actually say that should fit. I am 5'9'', and while I have no idea what my seat tube is, I know I shoot for a top tube of 53-54. The question of drop bars however, is beyond my expertise, at least without knowing what parts are currently on the bike.

spdracr39

If you wanted a drop bar bike resell it and buy the right bike. If not make the adjustments required and ride it. It is close enough that most likely a stem change and seat position is all that will be required

Xherion

Just get a seat post like this.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5pyTPrApm8...0/11c12489.jpg

But seriously, if you really can't get it to fit, just resell it. You can probably make a profit. Then buy a road bike if you want drop bars.

rpenmanparker 

OP, if the geometry is compact (i.e. sloping top tube) a 51 cm seat tube actually corresponds to a 54 cm nominal size bike. For many companies sizing is named by the so-called "effective" seat tube, i.e. the length of the seat tube up to the line that is HORIZONTAL from the top of the head tube. You should be okay.

Just so everyone knows, that doesn't mean the effective seat tube is all that important a measurement. I, too prefer to size a bike by the effective top tube length, seat tube angle and head tube height. Or better yet, stack and reach. But I am just trying to explain the common commercial sizing method to OP.

merlinextraligh

as alluded to above, odds are the bike can fit you reasonably well. Ride it for awhile and see how it goes.

If you want a bike with drop bars for longer rides, it will be much cheaper, and better to buy a used one that was built orginally as a road bike with drop bars.

NYMXer

It sounds to me that you have the right sized bike for your height. And for $80, not a bad bike. Now spend a little time, I doubt money and adjust it to your size and then go riding.
Good find, enjoy it!

Maelochs

Be aware that switching to drop bars likely means switching shifters, which can be a pricey proposition. That's what people are talking about---even off EBay you will probably spend as much on shifters and bars as you did on the whole rest of the bike. I'd say, ride it as is (I think it is your size---numbers get funny once the top tube leaves horizontal) or throw some tubes ion it and sell it for $100 and buy the bike you really want.

I have a lot of experience throwing more than a bike's worth of parts at an old frame to do a "cheap" upgrade. If money matters to you at all, don't follow my example.

milkbaby

Count me in as another vote that it's in the ballpark of being the right size for you. I wouldn't waste money doing a drop bar conversion though because you'll probably end up putting more money into it than it's worth. Easier and cheaper to just buy a drop bar road bike to begin with.

GravelMN

Echoing several others, the best way to tell if a bike fits is to ride it. Make the basic adjustments to seatpost, saddle position and stem/handlebar position and then ride it for a while. How does it feel? How do you feel after the ride? If you like it after some adjustment and a few rides, keep it. If it is uncomfortable, resell it.

+1 for skipping the drop bar conversion. It's more trouble than it's worth the majority of the time.

shelbyfv

Just piling on here, but seat tube sizing is all over the place and mostly irrelevant. That bike sounds like the correct size for you. Ride it and enjoy it as is.

Circulating

Thank you all. I appreciate everyone's feedback.
I'm going to get some tubes today and test her out. will report

bleui

I'm 5'8" and 535-540mm top tube with 110mm stem is the perfect fitting for me

garciawork

Look forward to hearing hopefully good news! Enjoy it.

LesterOfPuppets

Another drop conversion consideration is that with the same stem and riding on the hoods, your hands will be 3.5-4" further out on a drop bar than they were on the flat bar.

Assuming that has 8-speed in the back and a MTB front derailleur, here's a cost estimate:

$130 Claris levers
$22 Claris Road triple FD
$25 bars
$10 tape
$10 cables and housing
--------------------------
$197 total

You could go a little cheaper with 3x8 Ultegra barends for $66 and some $23 Tektro R340 brake levers -> $156 total.

PaulRivers

Yes, bike size is a huge deal.

Lol sometimes I wonder if these posts are just troll posts - not quite meant to be offensive, but meant to see how far they can push the absurdity boundary before people start saying something. "I'm not a serious racer or anything, so it's not a big deal, I'm just planning on biking 200 miles for day for 5 months circling the entire north american continent - do you think I should wear shoes or do it barefoot?"

50-60 miles is a very large distance for biking. Bike fit is definitely very very important for that kind of distance. The only kind of distance it would not be important for is like "I'm coasting downhill 0.25 miles to school and not even really sitting on the seat".

I'd be hesitant to do 5 miles on a bike that's not the right size, my long rides are 30 miles, 50-60 miles is over the top. Definitely needs a bike that's the right size. Without one you'll be much slower, uncomfortable, and might develop body or leg issues for being so cramped for such a long distance.

Wilfred Laurier

I would be surprised if it doesn't fit OK. People generally have smaller frames on flat bar bikes than on drop bar bikes, so if this was a traditional road bike 51 cm would be too small, but not a flat bar bike.

You've had it for a few days now - how does it ride?

NormanF

I'm 5'7" your size is spot on like mine.

I ride a 54 cm GT Eightball.


Go by the effective top tube length not by the seat tube height in measuring bike fit.

Hope this helps.

rpenmanparker 

Yes, you are right, but your comment isn't relevant to the OP's predicament. As a newbie he doesn't know what ETT he needs. Since he hasn't measured his bicycle-relevant body dimensions, only his actual height, he can't really guess the required ETT either. For folks like that nominal bike size, more or less based on the seat tube length, has been an excellent first pass qualification for a bike to test ride for way more than a hundred years. It remains so today...but only if one understands how compact geometry has changed the meanings of the sizing terms. Nowadays if one wants to check out a bike based on its nominal size, they can't expect the actual seat tube length to perfectly match that size. Best bet is that the nominal size and the EFFECTIVE seat tube length should be a close match. On that basis a size 54 and a 5'7" rider are a good first-pass matchup. Test riding is the only way to know whether that matchup would be so good over the longer haul.

LesterOfPuppets

Yep, 54 should be in the neighborhood for drop bars. For me (5'7" with long arms), it would be a little cramped for flat bars but some like 'em that way.

Circulating

Hi! I am so busy with the holidays I haven't had much time to ride. I rode it about 2 miles today, rides smooth as some have stated however, the bike is proper sized, but my positioning feels a bit up-right. The bars don't obscure my vision of the front axle, it would be perfect size if I put bullhorns or drops on it though.