varian72

1st time, long time.....I realize the best answer is to get fitted. I don't have time or money to use my LBS. I need to piece a bike together cheap which means eBay or other various low cost venues.

Looking to get a roubaix or a TCR. I'm about 5'7" with a short inseam (29") and a long torso. I had a 54" trek that I had to slap on a 110 stem to get spread out enough in the cockpit, but it was simply too tall a bike for me with a 30.3" standover height.

54" Roubaix clocks in around 29.9 and the TCR (Med.) a bit more at 30.1. but sloping tube makes it feel a bit more.

Question.....anyone with the same dimensions as me ride a 54" roubaix? Or are you on a 52" The shorter top tube length (53.7 vs 54.8) is what worries me on the 52"

What about a small versus a medium TCR? Looks like I am right on the cusp of the sizing...upper end in height for a small and bottom end for the Med. Top Tube for med is real long at 55.5, but the small drops considerably to 53.5

Any help would be appreciated.

timmyquest

start here: www.wrenchscience.com

dtrain

I think LeMond's tend to run long in the TT. Maybe look at a 53cm?

johnny99

Hard to make a specific recommendation without knowing what kind of riding you will be doing. Compact frames are a good place to look. The sloping top tube will give shorter riders more standover clearance for a given top tube length. The TCR and Roubaix have different front-end geometries; that is more of a personal preference depending on your riding style.

varian72

Thanks.....I ride here in VT. So, pretty big hills & rough pavement. 20-60mi rides. Maybe 1 or 2 centuries. More fast and furious as we all have kids and wives who don't ride. I've ridden the TCR. Like it, but wonder if I'd like the roubaix more with the more relaxed geo and smoother ride(supposedly) over rough pavement. Again, I don't have a chance to try the rouabix, but seems like a concenus is it's pretty good. I'm willing to take the chance.

I don't race. I use road riding for MTB training which irony would have it I do less of.

Want a stable bike at speed, one that climbs well and that I can easily manuever quickly to avoid potholes, road sand, etc.

Giant seems the sure way to go....I just feel it makes more sense to go small if I at the cusp of both sizes....but I just worry I'll feel too cramped like I did on my Trek which I hated until I went from a 90 to 110 stem.

(sorry about my poor typing skills)

briscoelab

Long torso people call for a smaller size frame and a longer stem. This lets you get acceptable saddle to bar drop if you are racing (or just use some spacers if you aren't), gives you the right seat tube length, and the overall reach you are looking for. I'm also long in the torso and find most bikes have too tall of a head tube for my liking.

Dubbayoo

I am of similar size. I'm 5'7.5-5'8" with a long torso. There are only a couple of production frames that fit me well and they tend to be very expensive - Merlin and Look come to mind. I had a custom steel frame built that was 52cm C-C (level top tube) with a 54.5cm top and even that had a 12cm stem.

At your height I wouldn't look at anything over a 52cm C-C and just go with a long stem. I put a 13cm on my PF build.

Mariner Fan

Yes, a Lemond is perfect for your body type.

varian72

Thanks everyone....was thinking a 54 would be too big. I like having a small MTB frame to throw around and on our crappy roads up here I want the same for the road. Looks like I'll shave another few ounces off that climbing machine I want.

cmh

FYI - a 110mm stem is not particularly long, it is more or less average. Up to a 130mm stems are quite common.

OCRider2000

Long torso? What about your arms? Check out this calculator
https://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO
Have someone measure you. Take each measurement 3 times to ensure accuracy. There are many different factors that play a role in determining ideal reach\fit. I wouldn't consider a 11cm stem on a 54 cm frame to be excessively long. There is a ton of good info on this site regarding fit. Search on "fit."
After crunching all your numbers, stepping back and looking at the big picture you may determine that the perfect size\geometry for you is quite different from what you thought it would be...

seely

A LeMond would be a great choice as others have said, they have a low standover height relative to their long top tubes.

oilman_15106

At 29 inseam would go to a 51 in a LeMond. Most have tall standovers.

jbpence

i am 5'10.5", 30" inseam and a medium long torso. I ride the specialized roubaix elite (relaxed geoetry) in a 56 (with a 120mm stem), and a felt F1 team (same as the F1C) in a 54 (100 mm stem). The felt geometry fits me better has slightly different geometry than many road bikes (steepish seat tube angle), is more 'agressive'. i like both, and both fit well. the way the feel is WAY different, with the roubaix being so relaxed and compliant, and the felt being more 'racey' and with a less compliant ride.

I was 'fit' by a compeptent shop for the felt, think its geometry tends to fit the longish torso well.