therhodeo

I went into my LBS today to look at getting a road bike and looked at the Trek 1000. The guy their put me on a 56. Due to a recent ruptured eardrum I wouldnt test ride it (balance issues) but just sitting on it as he had me do I felt like the frame was too tall and I was way too stretch out when I was on the drop bars. I'm about 5'11" and have a 32" inseam but my arms arent especially long. Am I just uncomfortable due to my history of riding bmx and mountain bikes or could it really be too big for me?

orcanova

56 should not be too big for you. Should be just about right, even a 57 might be good for you...

You are definitely in the ballpark

chzman

that size sounds about right. I'm 6' with a 32-34 inseam and i ride a 56-ish.

you should really test ride before you buy.

therhodeo

Oh I definitely will. I just stopped in today after going to the doctor to see what they had. They seemed a bit high too. $750 for a 1000? Thats above MSRP.

MONGO!

I'm 5'8" and am comfortable on a 55cm, so 56 should not be big for you.

A more important measure is the top tube length and the length of your navel to your collar bone, that's what determines if you are comfortable in riding position.

JayC

Im 6 foot with a 32 inch inseam and I ride a 57-58.

brianallan

6'1" on a 56, but honestly, If you're not accustomed to road geometry a "proper" sized frame might feel to long. Unfortunately the only way you'll know what works is spending a week or so in any particular set-up.

therhodeo

The height I can deal with because I think I had at least 2" of space between me and the top too but I just felt way too stretched out. I think its probably just not being used to riding like that.

MONGO!

Are you sure a road bike is for you?

Plenty of good hybrids around these days that have more upright riding positions

gr@sshopper

I think that LBS sized me a little too small. I'm 6'+ a bit, PANTS inseam is 32. put me on a 56. I always feel curled up in the drops. I put a longer stem on, it helped a ton, but still have the feeling.

therhodeo

Well honestly I dont really know. I'm only 21 so I think I should be able to learn a new style fairly easily. I really miss being on a bike but bmx would be kind of silly for me. Theres not too many trails around here for MTB action so I've been looking at road bikes. I've gotten out of shape in last year and a half (up to 210 from 180) and I want a way to get back into shape. I've been riding a rigid mountain bike (borrowed) but I want something with a bit more of an athletic posture as the mtb has a beach cruiser feel. 3 years ago I worked out on a nice exercise bike and would put 10-12 miles a day (per the computer) in and was in good shape but now not so much. Do you think a roadie would be a good fit for me?

chzman

i would say, if you get into road cycling, you will be more likely to keep up the milage, compared to riding a hybrid. it all depends on your commitment level to staying fit.

FranckCisco

more like 4 months for me.

Camilo

As others have said, it doesn't sound too big - but only you can tell.

Did they adjust the seat fore-aft position?

Did they try other stems? I'd ask them to put on a "fitting stem" which can be adjusted for various lengths and angles and let you ride it on the trainer in the shop. It sounds like you just might need a shorter stem to start. It is certainly reasonable to start off with a shorter stem, then change it in a few months if you decide you need a longer one after getting used to it. It's only about a $50 deal, and most bike shops will swap with you if the old one is not beat up.

MONGO!

If you've never had one, it takes a little getting used to.

I was getting back into biking after a long layoff, so I went with a hybrid, I like it, I ride a lot (70 miles a week) but here I am looking at road bikes.

There are a lot of different fits in a road bike, look for one that has no drop between the seat and handlebars, this will probably suit you better.

alanbikehouston

I'm almost 5'10, with a 32 inch slacks inseam and a 34 inch leg length. The road bikes with the traditional geometry of the Trek 1000 that fit me the best are between size 57 and size 59. I think you probably would fit the size 58 better than the size 56.

On the Trek 1000, a clue to "fit" is how much seat post is showing when the saddle is at your correct height. If three or four inches of seat post are showing, you will be able to get correct bar height, and be comfortable on the bike. If five or six inches of seat post are showing, the bars will be too low, and you will be too stretched out.

A basic fact of bike fitting that few people understand is that buying a taller frame DECREASES the distance from the back of the saddle to the front of the stem, after the bars are raised to the correct height. People assume that because a size 58 bike may have a size 58 top tube, and a size 56 bike may have a size 56 top tube, that the "reach" is less on the size 56. Wrong.

What actually happens is, as you raise the bars toward their correct height (which for recreational and fitness cyclists is level with the top of the saddle) the bars also move back closer to the saddle. So, if you are on a size 58, with the bars level with the saddle, the distance from the saddle to the bars is LESS than if you were on a size 56 with the bars two or three inches too low.

Unless you ride on a road bike every day, the "reach" to the bars can feel like you are being stretched out. Try raising the bars so that the top of the bars is level with the top of the saddle. Ride every day, and ride with your hands up near the stem as you get used to the bike. When you feel comfortable in that position, begin riding with your hands a couple inches behind the brake levers. In a few weeks, you will be ready to ride with your hands out on the top of the brake levers (my favorite position).

Riding on the drops is useful for pro cyclists, and for guys who like to look like a pro cyclist. But, doing so is not "mandatory". After you have been riding a few weeks with your hands on top of the brake levers, you might try riding on the drops for five minutes out of every hour. If you are comfortable, fine. If not, there are lots of other places to rest your hands.

therhodeo

Thanks for all the help guys.

roadwarrior

About a hundred less would be right.

larryfeltonj

I'm 5'11 also, and 56 is what I ride.

hockey

As discussed elsewhere on this forum, Trek sizes their bikes smaller than other manufacturers. A 56 is like a 54 from others. Size does matter so take your time and do a fitting or go to wrenchscience.com and fit yourself. Adjusting the height of the bars as suggested by alanbikehuston is not really doable in this day and age with threadless forks. Once the fork is cut it is difficult to raise the bars unless spacers were used in an unusual pattern. For your info I have a 30 inch inseam and ride a 56 Trek, top tube is 55.
Good luck
hockey

Campag4life

Alan,
Your overall premise of a taller bike being more comfortable is correct but the specifics of your argument is flawed in terms of distance from saddle to handlebars. Why? The difference in drop between a 56 and 58mm Trek bike, i.e. head tube difference is 20mm or so or less then an inch. The difference is top tube length is a bit less then this. The distance from back of the saddle to the bars for a 58 is not less then a 56 even with drop differential. It is not equal to the top tube difference because of the drop difference but it is close to the same not less for the 58. The biggest difference between a 56 and 58 is not related to horizontal difference as much as it is drop which lowers the back angle of the rider and shifts his CG forward putting more pressure on the hands.

OP...Lance Armstrong is 5'10" and rides a 58cm Trek. If you want to be comfortable as Alan points out on BF all the time, choose the largest frame possible to get your handlebars up within an inch or so of the saddle height. Drop to the bars is a huge factor for rider comfort.
Good Luck.

gattm99

therhodeo, I'm almost exactly your size (5'11.5" 32") and did ride a trek 1000 for awhile, it was a 58, in fact my next bike was a 58 too, then I got a 56 racier bike and it always felt to small, so then I got a 57 racier bike and it always felt to small, so then I got a 58 racier bike and it felt just right.

Its a matter of personal preference and you have to ride to find out.

wooo, 6 commas, sweet.

richard_dupp

Trek measures their bikes to the top of the seat tube. I started with a 56 and a 100mm stem. After a year of riding, I have increased the stem to a 120. I am 6' with relatively short legs and a long torso. Looked at several fitting programs on the web, spent hours measuring myself and finally had a fitting when I bought the bike. The salesman originally started out with a 58, but we ended up with a 56. Originally, the reach seemed long on a 100mm stem, but after riding over a year, and months of tweaks, (seat postion, height, etc) I am now at a 120 stem and feeling comfy on the hoods. I think you will find that the reach will not feel long after riding for a while. Just my opinion, means nothing.

Adgooroo

OP - If you aren't used to a true road bike riding position, gauging fit from the drops is likely to leave you feeling a bit stretched out. Your back isn't used to the position, your belly just may be in the way, your shoulders are probably tensed up, your core strength isn't right for biking, etc. MUCH of your riding is done with your hands on the top of the bars or hoods of the brakes - how do those positions feel?

Pliggy

I'm very interested in this thread as I'm in a similar situation. I'm 5'9" with a 31" inseam and new to the world of road cycling. I recently purchased a 58cm 2006 Specialized Allez Elite for an excellent deal. I test rode the bike and felt fine. The LBS fit me for the bike, although I wouldn't call it a professional fit.

After riding the bike a few times, I had pain in my back/neck/shoulder area. I did some seraching on the forums and other sources and it seems that this kind of pain indicates an improper fit. Each time I rode the bike, I've felt comfortable, and I didn't have any pain while riding, just after the rides. I mainly rode on the bars and hoods, never in the drops (don't know that I ever would) and never felt "stretched out".

I have the chance to return the bike and get the 2007 version in a smaller size, however the componenets won't be as good (the '06 is 105s all around, the '07 is 105 & Tiagra) and it will cost more (not that this is a huge deal). I just don't know if this is the right thing to do. Should I try swapping out a shorter stem (the one I have is 120mm)? If so, what size would I go to? Is this pain truly because of improper fit, or because I'm new to road cycling (I've ridden a mtn. bike for years and never experienced this pain).

Sorry for the long post, just want some opinions and thoughts.