johnny99

Point the elbows down and back. Do not stick them out.

Booger

With the usual caveats aside (without seeing in person, measuring, yada yada), that bike looks way small for you. That can't be comfortable. Saddle looks like it needs to go up and reach extended by a significant amount. You mention having a pro fit done, but I think it's time to reevaluate.

marengo

You can tell, from this picture, how much to raise his seat to within an eight of an inch? That is very impressive.

nycphotography

A bike thats "too small" doesn't automatically mean buy a new bike.

Raise the seat and move it back 1cm and go to a 1cm longer stem. Moving the seat back and the bar forward keeps the front / rear balance about the same. The 1cm rearward movement is almost equivalent to the 1/2 deg diff in seat tube angle most bikes have between frame sizes.

And if the bike is too small, don't automatically flip the stem... DO however manage the seat to bar drop, by moving spacers and/or flipping the stem. How much drop do you have now?

Get someone to take 4 pictures of you as they ride next to you, so that you can see your leg at 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 and 12:00.

Danielle

The saddle height looks fine. Look at his left leg. He is at the 6 o'clock position and has a bend in his leg, but not too much of one. I think it is an odd photo to use for people to make decisions on. If you look at his left leg, it looks like a good saddle height.

Booger

The issue is that it doesn't look a little small. That top tube looks a lot too small even with a 140mm stem. Haphazardly swapping parts and shifting things around isn't likely to yield desired results. Bottoms up approach is what's needed.

MONGO!

Wonder if that bike was the only size they had in stock...

marengo

Looks like a lot of bend to me.

Enthusiast

'course not! But I've found that vague advice can be very frustrating. 1/8" increments will ensure that he doesn't jack the seatpost up too much and injure himself inadvertently. The hope is that during the course of those 4 weeks of incremental changes he will find a height that feels right and stop.

NealH

Not that this is a model of perfect fit but, it does illustrate some of the recommendations being made, namely relaxed elbow bend, natural "handshake" wrist position and, good leg extension.

roadwarrior

Yes.

roadwarrior

Yes.

Enthusiast

I disagree with your recommendation for a bottoms up approach. A great amount of non-"haphazard" adjustment is possible with the saddle/seatpost and stem/handlebar configurations. If the OP can ameliorate his fit issues without buying new parts, shouldn't this be the desired option? At least try it before dismissing it based on a single picture.

Also since the OP mentioned flexibility issues, going to a larger frame, flipping, or lengthening the stem might lead to poor results. Once the OP is able to comfortably bend his arms these items should be looked into.

stewardmike03

I tend to agree with the camp that believes the frame is too small. I am a little old school in that department though I will admit. On a classic geometry frame I believe in the fistful of seat post. The OP's body is nearly vertical...big no-no. Too much pressure on the pelvis. If that's a 52cm frame for instance I'd put them on a 54 with a short stem. Possibly even a 56! OP...what is your height and inseam? I can usually (with about 90% accuracy) get you on the right sized frame...the rest is trial and error. Just for your own info I am 6' with a 34" inseam and I ride a 58cm frame with a 100mm stem and a straight post about 180mm out of the frame. My bars are a few cm below my saddle. I ride centuries with no pain. Most "fittings" put me on a 54cm frame...which, to me, is ridiculous.

Campag4life

+1...or at least before you throw out the baby with the bath water...try tuning what the OP has.
OP...your fit isn't as bad as your technique which makes your fit look bad. You have very bad posture on the bike. Rotate your handlebars more properly and sit on the bike straight up in a trainer and drop your shoulders. Bend your arms and then fall to the handlebars with a straighter back. Use your pedals to hold up your torso...or at least more than what you are doing. Right now you are using your skeleton to hold up your upper body versus your musculature.
Yes your frame maybe a bit small but with an appropriate length riser stem and a saddle height adjustment...and just learning how to ride...you should be close.
Your issue is more your position on the bike than a bad fit.

P.S. Below is a quick photoshop to adjust your posture a bit on the bike. You should be able to achieve this with a stem adjustment and not discard your frame:

xfimpg

Isn't pain in the back of the knee due to a saddle too far back or too high?

SunFlower

what does "flip the stem" mean ?

xfimpg

All stems have a minimum of 2 angles (in degrees). Flip it sideways, not front to back because then it doesnt fit anymore.

spry

Maybe the guy had a sudden growth spurt and out grew the frame before you imply he a dunce with too small of a bike.

Campag4life

Are you from the hood?

Campag4life

Actually flipping the stem means...removing it and throwing it up in the air. How it lands is the way you should mount it.

mgmoore7

I am 5'11" with a 31" inseam. The bike pictured is a 56.

I bought this bike used but did a alot of research before deciding that in most brands 56 would be right. I purchased the bike and then went for a fitting. The fitter said a 95 stem is what it calculates too for the stem so a 90 or 100 would be ok. The seat height & fore/aft has been changed alot since while trying to alleive the knee pain that I have been plagued with.

dewaday

These posts are the hair shirt wearing of cycling. Posters know they're going to be bombarded with theologically contradictory and possibly pleasantly painful advice, but just can't stop themselves.

Johnny Rad

To Skylab's point, it'd be a whole lot easier if the bike were leaned up against a white garage door. You on the bike just makes it that much harder to tell.

Seriously, and in my non-professional opinion, go for a longer stem and raise the seat. Ride on!

Campag4life

You are dismissing that fleeting yearning of humanity...mostly comprised of democrats ....where a belief is held that it is possible to experience the singular perfect storm of consensus on BF...when there would be unequivocal agreement and the masses would sing in harmony forever more.