bariswheel

Of course I didn't get any taller, but my flexibility has improved drastically over the last 2 years since I've bought this Fuji 2.0 carbon frame, but I'm entertaining the idea of getting a larger frame.

If you're around my height, what size frame do you ride?

One of the better benefits I hear, provided you have the flexibility and such, of riding a bigger is better breathing due to stretching out your body. What are some other benefits?

jzsoup

I'm 5'6" and my first road bike was a 50cm. My next frame was a 52, then finally a 54 with a sloping top tube. The last one is the one that fits me the best. Long torso, short legs.

Am I more flexible now? No.

ptle

I'm about 5' 7.5" and ride a 52cm. I did ride a 54cm Cannondale CAAD9 and it seem to fit fine. I guess I could have gone smaller because I had the stem at the lowest point. On my current bike (52cm) I've got about 3cm of spacers under my stem. It's already pretty aggressive at 9.5cm down from my saddle. I tried dropping one spacer on it and my back and shoulders were in pain the next day. I need to work on my flexibility and core.

Frame size has more to do with just height though. You need to also consider reach.

AngryScientist 

get a longer stem

dmp

As alluded to above, your height and frame size do not necessarily correlate- its only one factor, and generally not the most critical one. Heck, even frame size and frame size (from one manufacturer to another) doesn''t correlate. FWIW, I am 5'8" and ride a 50cm Pinarello Paris and a 52cm vintage Pinarello Record (both c-c). The Paris has a 52.5cm top tube, the Record has a 53. Both fit great (the Paris, a little "more great"). If you are planning on spending serious money on a new frame, get a pro fit from someone who really knows what they are doing.

helmut

I'm 5'6" and I had a 52 until recently. Now on a 54 with a shortish (70mm?) stem and I like it. Feels a bit more spacious when I'm out of the saddle.

bariswheel

Thanks for the suggestions. My plan is to put aside about $1000 for a frame and get a professional fitting around somewhere in the bay area.

invwnut

I'm 5'5" and I ride a 49cm with a 535 tt, a 50cm with a 525tt and a 50cm with a 520tt. They are all the right size. You need to get a longer stem. Save the money only for a fitting. It really depends on the geometry of the bike. I seriously doubt that a larger frame will be a better fit. I've seen shorter people on a 52cm but I think the bike seems a bit too big for them but a professional fitter thinks it's fine.

JimT

I'm at the other end of the scale. I ride a 56cm Specialized Roubaix Elite with a 56.5cm top tube effective length and it fits great.

Jim

koop

Shoot I'm 5' 9". With a short torso I'm hard pressed to find a 54 that fits well. I usually ride a 52 or 53.

Drag

What he said. TT length and standover height are what are critical to me. FWIW, I'm 5'5-1/2" (on a good day) and ride both a 50 and a 51 (both traditional geometry) frames. The 50 has a 53cm TT c-c but the 52 has a 52.5cm TT c-c. The 52's TT is higher than the 50's. However, I would presume folks the same height as me but with longer legs and/or arms may opt for a larger sized frame.

I'd like to add that although these two frames are dissimilar, I use different stem lengths/angles such that the geometric triangle touchpoints between saddle/bars/pedals are seemingly spot on identical.

As suggested, I would first recommend trying a longer stem, if the one you are using isn't already unusually long.

carpediemracing 

OP - any pictures of you on the bike?

As stated above, proportions are critical. I'm 5'7", used to ride a 52 cm Cdale (53.5 TT). Before that Size S Giant, Size M Giant, 50cm Specialized M2, 50 cm Cdale, 51 cm Basso. Now I ride a Tsunami Bikes frameset - 40 cm seat tube c-t sloping (if I could have it more level I would, but headtubes don't get that short), 56.5 TT, shortest possible head tube. It fits great. I have short legs, long torso - like on a bus or train I'm almost the tallest seated person there is (usually 2-3 taller people in a full train car).

The builder questioned my original frame request, but when I sent him some pictures, he realized that, yeah, I am a freak I'm about to order a second frame as a back up but am pondering some details before I submit my order.

Hope this helps,
cdr

dmp

Exactly- this proves the point very well. Leg length, arm length/ reach, flexibility, etc. all come in to play.

BOBSONATOR

longer stem

/thread

AEO

just lower your bars and get a -17deg stem.

astardotcom

for what its worth i am 5'6 riding a 54.1 cm toptube with a 110mm 17 degree stem.

littlewing6283

im 5'5 both of my bikes are 50cm

gumbii

i'm 5'6... my roadie is a 50cm fuji with compact geometry... my friend's bike is a 52 fuji in standard geometry, and they both fit me exactly the same...

guadzilla

^^ That.

DaveSSS 

These oft-repeated questions about what "frame size" other people are riding are worthless, since one brand's 50cm is some other brand's 48 or 52. People with the exact same body dimensions may choose a smaller size for a racy fit or a larger size for a more recreational fit.

What matters is your leg length and proportioning. If the frame fits, then you should not need to change to a larger one. You might want a stem that's longer or lower, but that's no reason to change frame sizes.

If you want some valuable advice, you'd need to post the ciritical dimensions on your current frame, your saddle height and a rough idea of the saddle to bar drop you can tolerate.

In most cases, a person who if 5'-5" tall would ride the smallest size offered in most brands, or the next size up at the largest. I'm 5-6.5" tall, but my legs are as long as some people who are 4-5 inches taller. I ride a 51cm LOOK.

brandon41094

I'm 5'4" and ride a 50 CM road bike, not sure of the brand, it might be a specialized but its a few years old and I'm too lazy to figure it out. I used to ride a Medium Giant OCR 2005 Limited Carbon, lost that in an accident a month ago, it fit me fine in terms of reach and Pedal to Saddle distance, I just felt it wasn't as aggressive as I wanted it to be. If your flexibility has improved, then you might want to go DOWN a size or two, Scott has 47cm and 49cm, as well as most other brands, Giant's Small and Extra Small would be sufficient. But if you really want to get a larger bike, try getting a custom Serrota, they have really nice bikes, and they match the bike to your needs, they could make a bike with a longer reach, and keep the seat tube relatively the same size, which will be beneficial if you want to be extended that much...

jsmonet

y0.

do you have a shop willing to play around with some stem lengths and droops to get you the right fit?

I'm not completely certain how good your current frame is, but i wouldn't be surprised to see that you should spend some of that grand on a fit, a stem, and a groupset or wheels instead of buying another bike. I'm your height and ride a 51 allez (09) and i'm wondering if this frame was a little large for me simply because of my legs to torso ratio. /remembers that not all 50's are created equally...

yeah, get fit on your current bike. if it just isn't working for you...well shoot, go ahead and buy that new frame.

intence

+1 on getting a new stem, also when looking at frames, also take into account your torso vs. leg legnth, and seat tube angle (as this will determine how far forward/backward you are from the BB)

dperreno

I agree with the posters who suggest a longer stem. You may also want to try moving your seat back (and down) a bit. Ultimately, you very well may need a frame larger than the one you currently have, but these are easy adjustments that can improve your fit and comfort immediately.

loreley

I'm sorry but this is wrong. Never adjust reach with a fore/aft saddle adjustment, that is what stem length is for.

Only adjust your saddle back/forwards if you need your knee to be more behind the pedal axis or ahead..