Inertianinja

so far i've ridden 58s. I'm about 6ft, pretty long legs. bikes have had 58cm top tubes, i've ridden them with 90mm stems and a decent amount of seat tube showing. never had a comfort problem.

but i notice that lots of guys ride smaller frames, including my hero:


i am definitely not that far past the head tube when i lean over.

so i'm thinking of trying a 56. thoughts?

Miami Dave

I am 6'2" and am looking to go to a 58 from a 60, if not a bit smaller. My legs are also long and as a result feel stretched out on my 60. As I have gotten fitter and more flexible I feel I can get pretty aggressive with my fit. This being my first bike I have found it to be a good compromise in determining what I like and don't like.

X-LinkedRider

What brand? 56 is fairly arbitrary unless you are comparing it to within the same brand. But for most Spec/Giant/Trek you would be sat on a 58 first (long legs you say) then a 56 just to see how you'd feel. AT least if I was selling you the bike.

Inertianinja

Ive always been told I'm "inbeteeen sizes." not brand specific yet... thinking of a shorter TT,
longer stem, more saddle-bar drop.

X-LinkedRider

https://https://superiorlitebikes.com/slproframe.php

Check out the specs for the 56 cm frame. Frame itself is less than a 1000 grams and is probably more of that in between 56 feeling.

CNY James

I've been told the same... and also "some brands you are prob better off riding a 58, some a 56..."

I bought a 56 Felt... and it fits great. 110 stem, 172.5 cranks. I am 6' tall and have a 33" inseam (according to the pants I wear...) I've only ridden a 58 on a trainer and it was the shop owners (very similar body size) bike so I wasn't making any adjustments to the fit. I guess it felt okay but who would know since it was set up for him & his preferences and I never got off the trainer with it.

chadteck

I'm 5'11" and just moved from a frame with a 56cm TT to a 53cm TT. Several people I ride with say the bike is too small, but it feels fine to me. I moved from the 56 because I couldn't get any more drop without getting a crazy stem and I felt like I wouldn't be any less comfortable with a bit more drop.

Check out Pedal Force's calculator. You put in your measurements and desired drop (not the drop they want you to have) and it tells you all the measurements you need.

sijray21

I went from a 58cm tarmac (with a 110mm stem -28*) to a 58cm CAAD9-5 frame (with a 100mm stem -10*) and the geometry is a bit smaller and I love it. Check the geometry between frames to figure out a slight adjustment. I noticed going to a 56cm frame size for most makes would have left me with a lot more drop than I wanted...and I already have a decent amount of saddle/handlebar drop.

Ps- I'm 6'1" with a 34" inseam

eric01

Eh... be careful about modelling your position & fit after what the pros ride. They spend exponentially more hours in the saddle than the average recreational rider. What works for them --- due to their level of fitness, flexibility or whatever --- may not work for us. You may even end up hurting yourself by trying to adopt a position that isn't right for you.

Kind of Blued

Nobody has mentioned that that picture is a horrible one to model bike fit upon. He's not holding the handlebars and he's not really sitting on the saddle. How far his head is past the headtube is a useless measurement, which you aren't even objectively measuring anyway.

Rowan

If you have never had a comfort problem with the bike you have now, why change? What other guys do is irrelevant. Or are you just following a trend for no good reason?

AtomicCactus

I'm 72.5" tall with a 35" inseam. Consequently, I ride a 56 cm Specialized Tarmac with the seatpost jacked way up, saddle slammed to the front (zero offset post), and a 110 mm -8* stem.

At the LBS, I asked to try a 56 cm bike but the salesman said I should look at a 58. Nonetheless, I grabbed the 56 and he said the standover height off the top tube was way too short for me. We threw the bike on the trainer and I started riding it. Then, he saw the light and kept on saying, "Oh my God, you are the right size for a 56." over and over again. Silly man.

I'm all legs. I should be a model.

svtmike

You must be all shins. I'm a tad less leggy than you (same height, 1 in. less inseam) and I've got a 61cm Roubaix (slacker seat tube angle) with the seat nearly all the way back on an offset seatpost to get my knee over the pedal spindle.

topflightpro

Comparing your fit to that of a pro is misguided.

If you truly want a larger saddle to bar drop, then try a smaller frameset. It certainly seems that you could go smaller if you are running a 90 mm stem.

Also, it seems to me that many manufacturers are making increasingly longer headtubes, so if your frame is a few years old, a newer, but smaller frame, might not offer much more saddle to bar drop.

Inertianinja

i should say - i didn't mean to say that i want to mimic any particular pro's fit.

point is: most of the pros seem to ride with longer stems and more drop, which indicates to me that they are defaulting to smaller frames.

it's not that i'm uncomfortable - honestly i feel fine on them. I'm wondering if i'm missing out by going to the larger end.

topflightpro

The pros use smaller frames with longer stems to get that extra saddle-to-bar drop. As I mentioned, headtubes seem to be getting longer, so to get a good drop, pros need to go to smaller frames.

The larger drop will get you a flatter back and more aerodynamic position. For many riders, it is not comfortable, by you may be different.

Additionally, a smaller frame should theoretically be lighter and stiffer.

sbxx1985 

Might be worth renting a bike for a day and giving it a try, if that's an option in your area. At least you'll get some idea whether you're "missing out." The shop should be willing to make a few adjustments to accommodate the test fit.

Campag4life

Remarkable that you like that fit. Actually I get it and there are a few 6'ers out there on 56's. We are 'identical' in size. I ride a 59cm c-t-t Look, 57 c-t-c and have a 35.25" cycling inseam.
I obviously ride more stretched out horizontally with much less drop to achieve approx the same reach...assuming you have long arms like most with long legs. Curious what your saddle setback is?...from tip of saddle to BB cL? Mine is about 10cm which is quite a bit...Hincapie who is taller than us rides with 9.7cm. Most with long legs like to get their saddle back. I presume you are riding a setback post to elongate your reach...though much of your reach is achieved with drop. The reason why many can ride a smaller bike is because the shorter top tube is compensated by the greater drop by a shorter head tube to achieve the same net reach.

zigmeister

I think many pros are riding a 2cm smaller bike, how do I know? I don't. First, the weight savings. Most bike specs are for their 56cm frames often. If they can ride a 54, why not and it will be lighter by a touch. Second, it gives them the ability to raise the seat way up high, then slam the stem to put them in a more aero/TT position.

This is all theory and BS on my part, but as you noticed, why do their frames look smaller and the seats are high and stems slammed?

All I can say, if the pros seem to be doing it then we must do it too!!

Flame on.

zatopek

I too am 6'0" tall, 34" inseam, and fit nicely on a 55cm Principia, 56 cm Colnago, 56 Torelli, 57 cm Litec, 58 cm BMC RaceMaster, 56 cm Strong Hyalite and 56 cm VeloVie Vitesse 100. Just depends on the geometry and how I set up saddle, bars and stem.