LiquidEssence

After some deliberation I bought a Cannondale super six 105 bike. When I was speaking with the salesperson she was quite confident after she looked at me and she heard my height and after I gave her some of my other measurements (171cm height, inseam 78cm, sternal notch 140cm, Arm 58cm), that my size is a 52 cm frame.

I have the bike now and I'm afriad that it may be too big (besides also being dissapointed at the poor setup that was made at the store - the rear mech is just unusable). The seat post is extended just over 7,5 cm from the frame (that only includes the carbon part of the stem and NOT the alu part that holds the saddle itself). Also I don't have any clearence between my crotch and the top tube when I'm standing over the bike. I realize that the bike has a more 'classic' geometry (the top tube is straight, not sloped), but I'm still worried about the size.

I would like to know some of your opinions regarding this, because I will have to go to the shop tomorrow in any case because of the poor and sloppy setup that renders the bike practically unusable, but I may have to demand from them to change the frame size as well.

jeffthemaximum

if you're not happy, demand a change. Or even a refund, then head to another shop. They should be going out of their way to make sure you're happy - not sitting back and defending some poor decision a sales person made.

WHOOOSSHHH...

Sounds like your first mistake was going to that shop. Your second mistake, will be not returning the bike and going elsewhere.

kuan

Your seat seems way too low.

Edit: My seat height is 68.5cm. My inseam is 77cm. Crank length 170mm.

Val23708

if my bike had a horizontal top tube, my seatpost would be in a similar position. I ride a 51 Cervelo and am 167 cm tall.

surgeonstone

This^

LiquidEssence

Jeffthemaximum: The thing is, I don't know if I'm not happy with it yet, because they messed up the setup of the bike (and they will be hearing about that) and I couldn't really ride it. However a firend of mine who knows his way around bikes said it was too big. Another friend, who used to be a semi-pro (but didn't actually see the bike, I just spoke with him on the phone), said that it's hard to tell, since the cannondale has the classic and not a sloped frame.

So I'm in a bind here becuase I don't relly know if I have too big of a bike and therefore cannot have the confidence to just demand a frame change (since I'm not sure if I need it changed).

Val23708: Interesting. I will note that down

Nachoman

If you post a photo of you on your bike, you'll get a ton of responses.

fordmanvt

Try this well known guide:

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO

It will not give you perfect, unquestionable results, it will only get you in the ball park. You will also need to pay attention to top tube lengths on frames as they do not relate directly to the advertised frame size.

LiquidEssence

EDIT: Mistake, look at next post

LiquidEssence

Fordmanvt: yes I looked at that prior to buying the bike, and it does seem to be adequate to what the Cdale measures to at 52 cm. But still, it seems really big.

Here are some photos:

https://img135.imageshack.us/i/cdale.jpg

https://img204.imageshack.us/i/cdale2.jpg/

https://img534.imageshack.us/i/cdale3.jpg/

https://img810.imageshack.us/i/cdale4.jpg

p.s.: I think that even now, the seat may be a tad high still and will have to go down for about another 0,5 cm

Val23708

looks okay to me at first glance. is the reach ok? you may just have short legs for your height...

LiquidEssence

Thank you for your answer. Yes, the reach (if by that you mean the reach to the handlebar) looks okay (for now, but again, I haven't been able to ride it yet; I will definetely press on the shop tomorrow to fit the bike for me), but I did have to put the saddle towards the handlebar to the max

berner

I am almost your exact same size but ride a Specialized in a size 54. I think my bike is a tad too big but not bad. You look fine to me in your photos but the one thing that seems off is a well set back seat post that puts you quite far back. A seat post with less set back will move you further forward and this in turn may mean a longer stem would suit you better. However, this is almost all speculation because until you actually are able to ride the bike, there is no way to know if it is a comfortable.

On the rear mech, it seems someone screwed up.

Palomar01

My set up is similar to yours. I'm 5'8" and always fit a 52cm frame. However, my legs are short so my seat height has to be about the same height as yours on that frame size.

When I sit on the bike and put my hands on drops, my view down to the front hubs is obscured. That means stem length and top tube length is correct. At the bottom of the crank stroke when my foot is clipped on, my knee is only slightly bent. When I'm off the saddle and straddling the bike I have about an inch of space between the top tube and my crotch.

Most importantly, when I ride my bike for a length of time I do not have any aches and pains. Not my back, not my wrists, not my neck, not in my knees.

53cm semi compact frame (51 would have worked too but then I would have to put a longer stem and/or move the seat further back) so I chose the 53cm. 52cm is not available in this bike.


52cm conventional frame. This one is the right size for me. Notice the seat height....very similar to yours. It did have a zero offset seat post, which I admit was incorrect for this frame so I had to move the seat way back. Lesson learned.

ScoJo

It looks okay to me from the pictures. I'm 6'0", and I ride a 58. My seat is low (although maybe not that low), but I have short legs and long arms and I prefer the 58 to the 56 because I like the longer reach.

LiquidEssence

Thank you Berner, Palomar01 and ScoJo. It's good to hear signs that the bike might be the right size after all.

rmr1923

the seat does look a little high. when you move the seat down, it will also move it forward (slightly), but if you already have the seat as far forward as it will go then you may need a smaller frame but i doubt it. everything else looks fine to me. have them tune it properly and go ride it around, if it doesn't feel right you'll know.

gregf83 

Why did you move the seat so far forward? I'm trying to imagine what you would look like riding in the drops, particularly if you want to get close to a flat back position. It doesn't look like your bike is too big. If anything I think you might need a longer stem to be comfortable in an aero position.

What's wrong with the rear derailleur that you can't ride it? There are only a couple of simple adjustments to make and you should learn what these are so you can do them on your own in the future.

LiquidEssence

Gregf83: I understand your point about the rear mech, but quite a lot of people that I know that know a lot about bikes from a technical point of view told me when they saw the bike that it's not only a matter of turning a few screws but that it looks that there might be something wrong with the cables or even the shifters, so I can't repair that on my own at all

Beaker

This thread confuses me. If you haven't ridden the bike, how do you know if you have a fit problem? If I'm understanding correctly you're concerned because of stand over height and the appearance of the bike? Also you've had friends and some dudes on the internet look at the bike (without you on it?) and express concern. Unless you feel it truly just doesn't fit, I'd give it a couple of rides. You simply can't tell if I bike is set up correctly by looking at the bike alone.

As Gregf asked, what's wrong with the RD? I don't *see* anything wrong with it, but if it refuses to stay in one gear, or jumps cogs, then adjusting the cable tension with the barrel adjuster should sort it out.

Palomar01

As far as fit is concerned, these bikes are designed to compensate for differences in inseam, torso height and arm length....all to some degree. This is why they sell a variety of stem length sizes, allows the adjustent of seat height, angle, and distance to top tube. As long as the frame is within an acceptable parameter, which I believe can go one size bigger or smaller with the rest of the components adusted to compensate.

Agree about the cable routing binding. It can happen. It happened to my bike and my mechanic had to replace the cable, adjust the routing under the tape bar, etc. to make it shift right. Check your rear DR drop out to make it isn't bent. If it is it may need replacement unless your mechanic can make it all work with minor adjustments.

I think the size of your bike is right on. But yeah, get the shifting and all the rest sorted out. It takes a bit of saddle time to get comfortable on a new bike. It also needs some break-in miles to get the whole mechanical parts to get smoother in operation and more consistent. As long as it is tuned properly to begin with, it will break in and require just a bit more tweaking, and from there you shouldn't have to adjust it for a while. Nice bike though.

LiquidEssence

Baeker: thank you for your reply. Yes I agree with you, it's hard to tell right now, because the bike isn't in a condition to ride it. I agree that I'll truly be able to see how it is when I'll really ride it.

About the RD: it's not the cable tension, I've tried that on the instruction of the serviceman that I called at the stor. I'm taking it back there tomorrow morning so they can look at it properly, because there might be problems with cables or the shifter itself - and I don't know a thing about that (and even if I did it would entail ripping off the tape; I'm not a mechanic, I don't understand the internal configuration of the shifter, so I don't know what to look for; I dont' want to void my warranty; I want them to do the work they should've done when selling me a new bike - sell me a bike that works)

Thank you again Palomar01 for your comment and yes I agree about the 'lookness' of the bike

gregf83 

No disrespect to your friends but the shifters and derailleur just aren't that complicated. If they knew much technically they'd be able to tell you what's wrong rather than a vague 'might be something wrong with the cables'.

I don't mean to be an ass, but if the rear wheel turns when you pedal why not just go for a ride even if you can't shift gears?

Beaker

You might find that it fits fine when you're riding it - looks like a sweet bike BTW.

Can you describe what's happening with the RD that's causing you all this problem? I assume you must have it in a work stand to be able to turn the cranks and try to shift it. As others have said, it's not that difficult to fix derailleur problems, maybe we can help you sort that more quickly?