I hate myself for starting a Mark V fit thread
 

...but I'm ordering tonight and I need a really quick answer. Here's the deal:


I'm going to try and order a Mark V tonight, and I can't decide between the 59cm and the 56cm.

My stats:

Height: 6'1"
Weight: 150 lb
Inseam: 33"
Torso (crotch to top of head): 40"
Age: 20

Riding experience: Almost exclusively MTB 'till this year, and as such I really prefer a more upright position. A handlebar drop of more than 5" or so would make me pretty uncomfortable. I usually have my stems dialed up about an inch above the "minimum insertion" mark. (!?) I'll probably be using the bike for recreational long-ish rides and commuting. It may see a velodrome once in its life, just for the experience, but that's it. I prefer a light and twitchy feel, for what its worth. I'll probably put bullhorns on there too.


This is a pic of my old bike, dialed up the way I like it:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q...ia/655655m.jpg

I think the red line is what is meant by "center-to-center" right?

Notice the saddle is moved as far forward as possible. It still felt like I was a always sitting on the narrow tip of the saddle, like the TT was too long or something. The bike pictured is billed as a 59cm.

Here's the geometry of the Mark V: (or go here: http://irocycle.com/iro/index.php?ma...&products_id=6)

So, in the fg/ss forum's collective expert opinion...which Mark V size suits me, 56 or 59? I don't mind really jacked up seat posts or extreme combinations of headset spacers/weird stems.

For longer rides you want a bigger frame. You're about my size, though skinnier, and I ride a 58-59. If you get the smaller bike, you'll end up with a big drop from the saddle to bars, so you'll need a really long stem. If you go for the bigger bike, it will be much easier to get the bars just under or even with the saddle. If you get the 56, you'll have a huge amount of seatpost showing, and need a really long stem to bring the bars up where you like them. The bigger bike will allow you to run the stem lower, making for a better feeling and looking bike. Since the mark v is threadless, running 4 or 5 inches of threadless spacers will make the frame feel kinda noodley.

Also, the tracks around here don't really consider the mark v a "track bike," and usually won't let you on the track with it.

59cm!

That has the 55cm seat tube, center to center and a 57cm top, center to center. It'll be just a teeny bit bigger than what you have now.

I am 6'3" with a 34" inseam and I ride the 62cm....

Really? That sucks.

Any concern about the fact I had my saddle brought all the way forward and it still felt a little uncomfortable (like I was sitting on the tip of the saddle all the time)? I don't know what the deal was about that...

59 for sure. Remember you can get seat posts with no offset, give you some adjustment range in the area you like.

What is the bike in the pic? Probably something obvious, but I don't know it. Those dropouts look like you beat up a bmx kid and cut them off his bike with a torch (that's a compliment, unless that's actually how it happened)

Ha, yeah its a very low-end (I was going to say ****ty but realized that would be in poor taste as the BikesDirect people read this board a lot) BikesDirect bike, a "Dawes" Lightning SST. She rode pretty decently, really, a good cheap beater, and the hideous track ends were sort of a built in theft-deterent.

Sadly, her wheel base was permanently shortened by about 4 inches last month, when I ran into a Civic.

Heh, I actually looked on the bikesdirect site, but I guess they aren't doing this model this week. I'd seriously like to run through a pile of BMX frames with those dropouts and see what they actually are, they're so burly and awesome.

not that i speak with any authority, but the fact that you have the seat all the way forward and still feel like you are on the tip might mean that you're top tube/stem gives you too much reach. where do you usually place your hands? tops, hoods, drops? it could also mean that the seat is a bad fit for you. it might also be angled down causing you to slip forward.

edit: let us know what you end up getting. also, is there a reason why you are in such a rush? you'd be better off putting more thought into the size you really want instead of rushing.

59 cm - absolutely -I think IRO's are BIG for their frame size - I am 6'0 and just got a 57cm (BB to CENTER TT) Lemond Filmore, and it is perfect (seat tube right in the middle). Go 59, worst case talk to Tony - from what I hear he will make it alright...

I'm usually on the hoods or on the tops. What does "too much reach" mean? I'm not too familiar with the term. :o

[Oh, and I'm not in a rush, that was sort of just a ploy to get a lot of responses in a short time. Don't tell anyone though.]

what i meant by reach was the distance that you have to lean forward to place your hands on your bars/hoods. i was wondering if your seat was that far forward because you feel like you are stretching to place your hands on the bars/hoods. if that is the case (not that it necessarily is) you may want something with a shorter top tube and/or shorter stem. Careful with getting the stem too short though. I have a short stem on my road bike and it makes turning feel twitchy.

at the end of the day though, bike fit is totally subjective. i'm still trying to figure out what i like. i'm 5'6" and got a 51cm Mercian a few months ago. I love how it feels, but now I want to try and even smaller bike to see if i can handle the drop.

go for what fits. im 6'3" and im on the 62cm. it fits a little too well. hard to describe. f*ck the small shtufffff

I can't believe I'm the first to suggest a 56? If your current bike has a 56.8 TT and the Mark V in a 59 has a 57, wouldn't that make it even bigger than the current bike, which is already too big? Go for the 56, and just leave a few spacers on the fork. You might get used to saddle-bar drop once you sit on the right part of the saddle too.

Thats what i was thinking

A few things - I wouldn't go w/ the 56, but the next size up.

A larger frame size will have a taller head tube which will let you bring the bars up a bit without relying on so many spacer stacks. It can get sketchy if you use too many but you're not in that neighbourhood yet. It would be nicer aesthetically, for whatever that's worth. I would just use a slightly shorter stem.

Your seat tube is on an angle (obviously) ... as the seatpost goes up, the saddle goes back. With the larger frame size it won't go back so far and won't screw up the fit around the saddle>cranks ... which looks really awkward right now. You should bribe a local bike shop w/ a 6-pack to do a fitting session with you and try to make you more comfortable.

If you feel too stretched out but everything seems in proportion to your torso and egs, maybe try some bars w/ less drop or reach. I'm a huge fan of shallow drops just because most of the time they're much more comfortable and if I really need to get aero I can drop my elbows - done.

I am with Aeroplane on this one. Get the 56. Bikes that are too big suck.

Standover height is one thing (they're measured c-c on the IRO site, take note) but too much saddle-to-pedal drop sucks more. You mentioned you're planning on using bullhorns ... that'll change the stem length of choice slightly but for longer rides drops really are superior (riding into headwinds comes to mind). On a vaguely related note, your saddle position (angle) looks way off too. That can cause you to slide forward and and up in ass hatchet mode all the time.

</$0.02>

Well, I'm almost (6'2") the exact same size as you and I bought the Mark V in 56. I can't Imagine trying to ride a 59 as would would be way too big. You can always dial it in longer but you can't make a bigger frame smaller.

How big are your feet? If you have normal 6'1" feet (like 11ish, maybe) I think you'd be getting frequent visits from the toe overlap fairy on a 56

There's about 2 cm of clearence in front of my toes. I ride a 165mm crank. Shoe size is 11 1/2.

Top notch info there. Id get the 56

This is a longshot, but do you happen to have any pics floating around on your hard drive of you actually on the bike? Or if not, just the bike itself, dialed up the way you like it? It would be tremendously helpful just to see what a 56cm Mark V looks like with a 6'2" rider....I'm leaning towards 56cm at the moment.

Info on what stem and its length would be good too i reckon.

I am a tad over 6" and I ride a 53 cm tt surly, I previously rode a 59cm schwinn and I by far like the smaller fit, you can get the bike set up to suite your riding style easy enough with some playing around.

Okay, since I'm apparently the only one trapped in the Twilight Zone here can some of you 6'+ guys post pics of your 53-56cm bikes so I can see how this possibly works well?