SSmith

Hello,

Yet another person needing help with fit. I recently purchased a 58cm Rocky Mountain Sherpa. I am 6'2" with a 90 cm (35.5") inseam. Since I can't ride the bike due to the weather I have been becoming increasingly paranoid that I purchased the wrong size. Things felt fine in the LBS but I have never had a bike that fit me properly before, so I don't even really know what should feel right. Can anyone help?

Cave

Can you put it on a stationary trainer (or rollers if you have the skill) and ride it for an hour or two? That way it will not have been ridden outdoors so the bike shop should have no problem exchanging it. Talk to the shop, maybe they'll rent you a wind trainer for a week. Then go in and pay for a fit session with one of their pros, or a coach from a local club.

Is there a local velodrome? They usually don't allow non-track bikes on for safety reasons and to protect the track surface, but you could ask. Again ride for an hour or two and get one of the coaches to check the fit.

--edit--
One issue is the difference between ideal fit / position for commuting vs a sport ride vs touring. You might not notice a problem with fit on a short ride; you might prefer a more upright position for commuting; you might accept a less comfortable but lower, more aero position for sport rides (with a long stem to get you low and long).

I think if you find the bike is AT ALL on the small side, or if they recommended the smallest size you fit on, go for a bigger frame rather than swapping to a longer stem (which is what the bike shops and racing coaches always seem to recommend). For touring or commuting you want a relatively big frame (at least that's what most recommend, and what I have learned by previously riding the largest bike I was comfortable on, then moving to a smaller size recommended by my bike shop when I got my current bike).

ricohman

Get a trainer and ride it.
I would think the 58 would fit you as these bikes fit big.
I ride a 58 in my other bikes and my Sherpa is a 52.5.

ricohman

Alright Sherpa owners, I am rack shopping.
The Tubus racks seem to be the best, but at a price.
One of the LBS near me has Axiom racks and the waterproof Typhoon and Monsoon bags. I though grey would go nice with my black bike but yellow certainly offers safety.
Anyone with Axiom racks on a Sherpa?

cypherus

There are no Sherpa's in stock around me and very few can order them. I talked to a bike shop today and they said they can order the 2008 Sherpa 30 for $1399 and have it in 10 days. For those of you who own the bike, do you think I should order it blindly without riding it first? I am itching to get it, but want to make sure it's the right choice.

Josh

Ken Wind

I don't have the bike. You probably know everything about the bike, except the way it is going to fit. Since it has compact frame geometry (sloping top tube) each size should fit a larger number of riders than a bike with traditional geometry. Nobody can really tell you whether it will be able to fit you or not, but you should be able to get a good idea by looking at what other people have and knowing your own preferences.

It is obviously a solid touring bike, as evidenced by the quality of the build and the testimonials from people here. If you do buy it, and it doesn't fit, I doubt it would be difficult to sell. I would probably buy it, but I would want to talk to other owners and Rocky Mountain about sizing beforehand.

ricohman

Here is my Sherpa with all its attachments.
I put 45Km's on it today trying out a new Brooks seat. This bike fits me very well. Better than my 520.

cypherus

Why do you think that it fits a larger number of riders with it's compact frame as opposed to other bikes? I'm just curious.

I don't necessarily know what my preferences are since the last time I rode a bike in a serious manner it was the traditional "huffy" type mountain bike from a department store that I rode the wheels off of during many summers. Now that I'm older, I know what quality means and am willing to pay a premium for it (weighing both cost and value with what I can afford) as long as that means that I have an excellent ride and the assurance that I have support from a company if something goes wrong.

The only thing I have to say about sizing is that I am a big guy. I'm 6'1", 290 and the bike shop owner says that they will measure me prior to ordering. I'm not sure if there are any similar riders with that size riding Sherpa 30's, but it would be great to hear from them. Thank you for responding, you've notched me closer to getting it.

ricohman

At just under 5'10" I find the 52 fits very well.
At your height the 55 should be the size but it depends on the length of your legs and arms.
I have a 33 inch inseam and long arms so this is the smallest size that fit me. I tried the 55 but it was a more stretched out ride for me. And on a touring bike I like to keep the saddle and bars the same height and the riding position more upright.
My other road bikes range from 58-60cm.

Ken Wind

In my search for a definitive answer, I've come up with more questions. I found this on the late, great Sheldon Brown's website.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheldon Brown

"Compact" road frames have sloping top tubes, and are intended to be used with a long seatpost. Compact frames are a little bit lighter than traditional ones, but this is partially offset by the weight of the longer seatppost. Some riders believe they are stiffer.

Manufacturers like them because they are more versatile in terms of fit. Usually 3 or 4 sizes are enough to fit 98% of customers. This saves a lot of money for a manufacturer who doesn't need to deal with so many SKUs.

I'm not sure if people attribute it to the fact that compact frames have a lower standover height than traditional frames of similar geometry, or if there is more to it. It is definitely cheaper for a company to make the same bike in fewer sizes, and it probably saves them some money on materials. In 2007 Rocky Mountain offered five different frame sizes for the Sherpa 30, which is the same number of sizes Trek offered for it's touring bike, the 520. I strongly recommend contacting Rocky Mountain (or have the shop do so) with your measurements in order to get the proper size.

cypherus

Well, I think I'm just going to go for it and order it! No shops around me have one to ride first, but I'll make sure they measure me and we order the right bike for my size. Thanks for the info.

Josh

Miles2go

Keep in mind that this touring bike isn't the new kid on the block like it might seem. You can find data online showing that the Sherpa was being sold in 2000. The bike was actually designed in the mid-80s as a 700c mtb touring bike with the same sloping top tube. I didn't know this when I bought my Sherpa. I was totally blown away by the amount of tire clearance the bike had. Now, it seems very logical. 50c wide tires and room for fenders isn't a surprise in the mountain biking arena, nor is a sloping top tube. That said, the Sherpa is just as nice with 32c-35c tires but it's great to have the room to do whatever you want.

What gets me now is that they quietly kept the design going for so long, continually improving it until they had one killer of a touring bike. 853, are you kidding me?! Someone knew what they had, honed it and totally hooked us up. Too bad the hand built supply can't cover the demand but it's probably better that way.


BTW, nice shots ricohman. Your Sherpa looks great.

cypherus

I just wanted to thank you guys for the help. I went and got measured for the Rocky Mountain Sherpa 30 and it should be here within the next 10 days. I'll make sure to post some pictures when it comes in.

cypherus

Well, I picked up my Sherpa 30 on Friday and I'm very happy with it. Here's a shot of it:



Thanks to all in this forum who posted and helped me make my decision.

ricohman

I notice your Sherpa has reflectors and a chain disc on the rear wheel. The seat is also different from what came on mine.
You gotta love the long headtubes these bikes come with. I don't know why other touring bikes come with nothing for a headtube and make your riding position much like that of a road bike.
My 1988 520 has a long headtube. But the new 520's don't ,and I don't want my butt higher than the bars on my touring bike. This is why Trek didn't get my money again.
Nice bike!

cypherus

Yeah, we switched out the seat after talking it over that I could use more support. I asked my LBS owner about the Brooks saddles and he shied away from them, but said if I really have an itched down the road I can always get it then. The seat is comfortable so I'm not complaining right now.

I took it for a spin last night and was huffing and puffing after five or so minutes, but I think if I stick with it, I'll be back in shape soon.

ricohman

Definately stick with it.
I use my Sherpa for commuting and touring. I need two full panniers to carry all my junk to work and back!

tcmers

Those look nice. Is the Sherpa available as a frame set?

Ken Wind

I asked my local Rocky Mountain dealer about this, and they said that it is highly unlikely they would be able to get a frameset. The complete bike is very difficult to get, so that doesn't surprise me. It may be different for a dealer that sells more of their bikes or a Canadian dealer.

mcfc98

Hi there, new to the board. I'd like to thank yourself ricohman and miles2go personally for helping me decide to plump for the Sherpa 30 this weekend. LBS had some 08's left for $1195 CAD from $1600 which seemed decent enough for me.

Anyway I've quoted your post because I found the 58 to be the right size for me even though I'm 6ft and about 33.5 inseam, perhaps I have gibbon arms. I gave a Sherpa 10 55cm a go and I felt a little cramped on it. I took the 58 Sherpa 30 out and I fell in love immediately and put the cash down.

I was a little disappointed to see the disc brake mounts have been removed. I guess they listened to feedback a little too much, some people want this option so it's versatility has dipped a bit. I won't lose sleep over the spoke carriers though.

njkayaker

Note that RMB changed the dimensions a little for 2009.

I think it makes more sense, for fitting, to look at the Sherpa as more like a mountain bike than a road bike, especially if you are interested in riding it off pavement.

Keep in mind that wider tires increases standover height.

I'm 5'9'' with a pant inseam of 30. The 2008 52 cm (52.5 actually) fits me but it might be nice to have a bit more standover clearance. (In the 2008 specs (no longer online), the 52 cm frame was listed as having a 52.5 cm seat tube.)

https://www.bikes.com/main+en+01_102+...E=610&Y=2009#3

The standover clearance is between the 50 and 53 cm frames is 26 mm (an inch) but the horizontal top tube difference is 15 mm (about 1/2 an inch).

The seat post is really long!

It's quite a nice bike.

=============

I'm not sure if I miss the absent disk brake mount. I don't think there is any real need for the spoke holder. I suspect that these were dropped as a cost-cutting move.

It should have a pump peg.

napoleoninrags

Wondering if anyone experience any toe overlap especially on the smaller sized frames? I am considering getting a 50cm one.

Any long time updates from owners would be great as well

njkayaker

I have a little bit of toe overlap on a 52 with fenders. I have to work to get it. It doesn't seem to be any problem.

I use mine mostly for day trips, with riders on "racing" bikes. I still like it. (I ran mine loaded on the GAP/C&O in May.)

The Tektro pads seem to dissolve in water. I've replaced them with Koolstop MTB salmon pads, which squeal a bit but they do stop.

ricohman

My Sherpa 30 got a new crankset this year. Shimnao LX Trekking with external BB. One thing I never liked about the bike was the gearing. It's perfect now for where I live.
I got new Vittoria tires also as the Kenda's started getting easy to punture at about 1000 miles.

coffeecake

Picked this up in September. Not too much to report yet; still looking for some decent rack-age to install (LBS has goofy ones that don't fit my existing panniers, and I love my existing panniers.)

52 cm; I'm alllmost 5'8" with about a 31-32" inseam. I have a pretty short torso though (female). Still getting used to the drop bars as this is my first bike with them. Very comfortable and sturdy, the frame is a dream, soaks up the bumps without becoming totally numb. I still have to find a decent saddle; I'm leaning towards a Brooks but am worried about getting it wet. I actually like the road triple on the front, it's not very hilly here and I have discovered that I have a latent speed addiction . I hope to go on some longer rides next year, perhaps a century (crosses fingers.)