lowlux

Every bicycle i run into has been for riders that are 6 Foot +

is it possible to heat the lugs on a frame and then trim it down? re heat with new stuff? I am talking about re-sizing the bicycle?

Ragooch

You are talking about building a frame. Easier to do starting with new parts instead of an old bike.

I'm pretty sure there are some smaller frames out there if you look hard enough.

jtgotsjets

Why not make your legs longer like in Gattaca?

wrk101

Look more, or build a frame from scratch.

illwafer

nice one.

lowlux

Well if i going to build custom then i need to know what exact size frame i need... I need something to go fast but be able to carry a few bags... and to move left to right pretty fast in order to dodge cars..

Where do you buy tubing? what tubing should i use? I live near salt water.. are there build kits? whats the best tubing?

I am 160 pounds, 5 foot 7.

inseam is 30"

tip of my in Dex finger to my shoulder blade is 26"

what else do i need to know? how do i figure out what size tubing do i need?

old's'cool

Search ebay for a build-a-frame kit. Make sure instructions are included.

DRietz

Whoa guys, this is quite a project for him to be undertaking when he doesn't even know what size bike he likes.

How about you tell us what general area you're in so someone local from here can hook you up, or so we can search CraigsList for you.

jtgotsjets

In all seriousness, just keep looking. 5'7" is pretty much smack dab in the middle of average height. There are loads of 54-56cm bikes out there. I promise.

A few quick notes on sizing a bike:
-Your cycling inseam is not the same as your pants inseam. You want the full distance between your flesh-crotch and the ground, not from cloth-crotch to hem.
-Don't worry too much about standing over the top tube. You should spend 99% of your time (or more) riding the bike or in the saddle somehow, not standing over the top tube. People are constantly worrying about their family jewels (who can blame them?), but in practice, problems just don't occur. If you're in a crash where you're being thrown from your seat and onto the top tube of your bike, you're probably also upside-down and rethinking your decision to hold off on buying a helmet.
-The most important parts of bike fit is that 1)you can get good leg extension from the saddle without jacking it up or slamming it down too far (a fistful of seatpost is the rule of thumb for bikes with level top tubes) and 2)you don't feel to scrunched up or stretched out (this is a factor of top tube length).

Best thing to do is to go out and buy an old (or vintage) bike. If it's two sizes off or whatever, you'll figure it out in a couple weeks. Throw it back up on craigslist and, now that you have a better idea what to look for as far as fit, buy something closer. Repeat as necessary. The great thing about 20+ year old bikes is that they're pretty much stable in value; you can afford to try out as many as you want and then sell them off for the same price (or hell, up it $25!).

Sixty Fiver

Figure that anything in the 52-54 range will work best... a 56 usually needs a 32 inch stand over and rates a longer reach.

Test ride bikes in this range and see what works and what doesn't...

You are not unusually sized.

DRietz

Check my new signature JT.

shrinkboy

seems like every bike i'm interested in is for people under six feet

gbalke

So if you are considering building your own frame, how many years of experience do you have in brazing? Do you have the proper equipment; torches, regulators, tanks and framing jigs/fixtures?

Here's a very interesting look into frame building: https://www.flickr.com/photos/felletb...7604104693015/

wrk101

Well, if you are a talented frame builder, go for it. Or pay someone serious $$ to build one. Of course, you really need to know the size and the geometry first. You are really pretty far from being ready to have a frame built.

+1 you are pretty normal sized. Start testing out 52 and 54 cm bikes. Look harder, they are out there. I have probably found at least 50 bikes in that size in the last two years, and passed on 50 more.

+1 The beauty of buying used (assuming you do not overpay) is that if you change your mind later, you should be able to get most if not all of your money out of the bike. Buy one new, or have a frame built, and you will be losing serious $$. I upgrade all the time, I have yet to have lost money on a bike I let go.

lowlux

brazing is easy, I make knives........ I have no ideal how to size a frame.....

repechage

You are way out on thin ice. Look for some bikes in the 53 cm size range, way before you start cutting tubes on your own you need to know what you need, tubing type is quite a way down the list. By the way, heating a lugged joint to take things apart, or move them requires much more heat evenly distributed (two torches sometimes) to get things undone.

JohnDThompson 

People seem to approach frame sizing differently now than in the past. Until the late 1990s, 6-foot plus riders would be fitted to a 60cm or larger frame. These days 6-footers are riding 56cm frames.

I suspect this is an aesthetic issue; in the past a "fist-full of seatpost" exposed above the frame was considered plenty; more than that and you should be shopping for a larger frame. These days people seem unconcerned and will just use a longer seatpost to get the saddle height with a smaller frame.

Sixty Fiver

Building a bicycle frame requires more than brazing skills and as you don't even know what your optimal frame size is, I'd hold off on any adventures in bicycle frame building.

mcgreivey

You guys should shop for each other's bikes, huh?

canyoneagle

Sounds to me like you are a bike messenger, or wanting to ride like one. Hopefully the "dodging" of cars is a reference to the occasional emergency, rather than a daily riding style, but I digress.....

If you need something that is quick handling and can carry a few things, it sounds to me like a road bike or perhaps a track-style bike (popular with the messenger crowd). It depends, though, on how much you intend to carry and how you intend to carry it. If you will be using a backpack or messenger bag, a road bike or fixie / track bike would give you the best performance, at the expense of comfort and utility.
If you intend to carry more and need a rack, there are many options in performance-oriented urban bikes that offer decent handling and performance with more utility.

Search the commuting forums for the many "which bike..." threads to see what sorts of bikes are being recommended and discussed for transportation purposes. I'm sure similar threads exist in the "road" forums for the road bikes.

Good luck!

ironwood

Try the frame framebuilders forum. There might be someone there who has done it. Damaged tubes on lugged frames can be replaced by framebuilders, and this involves heating and rebrazing a lug, so it might be possible to reuse lugs and tubes. In any case you probably can practice on tubes from old frames. Richard Talbot who wrote a book on frame building strongly recommended that a novice frame builder start out on old frames before starting on new tubing.

shrinkboy

I came back to cycling last year after almost 25 years away-- my race bikes in the 80s were 62cm and even had a 64cm Paramount that i did not race on. i'm just under 6'3". so i started looking around for 62-64cm frames, but first acquired a 61cm frame, which is fine. the other day, i went riding with a friend who was on a 59cm RB-1, and i peddled that around and realized I could probably easily do a 59cm bike...

canyoneagle

Since the 70's it seems that shorter riders/frames run with very little seatpost and stem length, whereas taller riders would have more seatpost showing and a longer stem.

I think the current trend now has the shorter riders with more seatpost showing, largely due to the inherent geometry with sloping top tubes.
For guys like me (6'2, 36.5" bike inseam), sloping top tubes are a bane.

sailorbenjamin

All humor aside, here's a couple of good articles on frame sizes with links to fitting a bike to you.
https://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_...g_a_frame_size
https://sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html

Bianchigirll 

are you going to be passing cars? a regular sport or road racing frame always worked OK for when commuting.

you may wish to visit your local bike shop. building a bike is alot more difficult than making knives