SLOTHLIFE

Hey all, new to the forum and looking at picking up a Breezer Radar Cafe size "medium" on OfferUp. The seat tube height is only listed as 51 cm. I'm 6' with a 32" inseam but in conventional road bike geometry I've always preferred a 56 frame. I've had a size L/58 Trek Crossrip that felt too big, but never tried a frame with such a short seat tube and relaxed top tube as the Breezer. Thoughts? Thanks!

Iride01 

Seat tube height means nothing except for bikes with the old vintage geometry and a top tube that is horizontal. Frame stack and frame reach will give you more accurate ideas of how another bike will fit compared to a bike you have. However you have to know those measurements for the bike you have. Many manufacturer's now give the effective top tube length which is the imaginary length of what your top tube would be if it was horizontal. That also helps you guesstimate your fit.

They won't always yield the exact same fit though. Other things go into the fit too. Seat tube angle, head tube angle, BB drop and more. As well, differences of crank length, handlebar width, wheel base and other things that change between the different sizes can make the bike both fit and feel like it handles differently between the sizes.

For me it's really hard to tell someone what bike they need to get. It's easier to suggest what you should do or change once you actually have a bike and are having a issue. So get the bike that seems to fit you best. And try them out with actual miles of riding if they will let you. A ride around the parking lot isn't a good test.

Also don't let the size of your previous bike you like be the only size you consider. Sizes are not standardized from one manufacturer to the next or even between different models of the same brand. So try different sizes of each model when you can.

I use to like big frames that were over size for me. They rode great and very stable on the road. But now I like the sportier and responsive handling of smaller frames that are more the proper size for me.

Another thing I'd consider when buying a bike is if there are authorized dealers of that brand in my area. Even though I DIY virtually everything on my bike, I like knowing that there is a dealer nearby.

Welcome to BF.

oldbobcat

Exactly what is a "relaxed" top tube?
I can see how the 58 Crossrip might be too big in both the standover and reach departments. Trek designates 58 as Extra Large, which you are definitely not. I'm about the same height and ride 58 cm Treks, but I have inordinately long arms and legs.

I'm looking at the Breezer geometry and seeing that the total cockpit length (virtual seat tube + stem length) of the Large Breezer is 69 cm. That's pretty long for a normally proportioned six-footer who isn't a racer. The Medium would bring that it in by 1 cm. Your legs aren't particularly long, so the 3 cm difference in seat tube should be negligible. Unless you need the extra 1.5 cm in head tube height, I'm inclined to say the medium should work. If at all possible, though, I would recommend test riding both sizes.

Kontact

Yeah, those top tubes seem super long. Wassup with that.

Bob Ross

6' tall with a 32" inseam on a bike listed as a 51cm seems wrong, that frame is almost certainly too small...although it would be more instructive to know what the top tube (either measured, or "effective") length is.

For comparison: I'm 6' tall with a 32.5" inseam (I can wear either 32" or 33" jeans) and all my bikes have an effective top tube length of between 56 and 58cm, and an actual seat tube length of 54cm or greater.

otoh, one LBS owner suggested to me that "you want to size down for gravel riding" and I took his advice when I bought my cyclocross bike; it's the smallest frame in my collection, and yet it feels like it fits perfectly when I'm riding. But it's still got a 54cm seat tube.

Iride01 

FYI,

The bike the OP ask about has a 585 mm effective top tube length in the medium size or what they say has a 51 cm long seat tube length.

It's a good example of the reason seat tube length shouldn't be used when trying compare bikes from different manufacturers and even from one model to another.

Radar Café – Breezer Bikes USA

Bob Ross

Good lord, so clearly not the archetypal "square" frame!

oldbobcat

I was wondering, too. Only the designers know for sure, but here's my hypothesis. Breezer is historically a mountain bike company. The current trend in MTB design is to extend the top tube and pair it with a super short stem. Breezer probably designed this model starting with an XC geometry, the longest and lowest for a MTB, and put a longer road-ish stem on it, forgetting that most road and gravel handlebars already add 7-8cm of reach. Add the extension of dual-control levers, especially Shimano STIs, and that's a lot of stretch.

The total cockpit length of the Large Breezer, out of the carton, is 69 cm, the same as my 58 cm Madone with a 12 cm stem. Out of the carton, the 58 Madone comes with an 11 cm stem. For most non-racing 6-footers, 69 cm is too much reach. It works for me because of good posture and long arms, but even I'd pull it in a centimeter or so for a dedicated gravel or touring bike.