scplus5

I ride a 56 cm caad9. 80mm stem. I'm 5'10" and I can't remember my inseam.

Looking at a 56cm motobecane cxx on Craigslist for commuting. I'll try to attach the pictures of the geometry charts for both bikes.

The top tube is a little longer, but I'm thinking I can angle the stem up rather than down like my caad and get a 70 mm stem if necessary.

The bike is a killer deal and pretty much exactly what I was looking for in a commuter bike. My brother is afraid it might be too big, so I thought I'd ask the internet experts. It's too far away to test ride.

Damien09

Im 5'10 with a 32 inch inseam. I ride a 57cm top tube with 110mm stem but i have long arms.if it was me id go test ride it if the price was right

rms13

I think riding a road bike with a 70mm stem is slightly more ridiculous than riding one with an 80mm stem

scplus5

Why? It's comfortable.

bruce19

My guess is a 56 at 5'10" would be fine but knowing your inseam would help a lot. I'm now 5'9" with a 31.75" inseam and I ride a 55 Guru w/100 mm stem. It's basically perfect for me.

rms13

Generally, having a stem less 90mm is thought it have a negative impact on handling and makes the bike twitchier. But if it's comfortable for you then that's all that matters

69chevy

It is impossible to answer your question.

We have no way of knowing if your current bike fits you well. You may have a short stem because your seat is too far back, because you bend your lower back, because you have a short torso, etc...

Could you ride it? Sure.

Should you... who knows?

scplus5

Interesting. Guess there's things you just don't know when you're self taught. Never noticed anything negative about it.
It had a 110 on it when I bought it and I felt so stretched out. Kept trying shorter stems in 10mm increments over time and fell in love with the feel of the 80.

scplus5

I posted the geometry charts for both so that people who know more than I do might be able to look at the differences and give me an idea of whether or not there's enough adjustment to make up for the slightly larger measurements in the potential new bike.

Like I said, it's too far away to test ride. The price is great and if I commit to driving that far I know I'm coming home with it.

my current bike fits well. I posted it for a reference.

69chevy

Again... Is the seat on your current bike set all of the way back? All of the way forward? Is the seatpost offset? Does the prospect bike have an offset post? Is there more room for adjustment for you on your current bike? Is the seat setback correct for your body geometry?

You can physically fit on the bike, but you may need a different seatpost and or a crazy short stem to get in a "good" position.

Wilfred Laurier

THe effect of stem length on a bike that otherwise handles reasonably well is very much overstated. There is a difference in handling, but the vast majority of the time you can get used to it within 5 minutes of riding. On paper, perhaps the stem length has a major impact on handling, but this is only a problem if you are riding on paper.

69chevy

#truestory

I would go on in detail, but wives tales are pretty sacred.

bruce19

This. There are a lot of variables and until you do a proper fitting, who knows? Having said that....it is true that we generally can tolerate a range of frame sizes. But, not without some adjustments.