belowzero

I'm 6'2 - 188cm tall, just in the tall height range. I'm planning on purchasing a new road bike that will be primarily for ride trips >60km and the occassional race. So I want an optimum bike height that will suite me and feel comfortable.

I should mention I'm used to riding an aluminium MTB atm, 51cm frame height. My saddle is very high. The roadbike I'm looking it is all carbon roadbike, and I've been recommended a 56-58cm frame, even 59! I was told that the bigger the frame the steadier the ride will be and since i'm a beginner it will be right for me. However I've noticed that the pro riders (eg; Jan Ullrich) appear to have medium sized frames with saddles nice and high, guess that is good for racing but uncomfortable for a duration. But hey I'm used to a 51cm frame so far doing a couple of hundred km a week, and when I was a youngster I rode a couple of old roadbikes, but never racing or club riding.

johnny99

You need to take some road tests and figure out for yourself what is "comfortable". A fit rider may be less comfortable trying to ride a very upright bike.

belowzero

I guess I consider myself quite fit as on my mountain bike I can keep up with 26-30km/h average riders on road bikes on a hilly course.

I haven't had a chance to go to the cyclestore again yet but was wondering what an optimum height you think would be for a 6 foot 2 rider? I saw someone complaining at 5'11 that their 55cm frame was too small.

re: https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/185358-how-stupid-does-my-lemond-look-now.html . . .how stupid does my lemond look now

Now not too long ago a colleague at work recommended 56cm frame would suite me.

DocRay

I'm 6'4" and have a 61cm, professionally fitted. You should be around 58-60.

big john

I'm 6'2" and I ride a 63. This is to get the bars high without some strange stem. You need to check out the top tube length, too. Like they say, try different frames or get fitted by someone who know their stuff. My friend is 6'4" and he rides a 65 C50 and is very fast on it. Depends on your body.

qqy

I'm 6'4" and I ride a 58, but I don't recommend it unless you've got a strong lower back. I have a 59 TT and a 130mm stem, so the reach is just right for me. However, especially if I flip my stem down, there's a lot of pressure on my back when I stay in the drops for a while (but the aerodynamics are great!). Presonally, if I had to do it again, I would have gone with no less than a 60.

ericgu

Different makers use different ways of measuring, so you can't necessarily just use a specific number.

Many shops will do fit measurements before looking at bikes so you can get a good idea of what sizes to start with.

It's hard to give you a simple answer on the big frame/small frame question. A bigger frame would have the saddle less extended, and therefore the bars would be higher. But it would also have a longer top tube, which would make your reach longer.

tekhna

I'm 6'4" and on a 62cm. I am thinking I should have gone with 61 or 60 though.