Buying a bike without trying it
 

I'm looking to buy the Giant OCR1 and I'm about 5'3. I think the SMALL size should fit. I had the OCR1 2 years ago before I sold it and I think I had a SMALL then. I don't remember but I did remember it was just verrry slightly big for me. I'm about to buy the OCR1 again within the next few days but I'm having second thoughts that maybe I should make sure it's a perfect fit. I took some measurements using the online calculator at competitivecyclist.com but didn't understand what to do with the numbers.

Measurements
-------------------------------------------
Inseam: 27.5
Trunk: 23.5
Forearm: 12
Arm: 24
Thigh: 21.5
Lower Leg: 18.5
Sternal Notch: 51.5
Total Body Height: 63.4

Above in inches.

http://giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bike...1472/geometry/

Here's a link to the bike geometry and specs
http://giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/road/3/11472/

Can someone help me find out if my measurements is a good fit for a SMALL OCR1?

Can you go to a Giant dealer to try out a small?

I haven't been able to find a dealer locally that has a Small giant. If I get lucky they may have a Giant in store but usually not a small.

What you really want to know from the CompetitiveCyclist output is the top tube length it suggests for you. Compare that to the top tube of the Giant, which is 53.1.

EDIT: I put in your numbers and it suggests around a 51 top tube. You'd be better off with the XS.

How about the other numbers? I thought measuring the Inseam and comparing that to the Stand Over was important. I was sure I cleared the stand over test when i had this bike just a tiny bit but according to the Giants Geometry charge, I don't clear it even on the XS. My insteam is 27.5 (from floor up to my private)

Just wondering b/c I haven't seen an XS Giant OCR1 in person, would the XS make it look like a kiddie bike? I'm 5'3 and surprise I have to go down to XS. I have never ever bought anything in XS size. I know i'm on the short side but i didn't think i was that short.

As another height challenged rider, 5'7" on a good day, I would pay attention to the built up standover dimension. The XS states 28.3 or so.

And yes I have purchased a bike without trying it but I pretty much know what frame dimensions will work for me. I think a trip to the LBS would be in order to make sure.

After trying quite a few bikes before buying my Trek I can say that I'm glad I tried them out first. I personally wouldn't buy one without trying it out. I plan on doing alot of research before getting my next bike.

You're well outside the "normal" range for bike sizes - I think you really ought to try one on before you buy. Or, take the "buy used, sell used" approach to trying on frames.

You may even want to take a look at some bikes with 650c tires. A lot of these are marketed towards women - not sure if you'd find that a problem.

Wait -- you said you had a small OCR before. But it seemed a little too big...

Hmmm... a small Giant or an extra-small Giant.

What about a little Look, or a bit more Time?


No, I have nothing useful to add... ;)

I'm heading down to 2 LBS later today to try out some various sizes that is supposed to be close to the SMALL OCR1. The guy at the shop on the phone told me according to Giant, an XS should be for someone between 5'2 to 5'4. I'm going to try a bike with a 46cm (Measurement A on the Giants Geometry picture for a SM is 46.5cm). I did own a 2005 SMall OCR1 and at times I thought it wasn't a perfect fit. That was about 2 years ago. I rather not get a bike labeled for woman. Just something pyschological about it :) I wasn't too thrilled that my 2005 Silver OCR1 turned out to be pink either. I had a thread on here about the color here:

http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=101701

My wife is 5'3" and she was professionally fitted into an XS. She loves it

I'm 5'5". I have a Small Giant. I should have gotten the XS. I'm pissed. Anyone wanna trade XS Giant TCR 2 with a S TCR2 frame?

??? Going by Giant's guideline just based on heights, a SM is right for you. Did I miss a sarcasm in your statement?

:roflmao:

Same here. There's more to getting the right bike than buying the right size and having it adjusted properly. All of the bikes I tested when I bought my racer were decent, but the riding experience varies considerably from one bike to the next. It's worth going to the trouble to get the right one.

My understanding is that Giant's are only sold through dealers. I'd work with the dealer to pick the best guess. Then I'd order with the understanding that they'll swap it out for a different size after you've test ridden it.

I've heard many times that Giant is the biggest (no pun intended like "small" Giant) makers of bikes. They make a ton of bikes that we see with different names on it.

May sound silly but why not try a medium and if it's too big go with the small.

True, including certain Colonagos. However bikes, branded with the Gaint name, are only available through Giant dealers.

I pulled the trigger and ordered an XS. My inseam is a 29.5 and the Small is 29.6 meaning the bar goes right into my crotch. Based on that, I decided to go with XS. Seriously :) They said I have short legs and longer upper body.

I was at the LBS and we kept on going back and forth on SM and XS. They said either one would probably work for me. I sat on a couple of comparable bikes but that didn't make anything conclusive. Since I already had a SM previously and thought it didn't fit well, its time to try the XS as much as I think it'll look like a kiddie bike, but it'll be a better fit.

Did your inseam grow 2" in one day? If so, please let me know how you did it.;)

I'm 5'7" and have a medium TCR 2. It's on the edge of being too big for me.

I was measured again at the lbs store and my inseam is 29.5 inch :) I was a bit off with self-measuring

A store can't stock every single size available. They did try to locate the closest bike size but had nothing. They even tried calling up a customer of theirs that live 5mins from the store that had a small TCR1 to bring the bike over for me to try but that person wasn't home. Ideally I would love to try out both the XS and SM before buying. Well, I didn't confirm it with this store directly, but other bike shops have told me if it was a bad fit after they believe it should fit, then its no problem to re-order another size. So I don't think it should be a problem if XS turns out to be wrong. I'm not going to take a bike that won't fit me no matter what a store's policy is. I picked the size believing that it will fit so it's not a wild stab in the dark and pray. The store also believes it's a fine choice. Don't forget, I had a SM OCR1 for a good 2 months before and thought it was just a tad big.

I think if you are just-in-between sizes, get the small. You can always get stuff to fit it (stems, post, etc) but you can get stuff small to fit a bike that's a tad too big.