Frame Sizing Question
 

Hey Ya'll

I am currently in the market to make my dream bike, and i am looking at a few different frames. Currently I have my eyes on a Cervelo Soloist Carbon or BMC Pro Machine. The big question I have is if any of you out there ride either of these frames and could give me some input on sizing. I am a pretty big guy, just stopped racing crew to pursue cycling. I am 6'2"-3" and currently around 200lbs but will be dropping down to 185-190lb over the next few months.

I have gone to lbs and they have told me I needed atleast a 60cm frame however I know a lot of the larger pro's ride 58cm frames. Any input would be great thanks

I'm 6' 0" and ride a 61cm frame, but it really depends on several factors including the way the bike manufacturer sizes frames and your body proportions (leg length to torso length, arm length, etc.).

Competitive Cyclist has a fit calculator HERE that'll give you a good starting point.

Your answer is to the question... "Are you a pro?"

well no i am not pro. But I have ridden and also performed side by side with cat 2 and 3 racers. Rowing happens to use a majority of the same muscle groups as cycling does and it also requires an extremely strong cardiovascular system. And since the last time I did a performance test rowing wise I posted a score in which only about 150 people in the USA can do right now with well over 50 of them being either on the national team or being people who have tried to make the team through trials.

So If you want to make a joke or an insult out of this post you may try. But I am a serious athlete and an avid cyclist that is looking for some helpful advice on spending a serious amount of money, for a bike I will be using to enter the racing world on. I would like a pro level bike that fits me well, thats all. And thank you for your complete lack of helpful input.

I read somewhere that the BMC is sized quite odd. You will need to really ride several of both to get a good idea.

Depends on the bike.

I'm the same height as you and ride a 59 cm Lemond. They have long top tubes and the 61 cm is too big for me. Now, I'm long in the leg. If you have a long torso you might be able to go bigger.

I'm your height but lighter at 182 lbs. I ride a 59cm Parlee and have tried a 58cm Specialized Tarmac that fit well. Best bet is to try a few bikes in that size range and see how they work for you. It will come down to flexibility and comfort, but to be honest those will change as you ride more. So perhaps the best frame would be one that allows some adjustment with the bar up and down, and the stem longer or shorter until you dial in your position.

+1
Check out the manufacturers' geometry charts and how their particular models are measured in your size. Riders with long legs and short torsos will fit frames with shorter top tubes relative to overall height better.

Al

I didn't read his comment as a joke or insult, maybe it was intended that way, but I think it was banter. He may or may not have been questioning your fitness, but his comment is one that is appropriate regardless, even very serious amateur athletes. There seems to be a trend in pro racing right now for extremely small frame sizes vis a vis body size. You may or may not want that fit, even if you're very serious.

Your fitness is one thing, but actual fit on the bike has nothing to do with fitness. You probably already know this based on your background, but there are so many factors: length of various bones, torso, your flexibility, comfort and purpose of riding. In addition, there are significant differences in the way various manufacturers measure and name their frames, and how the geometries play out. For example, a lot of people think top tube length is the most important measurement. Frames are generally named according to the seat tube length, thus making that somewhat irrelevant. Two 58cm (or 60cm) frames could have top tubes that vary 2 cm or more. In addition, it is possible one 58 cm frame is exactly the same in certain key dimensions than a 60cm by another mfgr. Two people the same height could very well fit different size frames depending on proportion of leg to torso to arm to femur length, etc.

If you want a pro level bike properly fit, there is no substitute for just going to the shops and getting expert - in person - advice. The on line fit calculators can give you an idea how bikes are fit, and maybe help you home in on which brands - in the quality you desire - approximate those dimensions. But go to more than one shop that carries high end bikes. Of course there's opinion (philosophy) as well as objective measurements that go into fitting, so make sure you understand where the recommendation is coming from.

Good luck and have fun!

Thanks for all the positive advice. I posted originally that I have gone to lbs's and they all tell me to get a 61cm. The bike shops that happen to be local to me carry cervelo, colnago, specialized, trek, pinarello, felt cannondale, and one shop carrys bmc's. All of the shops carry top of the line bikes but most of them are unfortunately only sized in 56 and below for the top end models. I did however ride a bmc pro machine in size 59cm i believe this summer. It was the first time getting on a 7000 dollar bike so I couldnt even concentrate on how well it fit, instead all i could think about was faster..FASTER.FFAAASSSSTTTTERR. I still have dreams about that bike. I ride a Cannondale track thats a 61cm and it feels great but then again i dont have brakes ride with bull horns and the geometry is all different, plus the seat is pretty low and I feel for a road bike like it would be wiser to get a smaller size. So I will eventually get down to a bike shop to get properly fitted unfortunately most the guys who work at these shops know just about as much as me about bikes and havent really given me much help. The main reason for this thread is because there is a 61cm soloist on ebay that i have been oogling over and my finger has been tempted to put a bid up. Thanks again for the help.

As others have asked, are you long legs, short torso, or visa versa? If the former, a 61 cm Cervelo might be on the biggish side. I'm 6'2 with fairly long legs, and I ride a 58 cm bike that has a 57 cm tob tube, compared to the 58 cm tob tube of the Soloist. Bike shops always tell me I need a 60-61, but anything with a 59+ top tube is getting long(ish).

If you want a comparison to the CSC pros of similar height, these guys all ride a 58. No CSC rider needs a 61:

Cancellera (186 cm)
Johansen (188 cm)
Ljunqvist (189 cm)
Schleck bros. (186 cm)
Voigt (192 cm) (he's a bit of an outlier)