My Bike is too big...is yours too small?
 

I've got a 2007 Salsa La Raza that I built up. It's a 54cm with Ultegra RD, Ultegra 10 spd Cassette and ultegra brakes. 105 FD with truvativ triple on front. Steel frame with Salsa carbon front fork. I'm needing a 52cm and am hoping someone here would want to trade. Or, do any of you know of a good site (other than ebay) where I might find those interested in making a swap?

Thanks in advance for the help!

try craigslist but thats going to be tough to find.

Does 2cm make that much difference that it can't be fixed with stem/saddle adjustment.

Well I ride a 54, and I can't see myself fitting on a 56 at all.

Likewise. I can fit a 52 comfortably, but on a 54, I'll have about an inch seatpost showing, and be stretched out far enough that I need a 70mm stem.

If you want your bike to fit properly, it sure does.

Yep, I'm over-stretched like a wall street banker on a 54.

Just curious, but how tall are you? I am 5'8 with a 56cm and I feel like it's too big for me.

I'm 5'7" and a 54 is a stretch. I didn't think it was until I pinched my Ulner nerve on a century last year. It stayed asleep for 2 months.

I'll be glad to rid myself of my 54.

I would say that at 5'8"...a 56 might just be a bit big for you depending on your inseam

It depends on your body obviously, but height can be used as a rough estimator. I'm 6'0 and ride a 56.

I am gradually realizing perhaps my 60cm frame is too small for my 6'4" body.

Will your LBS take it on consignment? On perhaps a trade?

Yes, but they still want another 1200 on top of the bike. I'm hoping to find a match through craigslist, ebay or here.

Im over stretched like the skin on my ex-wifes buttocks on a 58

That form a nice picture in my head.

I am at 5'8" and while every bike is different I have found I can ride the following depending on the manufacturer: 50, 52, 54, S, M. I would never be able to ride a 56. Whoever sold the 5'8" rider a 56 - unless there is something really quirkly about your proportions - probably did so because that is the bike they had in the shop the day they went shopping.

I'm 5'7" and, in general, a 50 is too small, 52 tends to be a bit small but still usable, 54 tends to be right, and 56 tends to be a bit large but still usable. So much depends on the individual(body proportions and preferred riding position.)

I am 5'7" with a 32" inseam. I ride a 54 and feel fine, on a 52 I feel "crunched" up on a 56 I feel stretched out, I think my arms are short- people used to call me daddy long legs. so I guess height alone doesnt work for fitting after all.

I've got a 30" inseam and the fit kit tells me 52. My 54 feels stretched and the 52 feels good.

I'm 5'7" with a 30" inseam. I just replaced a 54cm (that always seemed a little big) with a 51cm that fits perfect. Riding the 51 just feels more comfortable.

It's also worth noting that inseam isn't the sole arbiter of ideal frame size: arm length, torso length and flexibility/range of motion also contribute. It sounds like there's a combination of factors for the OP that prevent the 54 cm from being an ideal fit - not merely inseam length vs. frame size.

Yeah.... Mine's too big.... whoops, wrong thread......

Yes.

I rarely see an adult on a frame that is too big. Most adults are on frames that are too small, but some owners of "too small" bikes THINK their bike is "too big" because the bars are too low, making the cockpit too long, streching the rider out to an uncomfortable extent

If you can stand flat-footed over your bike without pain from the top tube pressing into your crotch, it is unlikely the frame is too big. Getting a good fit requires knowing your ideal saddle height, bar drop, and cockpit length. After you dial in a fit to within about 1/8th inch on those three dimensions, your bike will feel great while riding.

The road bikes that fit me best (at 5' 9" 3/4 inches tall) are in the size 58 to size 60 range). But, by dialing in saddle height, bar drop, and cockpit length, I can get an equally good fit on bikes in the size 55 to size 62 range. But, if a frame is waaay too small, getting a good fit requires an extremely tall stem, which can impact the handling of the bike.