i bought a bike, the model is Gara Sloping, and there are two different Gara, one is Gara Sloping, and the other is Gara Classic.

so what does Sloping suppose to mean?

<slur>

It might just mean it has a sloping top tube.

It refers to the angle of the top tube in relation to the ground. Sloping is closer to the ground at the head tube than it is at the seat tube.

Yup, Google is your friend

Compact frame?

nope, I learnt this last year too, but compact and sloping do not necessarily mean the same thing.

How are they different?

This is good to know before you buy a bike.

That's backwards.

"Compact" has two definitions. One is a frame with a sloping top tube. Gios, on the other hand, refers to their tight wheelbase frame as "compact" even though it has a horizontal top tube.

kinda like droping, except with an "s".

....

i bought it cuz it was on sale!!! haha

for 40% discount 08's model

example: giant TCR is a compact frame, but caad9 is just a sloping frame.

XS, S, M, L, XL
48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 63

Who exactly determines this?

giant says their TCR is a compact frame, cannondale does not.

compact frames usually mean reduced number of frame sizes to fit a larger variety of people. "compact inventory" is more like it.

If you look at the Eddie Merckx website, the Gara comes in two versions, a traditional version with a horizontal top tube and a compact version where the TT sloped downwards to the rear. This sloping design is a compact style.
Compact frames were designed to permit a wider range of riders use a smaller range of bike-frame sizes through use of alternative seatpost and stems. They also have alleged advantages of better stiffness/weight.
All race bikes have a similar wheelbase regardless of frame shape, they generally try to get the rear wheel as close as they can to the seat tube. Compact bikes do not have smaller wheelbase. Compact bikes do not have shorter effective top tubes, just a different arrangement of metal.
The CAAD9 is a traditional design.
The forward sloping top tube is an obscelete design used to get a low head-tube for time trialling and track racing. It is generally called Low Profile.

traditional, yes, but still sloping. probably for increased stiffness.

That's just the marketing department's terminology. Giant calls all their frames compact whether you're talking about the TCR, Defy (longer wheelbase) or FCR (longest wheelbase). I'd consider the CAAD9 pretty close to traditional geometry, by the way.

Basically compact means sloping top tube.

I'd agree with you there....

In Gios' parlance "Compact" means both a shorter top tube and a tighter wheelbase.

It DOES have a sloping top tube.

^^^ Fixed.

Again, that's just marketing's terminology. I'd still say the general understanding of "compact" geometry is a bike with a sloping top tube.

100% wrong. Please stop posting.

And unfortunately it happens to be completely wrong.

Hmmm. In the space of about 10 seconds I can enter the name of the bikes that the OP posted and pull up a picture of each bike, and gosh-darn-it, one has a slightly sloping top tube (the cryptically labelled "sloping") and the other has a completely level top tube.

That was my point. It also seemed consistent with jtarvers comment - although rereading it, I see he has the "slope" the wrong way. (nvrmind)

Completely wrong because it was completely backwards. Attention to detail is something that seems to be a lost art in our modern society.