Roubaix fitting
08-04-09, 04:33 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 2,465
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
5 Posts
Roubaix fitting
I rode the Roubaix Elite compact today in a 54cm as that is all they have. Now, the bike does fit a bit big for a 54 but I feel the 54 may be a tad small.
I am 5' 9' with a 33 3/4 inseam and long ape-like arms. The seat post is extended about 1cm short of max and I will have to alter my riding to avoid my knees hitting my elbows.
I tried a Tarmac in a 54 and it felt one size bigger than the Roubaix for some reason.
The sales guy was very helpful but he admitted he does not fit road bikes. I would have to order a 56 in to try it and then it will be mine like it or not.
My Marinoni is a 57 and fits like a glove, but has traditional geometry so I can't compare the Roubaix to that.
I wish I could sample both sizes back to back.
I am 5' 9' with a 33 3/4 inseam and long ape-like arms. The seat post is extended about 1cm short of max and I will have to alter my riding to avoid my knees hitting my elbows.
I tried a Tarmac in a 54 and it felt one size bigger than the Roubaix for some reason.
The sales guy was very helpful but he admitted he does not fit road bikes. I would have to order a 56 in to try it and then it will be mine like it or not.
My Marinoni is a 57 and fits like a glove, but has traditional geometry so I can't compare the Roubaix to that.
I wish I could sample both sizes back to back.
Last edited by ricohman; 08-04-09 at 04:40 PM.
08-04-09, 05:14 PM
#5
Senior Member
The geometry of any number of frames can easily be compared, regardless of whether they have compact or traditional geometry. All you need is the TT length, the seat tube angle, the head tube length, with the headset and the BB drop.
If the BB drop differs significantly on any one frame the HTL will must be corrected in the comparison.
As for the frames in question, the Cervelo should not be vertically too small. You're 175cm tall with am 86cm inseam. I'm 169cam tall with an 83cm inseam, so we have about the same proportions. I would ride a 51cm Cervelo, but the head tube on the RS is too tall for my needs, since I use 9-12cm of saddle to bar drop. I have a total head tube length, with the headset and spacers of only 145mm, with a 73 degree stem.
The Cervelo has a 54.6cm TT, 73 degree STA and 160mm head tube. The headset height could be as little as 10mm or as much as 20mm, depending on the headset top section that is chosen or supplied with the frame.
The roubaix has a nearly idential 54.8cm TT, but the steeper 73.5 degree STA adds about 5mm to the reach, so the reach is about 7mm longer than the Cervelo, with the saddle in the same position relative to the BB.
The Tarmac has the same reach as the Roubaix, but the head tube is 20mm shorter.
When test riding bikes, you have to pay strict attention to the stem length on the bike, the stem angle and the amount of spacer under the stem, plus any difference in the handlebar reach. If the saddle is not accurately set to YOUR preferred setback, then you really can't draw any conclusions from these test rides. Even the brand of shifters affect the reach. Shimano brake hoods are the longest, followed by SRAM, then Campy, with the shortest reach.
All that said, the 54cm RS should not pose any fit problems, unless the head tube is too tall. If the seat tube was extneded 1cm short of max, is it only a 300mm post? Your saddle height should be around 76cm, or 3cm taller than mine. I had no problem with a smaller 51cm Cervelo, using a 73cm saddle height.
If you have a known fit that is comfortable, measure the handlebar height, vertically from the floor to the top of the bars. From that, it's easy to predict the stem angle and spacer setup needed for any other bike.
If the BB drop differs significantly on any one frame the HTL will must be corrected in the comparison.
As for the frames in question, the Cervelo should not be vertically too small. You're 175cm tall with am 86cm inseam. I'm 169cam tall with an 83cm inseam, so we have about the same proportions. I would ride a 51cm Cervelo, but the head tube on the RS is too tall for my needs, since I use 9-12cm of saddle to bar drop. I have a total head tube length, with the headset and spacers of only 145mm, with a 73 degree stem.
The Cervelo has a 54.6cm TT, 73 degree STA and 160mm head tube. The headset height could be as little as 10mm or as much as 20mm, depending on the headset top section that is chosen or supplied with the frame.
The roubaix has a nearly idential 54.8cm TT, but the steeper 73.5 degree STA adds about 5mm to the reach, so the reach is about 7mm longer than the Cervelo, with the saddle in the same position relative to the BB.
The Tarmac has the same reach as the Roubaix, but the head tube is 20mm shorter.
When test riding bikes, you have to pay strict attention to the stem length on the bike, the stem angle and the amount of spacer under the stem, plus any difference in the handlebar reach. If the saddle is not accurately set to YOUR preferred setback, then you really can't draw any conclusions from these test rides. Even the brand of shifters affect the reach. Shimano brake hoods are the longest, followed by SRAM, then Campy, with the shortest reach.
All that said, the 54cm RS should not pose any fit problems, unless the head tube is too tall. If the seat tube was extneded 1cm short of max, is it only a 300mm post? Your saddle height should be around 76cm, or 3cm taller than mine. I had no problem with a smaller 51cm Cervelo, using a 73cm saddle height.
If you have a known fit that is comfortable, measure the handlebar height, vertically from the floor to the top of the bars. From that, it's easy to predict the stem angle and spacer setup needed for any other bike.
Last edited by DaveSSS; 08-04-09 at 05:18 PM.
08-04-09, 06:20 PM
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 2,465
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
5 Posts
The geometry of any number of frames can easily be compared, regardless of whether they have compact or traditional geometry. All you need is the TT length, the seat tube angle, the head tube length, with the headset and the BB drop.
If the BB drop differs significantly on any one frame the HTL will must be corrected in the comparison.
As for the frames in question, the Cervelo should not be vertically too small. You're 175cm tall with am 86cm inseam. I'm 169cam tall with an 83cm inseam, so we have about the same proportions. I would ride a 51cm Cervelo, but the head tube on the RS is too tall for my needs, since I use 9-12cm of saddle to bar drop. I have a total head tube length, with the headset and spacers of only 145mm, with a 73 degree stem.
The Cervelo has a 54.6cm TT, 73 degree STA and 160mm head tube. The headset height could be as little as 10mm or as much as 20mm, depending on the headset top section that is chosen or supplied with the frame.
The roubaix has a nearly idential 54.8cm TT, but the steeper 73.5 degree STA adds about 5mm to the reach, so the reach is about 7mm longer than the Cervelo, with the saddle in the same position relative to the BB.
The Tarmac has the same reach as the Roubaix, but the head tube is 20mm shorter.
When test riding bikes, you have to pay strict attention to the stem length on the bike, the stem angle and the amount of spacer under the stem, plus any difference in the handlebar reach. If the saddle is not accurately set to YOUR preferred setback, then you really can't draw any conclusions from these test rides. Even the brand of shifters affect the reach. Shimano brake hoods are the longest, followed by SRAM, then Campy, with the shortest reach.
All that said, the 54cm RS should not pose any fit problems, unless the head tube is too tall. If the seat tube was extneded 1cm short of max, is it only a 300mm post? Your saddle height should be around 76cm, or 3cm taller than mine. I had no problem with a smaller 51cm Cervelo, using a 73cm saddle height.
If you have a known fit that is comfortable, measure the handlebar height, vertically from the floor to the top of the bars. From that, it's easy to predict the stem angle and spacer setup needed for any other bike.
If the BB drop differs significantly on any one frame the HTL will must be corrected in the comparison.
As for the frames in question, the Cervelo should not be vertically too small. You're 175cm tall with am 86cm inseam. I'm 169cam tall with an 83cm inseam, so we have about the same proportions. I would ride a 51cm Cervelo, but the head tube on the RS is too tall for my needs, since I use 9-12cm of saddle to bar drop. I have a total head tube length, with the headset and spacers of only 145mm, with a 73 degree stem.
The Cervelo has a 54.6cm TT, 73 degree STA and 160mm head tube. The headset height could be as little as 10mm or as much as 20mm, depending on the headset top section that is chosen or supplied with the frame.
The roubaix has a nearly idential 54.8cm TT, but the steeper 73.5 degree STA adds about 5mm to the reach, so the reach is about 7mm longer than the Cervelo, with the saddle in the same position relative to the BB.
The Tarmac has the same reach as the Roubaix, but the head tube is 20mm shorter.
When test riding bikes, you have to pay strict attention to the stem length on the bike, the stem angle and the amount of spacer under the stem, plus any difference in the handlebar reach. If the saddle is not accurately set to YOUR preferred setback, then you really can't draw any conclusions from these test rides. Even the brand of shifters affect the reach. Shimano brake hoods are the longest, followed by SRAM, then Campy, with the shortest reach.
All that said, the 54cm RS should not pose any fit problems, unless the head tube is too tall. If the seat tube was extneded 1cm short of max, is it only a 300mm post? Your saddle height should be around 76cm, or 3cm taller than mine. I had no problem with a smaller 51cm Cervelo, using a 73cm saddle height.
If you have a known fit that is comfortable, measure the handlebar height, vertically from the floor to the top of the bars. From that, it's easy to predict the stem angle and spacer setup needed for any other bike.
My seat height is just over 76cm. And just for kicks I measured the bar height on the Marinoni and found it to be 94cm from the floor.
Perhaps the height of the head tube on the smaller frame is making the bike feel "small". But then I do not have any knee/elbow issues on my present bike.
08-04-09, 08:07 PM
#7
Freddin' it
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Wichita
Posts: 807
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
OP: I'm about an inch taller/longer in your dimensions. A 58 Roubaix was too long of a reach, so I went with a 56. Fits great, but the seat is jacked up to the sky, and to get the bars up anywhere close to level with the seat, we had to use a 26-degree stem. Looks goofy, and, yes, when I'm riding it definitely feels VERY small. But that comes from a small bike made worse by the sloping top tube, whereas my previous bike was a 58 with a horizontal top tube. So I now have a goofy looking bike that looks like a midget from the saddle, but fits like a dream. If I keep my eye on the road instead of the bike, it almost seems perfect. 
08-04-09, 11:07 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Somerville, MA
Posts: 414
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I'm 5'10" and ride a 54cm Roubaix. I would say if anything the reach feels long to me, and I ride a fairly short stem. I do drop the bars a bit though (removed spacers and flipped stem), so that would affect it a bit.
08-05-09, 07:58 AM
#10
Senior Member
You are very accurate!
My seat height is just over 76cm. And just for kicks I measured the bar height on the Marinoni and found it to be 94cm from the floor.
Perhaps the height of the head tube on the smaller frame is making the bike feel "small". But then I do not have any knee/elbow issues on my present bike.
My seat height is just over 76cm. And just for kicks I measured the bar height on the Marinoni and found it to be 94cm from the floor.
Perhaps the height of the head tube on the smaller frame is making the bike feel "small". But then I do not have any knee/elbow issues on my present bike.
With that bar height, you could use a 160mm head tube, a 15mm headset top section, an 84 degree stem and 25mm of spacer to get the 94cm bar height. In other words, you need a total stack height in the 200-205mm range. If you flip an 84 degree stem to 96 degrees, it would raise the bars about 2cm and reduce the stack height requirement into the 180-185mm range.
08-05-09, 11:47 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Ventura, CA
Posts: 82
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix 2009 with ultegra triple, Raleigh Competition from the 70's
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
For what it's worth, I'm 5' 8.5" with a 30" inseam. I think my 54cm Roubaix fits well.
08-05-09, 11:56 PM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,449
Mentioned: 64 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 693 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
i think the OP may need a professional fitting, but i wanted to chime in that i am 5'11" and ride a 54cm roubaix w/ a 120mm stem.
obviously, it all depends on preferences and one's specific dimensions, but it IS possible that it could be a fine fit for you.
obviously, it all depends on preferences and one's specific dimensions, but it IS possible that it could be a fine fit for you.
