terribad16

Hey everyone, I picked up what I think is an 80's Nishiki road bike off CL.. it's a 60cm frame and I'm 5'11" so I think ideally I would need a 58cm frame. But it was only $40 so it's not a big deal... But anyways, when I ride it I feel like I'm bending over a lot, even when I'm using the top part of the bars. I've never rode on a road bike before, and have only ever commuted on a mountain bike so i don't know if it's because of the frame being a little to big, or if it's just something I need to get used to.

I know a lot of different measurements go into fitting a person to a bike, and I haven't given you much info to work with, but just your opinion from your experience would be great.

Thanks

Veik

get a shorter stem, move a sadle forward, etc

or spend few 100s on a pro bike fit.

halfspeed

Impossible to say. It takes some time to adjust to the road bike position, but it isn't even clear to me that your frame is too big.

terribad16

Oh well i have no idea if it is to big for me, It just feels uncomfortable. I didn't know if 60cm is to big for me, or it if I'm just not used to the road bike positioning.

55/Rad

Show us a profile photo of you riding the bike. We MAY be able to help you then...

mpath

His bike was $40.....

Drew Eckhardt 

1. The bike may be much too big. I'm 5'10" with a 30.5 inch cycling inseam and ride a 55 (center to top) or 53 (center to center) traditional frame depending on how you measure which leaves a fistful of seat post exposed as was normal in the 1980s and 1990s.

2. There are many fitting formulas. Pick one, put your measurements into the formula, measure the bike, and see what needs to change.

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO

There are multiple ways to achieve a given combination - for example if you need 67cm of reach you could get there with a 55cm top tube and 120mm stem or 58cm top tube and 90mm stem.

Seat location is set based on how long your femurs are and shouldn't be used to reduce the reach to the handlebars.

halfspeed

He's an inch taller than you, we have no idea whether his legs are long or short and we don't know about the frame geometry so I can't imagine how your measurements and favored frame size have any bearing on whether or not his bike fits him.

pdedes

that bike is far to large for you. there is nothing you can do to make it fit you unless you bury the seatpost, turn the handlebars upside down thus resulting in a bum bike.

AC1074

It sounds like the bike is a bit too big for you. I am 5'10 and was fitted with a 56cm frame at my local bike shop when I bought my first road bike. That's just the frame though. The seat position will also play a factor. Your feet should barely touch the ground when you are seated so you get a full range motion while pedaling your bike.

It will take some getting use to riding a road bike the first few times. It is a different than a mountain bike. Either way, I would go to your local bike shop and ask to be measured...it shouldn't cost anything. At least they don't charge for that where I live.

halfspeed

Not necessarily. Road bikes of that vintage often used top tubes shorter than what is common on similar sizes today. This was especially true on lower end or sport road geometry frames. I have a 62cm Bianchi Sport of a similar vintage that has a 56.5 cm top tube. That top tube is actually shorter than my 57cm Torelli carbon frame. "Frame size" is nearly meaningless without some context.

The bike may be too large for him, but there's no way to know that based on the information given.

NJgreyhead

Congrats, sounds like you got a good deal on a good bike. Can't beat the price.

I did almost the same thing recently, got a too-tallish old Nishiki, 60cm tho I usually ride a 58cm bike (I'm 5'11" with a 32 pants inseam), but my Nishiki was free, so I think I'll keep it.

Re the fit, tho it gets pooh-poohed anymore, go back to the basics: can you straddle the bike without your jewels getting crushed by the top tube? If so, the bike could work for you. And better a bit big than small, methinks.
It might be a case of you needing to get used to the more aero position of a road bike, as you say.

terribad16

Hey everyone thanks for all the replies. Just standing over the bike the top tube was getting in to my crotch so I'm pretty positive it was to big. But I traded the frame and wheels plus $50 for an 80's Peugeot. I really don't know if thats a good or fair deal. But the Peugeot rides great, and with the 58cm frame it fits great. I still feel a little funny on the road bike, but riding with the drop bars is extremely fun and relaxing to me, although I'm not sure why. I still can't be positive if this is the perfect size for me. But it feels good and I figure that's what matters most.

Titmawz

I am 6'1" and I can not ride nothing thats smaller than a 58cm with a 57cm top tube =) My current road bike is that and my everyday commuter is a 61cm and I am A ok with that =)

pdedes

you think wrong

oldbobcat

5'11" on a '80s 60cm might be a bit of a stretch, but considering the age of the bike, with a shortish stem, it might be just right for a classic "French fit."

Around the late '80s (the Greg LeMond era) and into the Lance era, top tubes on larger sized bikes grew about 1-2 cm. Then around 2006, after Lance's first retirement, the top tubes started shrinking a little. So, for example, except for standover height, a 58 cm 2010 Trek fits a lot like a stock 60 cm (c-t) 1980 Masi Gran Criterium, a bike of pretty average proportions for the period.

Interestingly, Lance's first retirement coincides with widespread adaptation of the moderately extended (about 2.5cm) head tube that we see on current H2 (performance fit) Treks, Scott CR1s, Bianchi Infinitos, Cannondale Synapses, etc.

ciocc_cat

Interesting discussion. I'm 5'9.5" tall (used to be 5'11", but I seem to have shrunk as I got older) with a 33.75" cycling inseam (oddly, that hasn't shrunk) and I presently ride a 1980s vintage 55.5 cm (c-to-c) frame. I rode a 58 cm (c-to-t) frame back in the late 1970s when I was 5'11" and was quite comfortable on it.