I'm looking to purchase either a cannondale road bike or Raleigh, and prefer the overall look of the smaller frames, they just make the bike look more "sportier". Do you think a 48cm frame would work well for somebody that's 168cm tall?

It all depends on your body measurements, but try a 52. 48 seems a bit small. Are you able to ride before you buy?

They didn't have any 50cm or 48cm in the cannondale at the bike shop. I was able to try a 52, but that was way too big for me. I did go to another bike shop and tried a Raleigh militis Elite road bike in 50cm and that was decent, but I felt I could've went down a size.

Wish I can try a 48cm cannondale since that's the bike I most likely will be purchasing. I can't get a refund if its the wrong size. So I'm curious to know. I know it depends more on just your height, since everyone has different size arms, legs, torso, etcs. A lot can matter in how it all fits. But I'm pretty sure that for a cannondale road bike that I will either fit a 48cm or 50cm. However I'm leaning towards the 48cm.

That is weird that the 52 felt small. I am 5'8" and ride a 54, and if anything it is a little to small for me.

5'7" here. 53-55 bikes suit me best.

Now that I'm getting old, I'm about due for higher head tubes, but I like horizontal top tubes, so I think a 56 seat tube with a 54 top tube would be ideal for me nowadays.

Also 5'7. I ride 52, and I believe I have a short reach for my height. 48 for 5'6 seems unusual. I could even ride a 54 comfortably if I have a shorter stem.

Hi,

I am 181cm and i am using a 48cm Road Bike with 130mm stemfor two years. I feel a lot comfortable even on my 200-250km rides. Can one say "no there is no way for you to be comfortable" or is it just my body suitable to that, thank you.

Bike https://i.imgur.com/3m2rZZZ.jpg

I'm 5'7" and have a variety of bikes ranging from 48cm to 56cm and they all fit. You really need to try the bike first to make sure it's correct for you. My 48mc required a slightly longer stem and a layback seatpost to give me a perfect fit and is now possibly one of the comfiest bikes I have size wise. The 56cm is an old school steel frame and is also a perfect fit. Too many variations to consider with modern bikes nowadays to buy untried for me

48 does sound way too small UNLESS OP is quoting the ACTUAL seat tube length rather than the nominal size or EFFECTIVE seat tube length. A few bike makers are listing their sized by ACTUAL seat tube which is much shorter on a compact frame then EFFECTIVE seat tube. But fit is all about the individual bike chosen, not some number listed in a table. Try to understand what the size number means. For 5'6" an EFFECTIVE seat tube (going from the bottom bracket center to the top of the imaginary top tube if it were horizontal should be around 50-53.

5'8" here (172cm) with longer legs and shorter torso. 52cm to 54cm bikes for me. My Domane is a 52cm and shows plenty of seatpost. If I went to a smaller size, I'd need a longer stem and have the saddle all the way back. Good for popping wheelies.

I always purchase bikes based on their effective top tube length. Forget about seat tube height that can be adjusted so easily. I'm 5'6" and ride a 52cm Motobecane Vent Noir with a 535mm ETT. Lately I'v been looking at the Kinesis Aithein, I would go for a size 50cm in that frame as their 50cm bike has a 535mm ETT.

I would think its a little on the small size unless you have ducks disease (small legs in proportion to your body)
5'6" riding 52cm and 50 cm frame.
Do your feet touch the front wheel on sharp turns.
Allan

I'd suspect that it's too small. I'm 5' 7.5" and my two bikes are 54cm and 55cm I would think that the OP is best suited to something in the vicinity of 51cm

Another thought.... if your really unsure get a fit done at the same time as your bike purchase.

Take some measurements and try an online fit calculator. Competitive Cyclist.com has a good one. A 48 might be small but a longer stem maybe will compensate enough.

I'm a short, scrawny 5'6", and my 51 fits perfectly. 48 seems way too small.

Yes, get a bike that is too small because you like the look.

Lots of people ride classic/vintage bikes too large for the same reason. Nothing wrong with getting a size for the look as long as you can makes adjustments for the proper fit.

I'm 5'2" and a c'dale 48 is the right size for me. I bet it's too small for you.

This. 48cm could be right if your 5'6" is more torso than legs.

Fit is personal. We can suggest a range for you based on our bike fits -- and 48cm might be on the small end of the bell curve for 5'6" riders. But it's entirely possible that 48cm is a good sized frame for you.

Even a proper fitting bike can have toe overlap depending on the geo.

Yeah, pretty much every 80s or 90s Italian race bike I've ridden that fit me have some amount of overlap.

A lot depends on which Cannondale we're talking about, too.

A Synapse has a 3cm higher headtube than a Super6 of the same frame size, for instance.

So if "sporty looking" for you is low headtubes, you have to get the right model.

You want a 54cm stack height, the 51 Synapse has 54.9, the 48 has 52.9

In the CAAD10, 54 has 54.5 stack. 50 has 52 stack, 48 has 51.7.

I'm 5'6" and I ride 48. Feels great. My inseam is 31.5".

My first road bike when I got back into cycling was a 1987 Specalized. It had 74 degree seat and head tube angles with overlap but I loved the way it handled and steered.