Pista sizing
 

So I went down to the LBS this afternoon with the plan to get a pista (yeah yeah i know). Anyway, they didnt have any in stock, so I will have to order one. The frame size ive been fitted for in the past was a 56cm. I had planned on getting the 55cm on the pista. The guy at the bike shop suggested since I will be riding mostly in the city in traffic that I should get the 53cm. I can see his point of view, but a 53 seems really small to me. Do people normally ride a smaller track/fixed frame than they would with a regular road bike? I am about 5'10", 5'11" when i dont slouch... 32.6" inseam, 65.4" torso, 63.5" arm extension. If anyone can provide any suggestions i'd appreciate it. To me it seems like a 53 would be too small.

all I know is a smaller bike is seen as better for sprinting.
but nothing I hear has convinced me to go with a lower frame size.

i ride a 55 pista and i am about 5'9"/5'10" and its perfect for me.....i guess it really depends on personal preference. I don't ride track, really only in city traffic so, i dunno, if that helps at all.

i am 6" 1' and ride a 57. i would think a 53 would be too small. a 55 sounds more right to me.

I ride a 59 Pista, which my lbs recommended, and I probably could have gone with a 61.

In order to give myself some relief from the crowded cockpit, I have installed a seat post with a 35mm set back.
This puts me a little further back over the rear wheel and has worked out for me.

I guess I would say that a rider should consider not only his or her total height, but torso length compared to leg length, as well.

After a year of fiddling with fit, my slightly small 59 Pista now serves me better than the obvious choice of a 61, but only because I experimented stem lengths and seat post setback.

I'm 5'8" and I have the 53cm Pista. It fits me quite comefortably. I just used the old stand over the top tube method, and gave it a test ride.

i'm exactly the same height and had a 55cm pista that fit perfect.

59cm has equal seat and head tube angles. Parrrrrallllllllelllllllllllllll woooooooooo [falls down]

If you have long legs, go with the larger size; if you have stumpy legs, go with the smaller size. Also, it's a track frame so the higher BB shell means that you'll wind up with a shorter seat tube than on a road bike with a similar standover.

I would agree with mactano. The general rule of thumb is to get a one or two frame sizes smaller then your regalar road bike size.

im 6'1-6'2 and ride a 59+ road bike, but 57 track bike

Ginetta... all depends of the brand... maybe a 54 in some brand wil work fine... but since u r like a 56 in average i would go just with a 55, not too big, not too small.

UM

Isn't it really just a matter of personal preference? I like a tall frame...I'm new to track frames but I am happy with a track frame just as tall as a road frame. Don't see why a smaller frame would be any better -- I don't really like the feeling of towering over my bike frame.

six foot two and a 58cm pista.

im 5'10" and road a 52cm IRO for a while fgg. as you can see, the seat is way up and the bars are very low. bought it off of some girl when i needed a bike badly. i will say that the first time i hopped on and tried to swirve around a ped, it bucked me right off. the geometry was so tight compared to everything else before that, that i could make much sharper turns, but i didnt really have a sense of what was too sharp for a while.

now i ride a 55cm pista and its much less fun but much more comfortable. i think there is definiteily a continuum between how comfy you want to be and how much control/skiddishness you want your bike to have. if your in the philly area you could test mine out.

Im actually in NYC, but thanks a lot for the offer. Thanks for all the responses everyone.

I think I am going to go with the 55. Im going to go down in just a minute and order it. Look forward to joining the club

Track frames look taller than road frames... thats what u mean? For sure use a frame 60 when u are like a 55 it will be tooooooooooo uncomfortable and slow to react... and usually for track u get a frame 1 cm smaller because u need a bike that should be stiff and fast to react and easy to manouver. Those are the usual rules. In my case I just go for 1 cm smaller than my road bike, Too small is too short and too big would result in a position too relaxed and when u r doing track racing thats the last thing u r looking for in a track frame. As u said... is a thing of preferences and u r a newbie in track.

I'll u give an stupid example... I was thinking in getting a ridley track frame, Well i had to send an email to the factory asking them because I barelly could figure it out what size was the right for me (not too big or not to small), I missed for half a centimeter from what the factore emailed me back. Im a little bit taller than ginetta and I use 56-57 frames but in ridley i have to go to 55 or maybe a 54. Althoug it is a thing of preferences and style it depends of the frame brand too, 10 years ago it wasnt so much as a problem as now it is... Sizing tables were done 100 years ago (im exagerating OK?) but with new tubes, new geometries, those tables only can be used as guide (in the past too but everything was more standar). So now u have to figure it out because even the sizing tables in the manufacturers web sites arent right at all (I imagine that the reason is because somebody can copy the angles and stuff).

cya...

That's not really true. You get a shorter seat tube because the higher BB shell and (generally) steeper seat tube angle on a track frame result in a bike with a shorter seat tube when compared to a road bike with an equivalent standover. It's just math.

m.

Since a track bike has a higher bottom bracket, you end up with a smaller frame using the stand-over method.

Well...

i think the key thing here is "an equivalent standover", REAL track bike has higher BB, so no equivalent stand over at all. Both road and track frames maybe have the same size but the stand over will be different like for 1 or 2 cms off... only because of the bb drop (or height in realtion with the floor)

The next point is that People tends to follow the same stand over and thats not so right if u think in the math geometry problem. I mean.. if they get a road bike that is 60 cms stand over (im making up the numbers ok?) they will tend to get a track bike that is 60 cms stand over aswell. Obviously the frame will be shorter because basically u r getting an smaller track frame that is 1 or 2 cms short everywhere. DUH!

I'll explain again, In track bikes the BB is higher than a road bike so same frame sizes will have different stand overs. Oviously the one that has the BB higher or less BB drop for those who work in those terms... will have a taller or higher stand over, eventhou the frames are the same size. Some people dont realize that and tend to use the same stand over in both machines and thats isnt right after all... because the BB have totally different DROP or height.

For example... I have seen some manufacturers that weld the rear chain stay track drop outs folowing the center line of the chain stay... wonder if they realize that if u do that as back the wheel it is in the drop out the lower the BB it will gets... weird stuff but they weld like that...

too much by now ... hehe..

cya :)

U won for a few minutes... heheh i agree 10000000000%.

I meant my track bike has the same stand-over height as my road frame, and it seems fine. I suppose if I were riding on a track I might have a different take, and perhaps I'd fine my track frame is too big. But I have only ridden on the streets, just like with my road bike. I'd love to try track racing -- I would have by now except that the velodrome here is out in the 'burbs and I don't have a car.

I'm 5'10 with a 55cm Pista and I've never been comfortable on it and will be selling it as soon as I find a new frame. It feels pretty big to me. I was much more comfortable on my 52cm conversion, even though that was a bit small.

55 and 5.10 and it is too big??? do u have a picture of the frame and u over it? I mean thats like the right size if u get a 54 or a 53 ull look as a bear over a monocycle...

Well its your call not mine... who knows whats the problem with your fitting anyways...

cya :)

ed: Well maybe u have short legs and long torso? if thats the case.. u have to stick with an smaller frame and long stem or maybe u want my frame :p

If your track frame has the same stand over than your road bike means that your track bike is smaller but not big at all. For sure is at least 2 or half a centimeter smaller than your road bike and shorter than the road bike I still dont understand why u still mean that your track frame is bigger or too big. I dont think it is big at all. in a matter of fact a track frame looks bigger because of the front tube, it is bigger. It is sad that u cant go to the track, at least u have one nearby i dont have a s....! in here. thats life ::)

UM