fixed frame sizing
 

hi all, i ride a peugeot road frame that i converted into a fixed gear over a year ago. i ride it every day and love it, everything feels great. now i'm planning on buying a frame that is actually pretty nice (a debernardi thron track) and seeing as i'm laying out quite a lot of cash (at least for me) i want to make sure the sizing is right. there aren't any shops around me that carry the bike so i'm going to get it online. anyway i'm just curious about the sizing. when i measured my current frame it came out as 55 cm (CC) seat tube and 56 top tube. that seems to correspond nicely with debernardi's 55 which has the same two dimensions. so do you reckon i should go ahead with that frame or is there something specific to the geometry of this bike (or track frames in general) that should make me opt for the 53 (which is what various sizing charts, and other threads seem to indicate. i'm 5'9 and have a 31-32 inseam. keep in mind this bike will be used almost entirely on the road, i'm not a racer, but don't want to be riding a boat.

thanks

check that. that peugeot i was talking about. it just got stolen. minutes ago. so now i definitely am getting a new bike.

Wow. **** sucks.

story please.

OMG that sucks big time. The guy at my LBS just told me yesterday that one should get a track frame that is 2 sizes smaller than one normally rides. Is this total BS? I am wondering the same thing myself.

left it locked outside my dining hall for like 15 minutes. came back. it's gone. ahh it's damned sad. it wasn't even that nice a bike, nothing too impressive. but still, i had built it up over time and it was my first fixie.

Re post 5, I was told recently that a lot of people go down one size on a track bike.

hmm yeah i'm thinking i'm going to go for the 53. that's what it seems like other people of similar size are riding. now i just need to buy a whole slew of new parts.

The bottom bracket on a track frame is usually somewhat higher than on road frames, in order to prevent pedal strike. This can mean an increase in standover height, but IMO not enough to warrant sacrificing good riding position. Stick to the measurements that work for you and don't worry about it.

I have the same inseam as alexcm (32") but I stand 6'2" tall.

So, I have short legs and a long body.

I ride a Bianchi Pista.

For stand over height I went one size smaller, 59cm, than I would have otherwise.

It helps that the Pista has a slightly sloping top tube.

In order to get the distance from handlebars to saddle that I needed, without putting too much weight on my front wheel, I got a setback seatpost (35mm) and I feel centered over the bike with a 90mm stem.

Too bad your bike got stolen, 'cause you could have taken measurements from the pedals to the saddle, from the saddle to the handlebars, and from the crank bearing to a vertical line directly under your saddle.

As kbjack notes, fixed gear bikes have higher bottom brackets.

How amazing that alexcm and I have the same inseam and such a difference in height.

Talk about this sizing thing. My LBS was telling me to get one size LARGER. I currently ride a 54cm Specialized Roubaix and they have Langsters in both 54cm and 56cm. I thought I was golden as the 54 is an 05 and they would let it go for a song but then one of the guys I actually trust at this shop told me it would probably be too small. His reasoning was that the larger bike would get me in a better position to deal with the high cadances that you get on a fixie...more room for the thighs to not hit the chest (or belly) and more room for extra clothes (thinking of going fixie for the winter slop less main factor).

Thoughts?

Also my LBS does Giant, Specialized and Cannondale...so my picks from them are the Bowery, Langster and the Capo. The C'Dale is more than I want to spend and the word on the Bowery is that the frame looks like crap (really cheap welds even by Giant's standards)...which leave the Langster. I was also thinking IRO since they are only like 60 min down the road I can pick it up...but the cost will be like $100-$175 more than the Langster.

well does anyone know anything about the de bernardi in particular? anyone with comparable size riding around the street on a 55 or 53?

I am 5'10 w/ 32 inseam. Both of my track rides are 54s. Stick with the one that has the closest dim. to your previous ride.

just ordered a 53cm from debernardi. should arrive in a few days. no better way to take my mind off my old bike...