How are the ladies with IRO's sizing their bikes? I'm 5'7", 31.5" inseam, I'm thinking I'd be a 53?

on that note, does the angus in a 50 or 53 have toe overlap (165 cranks + track pedals + clips)?

I have basically similar proportions (at least the two that you mention). I recently bought a 53cm Jamie Roy, and it seems a bit long for my short torso, at least compared to my other rides. It's still a good ride, just bigger than what I'm used to. A shorter stem and narrower bars would help.

If you are planning on doing the BF group buy (mark V geometry), I would recommend the 53, especially since it has a shorter TT than the Jamie Roy of the same nominal size. That's what I'm gonna do.

note: I'm not a girl, I just wear girls pants.

what?

girls size bikes just like the boys but often with a shallower saddle to bar drop and a lil shorter stem

Wait- wouldn't it be a bigger saddle to bar drop, due to our (my) freakishly long legs?
edit- Oh wait, you mean handle bar, not top tube. ok

I've noticed that I can fit on bikes bigger than men of my height can, maybe that's a "me" thing and not a girl thing.

Thanks quickfix, I'm pretty sure on the 53, I just wanted some reassurance.

girls often have longer legs and shorter torsos proportionately. As has been mentioned before the top tube measurement is more crucial than the seat tube measurement. For instance I'm 5'10, but I know many women who are 5'7" but have the same inseam as me. My bikes are too big for them. They are better off using a smaller frame and jacking the seat up more.

yes yes

I just remeasured my current bike's top tube and it's 2 cm longer than I thought it was. Everything makes much more sense now. 53 it is!

Thats interesting. I let my girlfriend pick between the 50 and 53 and she is about the same height and inseem wise, and she found the 50 to be much more comfortable.

There is a guy in my town with a very tall track bike. He's got the seatpost fairly high, and the stem is like 30cm and or something extremely short and the bars are low, and he's got a 0 setback seatpost with the seat pushed all the way forward. When I see that I always picture a guy with legs up to his armpits, but apparently he is more normally proportioned than that, but just prefers a very short reach. In other words proper reach is both a matter of physical proportions, and personal preference.

No, they don't. Only when compared to men of the same height. Compared to men on the same standard curve for height, women have proportionally shorter legs.

That is, if the average height for a woman is 5'6", and the average height for a man is 5'11", the man will have an inseam proportionally longer than the woman's. A 5'6" man, on the other hand, will likely have an inseam proportionally shorter than the woman's. When men deviate from the mean, it's usually mostly because of differences in leg length, while women differ in torso length. Tall girls often have proportionally short legs, but since tall girls often also are thin girls, they look like they have longer legs.

In the case of the OP, 80 cm legs for 170 cm body is pretty much normal. I'm 179 cm with 85 cm inseam, which is proportionally longer.

i can't imagine buying anything that i haven't tried first.

if there was a good deal on ebay or whatever then i'd want to at least try something similar at a shop before spending any money. if it was just a random frame that i found lying around i'd take it and then pass it on if i tried making adjustments and it still wasn't right for me.

vive la difference!

Now I'm thinking I wanna go for the 50. I'm really torn up about this. I have a 50c gunnar cross bike, that has an effective 54 top tube, and I have a really short stem on it. I know I'll be fine with clearance on the 53 iro, but I'd probably have to have a really short stem, which I'd rather avoid- for handling purposes. My old trek conversion is a 21" with a 54 tt as well, but I have a more "normal" sized stem on it, and it feels fine. Why does every bike hafta fit different?!

and zippered, have you been asleep? BF limited edition IRO's!

lol, i've noticed a few mentions about it lately, but that's one of the main reasons that i would be reluctant to go in on a deal like that. that, and my lack of $ for basic needs, let alone a 4th bike. however, like i said, maybe you could find a shop with iros to see for yourself. you're going to need to buy at least one thing when you're building it up, so it's not like you won't be able to return the favoUr, eh? if it makes you feel better, i also feel the same way about shoes. (ha, two stereotypes in a row!)

i have a 50 and i'm 5'4. my legs are longer than my arms and the 50 is great. i just jack the seatpost higher and my ride a stem about 100/110 mm with a rise otherwise i can't reach the drops. my friend is 5/8 with a 33 inseam and she rides a 53 and she says it's to small for her. sooooo ur best best is to get the 53. or find someone near u that has an iro in a 53. i know that probably doesn't help.
p.s i'm a female

No, that helps a lot. I think maybe the 53 is the way to go, as if I get the 50 I'll probably need a ridiculously tall stem on it to get the bars where I want them.

Zippered- you're right. It's just such a good deal... Of course I don't really need another bike either, but I don't have a bike with track ends, so I've somehow managed to convince myself that this is a necessary purchase. Plus I love matte black.

What about canice's question about toe overlap? I'm curious about that too.

a 53 will have some toe overlap, you can minimize it with different pedal/clip combos.

(actually, if you have tiny feet and get small clips, you might not have any.

on my 50 i don't have toe overlap.

On my 53cm Angus I do, thats why I responded. But like I said, since girls generally have smaller feet, it may be avoidable or very easy to minimize.

Yeah, thats right, I made a generalization about girls and the size of their feet.

mine doesnt. must be you have longer clips.

Put a 700 wheel back on it.
(joking)

Whats your pedal setup? I don't have much toe overlap, but there is some.

I've got MKS RX-1's w/ the MKS(mediums) clips and i have no overlap on my 53cm. the only thing i don't like about my Iro is the fork!!

I am 5'8.5", 31.5" inseam, I chose 53. Because I have a longer torsal compared to my legs. both my road bikes will fit in the 53 category 1cm more or less, nothing that can not be fixed with a longer stem. But if you are overstretched over the top tube, it is harder to fix.

How do you not like the fork!?
Also, there is a difference between the Mark V and the Angus.

Another good reason to go for the 53 is that the 50 isn't available in white!

Oh...I have the Angus. The fork just looks generic.What would be a good replacement for it?