Whats the right size bike??
 

I am about 5' 8" and a slim guy, what is a good size bike for my height? I am looking on CL to buy a nice vintage bike and not sure when I look at the cm sizes what is appropriate. Any help would be awesome!

go to a bike shop

buy a 60-62cm ride, u can sell to me second hand if it doesn't work out. thanks.

njs only though

Dave Moulton has a pretty good chart on his website.
http://www.prodigalchild.net/Bicycle6.htm
Here's Sheldon Brown's page on Frame sizing.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html

just a bit too small with some toe overlap

Peoplelike to debunk standover height but I still say it's good for a ballpark. Go to a bike store and find a frame that you have to teabag when standing over it. That'll be within 2 cms or so if you are of normal proportions.

You need to know a few more measurements then just your height - what is your inseam, how long are your arms, etc.

A rough guess for someone 5' 8" with relatively normal proportions would be in the 51-53cm seat tube range in my experience. This could change of course if you have freakishly long/short legs, abdomen/ arms

i'm guessing at 5'8" you're gonna be close to a 53-54cm. if i was at a shop thats what i'd grab first, unless you had freakishly long (or short) arms. keep in mind i'm talking effective toptube lengths here and you may fit anywhere from a 53 to a 56 depending on the bike and what kind of fit you want.