Venturarace

Hi,

Im looking to purchase the Bianchi Vople. I have been to two LBS's in my general area.
Im both cases I spoke to the owners and seemed to be very experienced. On guy tells
me im definitely a 55cm size, the next guy tells me im definitely a 58cm size?!

I am 5 11 , with a 32" inseam. Unfortunately neither LBS has either of these sizes in stock
for me to test ride, so they have to be ordered.

I noticed the sizing of the Vople seems to be wide....61cm, 58cm, 55cm. Could it be for my
dimensions I am inbetween sizes and a Volpe will not work for me??

What size Volpe do you guys who are 5 11 and 32" inseam ride and is it a perfect fit?
Im also 170lbs.

Thanks

KDC1956

Try to fine a bicycle in a 55cm and a 58cm and see what works better for you.But looking at the two you like I would try the 55cm.

Venturarace

All the Volpe owners.....
Any of you that are 5 11, 32" inseam with average legs and arms ride a 55cm frame that fits
you perfectly??

meyers66

Hi,
I'm 6'1" with an inseam of 34". I ride the 58cm Volpe '07. I highly recommend you test ride both before buying. Before I test rode, I was fitted on a machine and told I was a size 61cm frame. I searched high and low. Finally test rode both. The 61cm frame was way big. When I have my hands in the hoods and look down the handlebar blocks the view of the front hub. That's what you want. That said the only problem I have with the bike is I want to stretch out further in the front on long rides. So I put my hands on top of the sti shifters from time to time. Try to get the shop to swap out the tires to something more narrow like Conti Top Contacts. Count the spokes. Brand website says 36 spokes mine are 32. No problems so far. Good to know ahead of time. Shimano pedals 324 are great with mtb shoes. One side platform the other clipless. Great bike.

flyingWeez

I am 6'3"with a 34" inseam and ride a 58cm. The guy at the LBS said I am DEFINITELY a 58cm too. May have been what was in stock, but it does fit quite well (or I should say I don't hurt when I ride).

Doug64

Hi, I'm a little shorter than most of you, and ride a 58cm (90mm stem). I'm a hair under 6' with long legs and arms. As Meyers66 advised, test ride if you can. I'm happy with the fit, and have about 6,000 miles on that bike with no real fit issues.

As you can see, I am not really stretched out, and my saddle is only about 20mm higher than the bars. I would like the bars a little higher, but that is all the adjustment I have

gcasillo

I'm 6' with a 32" inseam, and I rode a 55cm Volpe a few years ago. It was set up more for riding to/from campus and some foul weather training. Unless you like your handlebars at or above your saddle, I'd think a 55cm will work.

njkayaker

The difference is 3.0 cm, about an inch or the width of your thumb. If you are "in between" the two sizes, we are talking about less than half the width of your thumb!

The horizontal top tube lengths are 560mm for the 55cm and 581mm for the 58. That is, the difference in the top tube lengths is even less (2.10 cm)

It's unlikely that neither would "not work for you".

It is possible that you might need a stem change (but that's trivial).

You are too focused on your inseam. As long as you fit over the thing, the horizontal top tube measurement is what is important.

The only way of guarenteeing a "perfect fit" is to get a custom bike and still people have different opinions about what "perfect fit" means!

For most people, the stock sizes will give fits that will be more than good enough (with some minor changes, like stem length).

Torrilin

Actually, your first thumb joint is going to be 2-3cm long, not wide But aside from that... total agreement.

My partner is one of the "not most people"... 6'2", inseam of 32". He rides a San Jose (same basic frame, but semi-horizontal dropouts) in a 58cm, and has to angle the bike a good bit at stops. Otherwise the top tube tries to go through bone. He's long enough torso that there's no way in hell he can have a go fast fit on a 58cm. Fortunately, it's not meant for racing and instead is for commuting and knocking around town and on state trails.

At some point, it'd be amusing to put the brother-outlaw on it... he's 6'6", but is all leg, so his torso is pretty damn short. I suspect it'd still be too small, but less than you'd really expect just from eyeballing the two of them.

tarwheel 

I'm about the same height as you and have the same problem with Volpe sizing. I may have bought one except the 55 is too small and 58 too large. Top tube is the critical dimension. I seem to have the same problem with a lot of frames. Soma is a great example. Their size 56 frames are a little small and the 58s are a little too large -- again due to the top tube length.

As others recommended, your best solution would be to test ride both sizes if that is possible. Or research other frame options. You might find a perfect fit in another brand.

njkayaker

I think people are going to be more familiar with the dimensions of the width of their thumb.

The width is fairly close to an inch (maybe 90%) for somebody 6 feet tall. The first joint is bigger than the width.

njkayaker

The difference in the top tubes is 21 mm. The most it could be "not right" is +-10 mm. This is a small stem change and well-within the variation of people's preferences.

Keep in mind that it isn't clear if he has been fitted on any of these. It's not clear what isn't right about the frames (he only talks about inseams).

tarwheel 

A top tube difference of 1-2 cm can be substantial, in my opinion, depending on the seat tube angle. I have ridden bikes with top tubes ranging from 56 to 57 cm, and I am considerably more comfortable with the shorter top tubes unless the frame has a slack seat tube angle. Shortening your stem to compensate can adversely affect handling if it gets too short.

njkayaker

Here, we are talking about at-most 1 cm. It could be less than than that. While people are completely free to find any difference "substantial", we don't have any idea what the OP's target is. He only appears to be talking about standover height. We have no idea how he feels on any particular bike. (You, tarwheel, might be quite able to tell between these small differences. It's not at all clear that the OP is able to!)

It's also hard to say whether a -10 (or less) mm stem change would be "too short". Is a 110 (or larger) stem going to "adversely affect" the handling compared to 120mm?

It would be interesting to know what the "acceptable" variation is for racers is (I don't think they use custom-sized bikes).

b4lini

I'm 5'11" with a 32" inseam and I ride a 55cm Volpe. I also ride a 57cm Via Nirone, which I had first and when I was deciding on the Volpe, the LBS guy said that the Volpe measures a little "short" and should fit me like the 57mm Via Nirone. I assume he said this because the top tube lengths are both 560mm.