alfisti

Hi folks. I'm new to Bikeforums, first post!

I am a male, 5' 2.5" in height, I wear pants with 29 inseam - but fold the bottoms. I'm "vertically challenged". In shoes, standing on the floor, I measured up to my wedding tackle and it's about 71cm.

In October 2014, I got my first "real" road bike- Cannondale Synapse 6 tiagra, with a triple. I worked with a great local bike shop, who measured and fitted me to a 44cm WSD frame. I believe they swapped out the handlebars (can't remember). But I don't think they swapped the stem - I measured what's on it now, at about 11cm.

My Cannondale has a standover listed as 71.6cm. I can in fact stand over it, with a verrry slight amount of smooshage (technical jargon). Bottom line, it's comfortable. And I'm not unhappy with the bike, it's just as I've started to think about upgrading (I now know I'm enjoying cycling, and want to stick with it), I am thinking of getting a better, lighter bike, that might help me go a bit faster, and just have a bit more fun being on a cooler bike. What can I say... I'm a typical guy... you should see my cars... Anyway, given the stock wheels and components on my bike, it's something like 25-26lbs, and given the whole package, doesn't "feel" like upgrading pieces of it makes sense.

So I've started to think about buying a used carbon bike. And since there's a food of snow on the ground outside here in NJ, it seems like a good time to buy...

A couple of searches netted me two possible bikes. I don't have to limit my choices to these two bikes - but they look like good candidates. I have to figure out first if either or both could fit me, and if yes, which makes the most sense to buy.

One is a Blue NX7 from 2009, with Dura Ace components, total deal would likely be less than $1300. I contacted Blue to ask about measurements, and here's what they sent:

Top Tube 50.5
Seat Tube 46
Head Tube 9
H Tube Angle 71.5
S Tube Angle 74.5
Fork Rake 4.5
Wheel base 95.8
Stand over 71.1

Given the dimensions above, it looks like a relatively close match to my Cannondale:

I'm a bit hesitant to buy a carbon bike of this vintage, but the wheels/tires are new, as are the cables... seller estimates, 6000-8000 miles on the bike. Given the age and wear, I have to decide if I can live with the risk. But what I really want to know is, will it fit?

The other option is a Wilier Izoard XP in XS size. This one is harder to figure out. I attempted to measure the stack and reach of my Cannondale and I came up with about 52 for stack and 40 for reach - but measured very roughly (eyeballing). It looks very close. But there is no standover measurement... I sent Wilier an email asking about it - hopefully they respond soon. I have been told, and have read frequently, that standover is not as important as stack/reach, and overall fit, and it SEEMS to me that if I'm comfortable riding my Cannondale, I can be comfortable on either of these two bikes. Is that correct? But what if I can't stand over the bike? Isn't that a bad thing?

Here's the measurements on the Wilier:


It may sound like I'm trying to make these options work, vs. finding the proper bike - and that is partly true. In my size, it seems like all frames are compromises of some kind. There are not that many frames that fit me, and finding one used is not easy. If either of these bikes fit me, they look like compelling options, given I don't have the budget to spend $2000+ on a bike. $1300 is pretty much it. i like the fact that the drivetrains on these bikes are a big step up from the Tiagra equipment I have on my bike.

On a side note, from an "appeal" standpoint, the Wilier looks downright sexy, but is probably another $150 more when all is said and done. The seller for the Blue has her act together, will ship for less $, and it would be a quick and easy transaction.

Thanks
-Glenn

alfisti

P.S. The Wilier is a 2013 with Ultegra components.