nstone

Hey,

I have a chance to buy an old canti poprad frameset (size 57). Could be a fun bike, but I'm having a hard time getting a handle on the fit. Toptube looks a bit longer and headtube way shorter than I'm used to on my road bikes. Anyone have experience with these bikes? Thanks!

bcpriess

I have a Lemond Tourmalet, which is a different machine, but the fit may still be applicable. Mine is a 57, and I fit a 60 in other makes. Lengthwise it's good, but I flipped the stem up to get a better stack height. Not a big deal though since road bikes all put your hands pretty low. I think the Lemond fit might be overstated...just make sure the frame is tall enough, you have to judge that. Bigger issue is I'm guessing tire width probably maxes out at 35 - Lemond stopped mfr before the gravel/adventure/allroad thing hit so it's probably strictly UCI cross spec.

fishboat

What size road frame(s) do you ride? How do they fit(on the large side, small side, or just right?)

shoota 

I'd say they fit a size big. Meaning if you ride a 56 then I'd get a 55.

KeatonR

I have an '05. They do fit a little big, and when I bought it I was riding a 56cm road bike but have bought a 55cm Poprad. I'm 5'11", and I have shorter legs and a longer torso, so the long top tube is perfect for me. Another curious thing about the bike is that, as you noticed, the head tube is short. As a result, the fork is actually a little longer than standard. I discovered this when I went to upgrade the fork to a carbon one. Any standard cyclocross fork would have lowered the front of the bike a bit, so I ended up going with a Bontrager carbon fork with the correct length.

Anyway, it's a great bike and I love it, although I'm also casually in the hunt for a CX bike with discs (targeting the All-City Macho King at the moment).

Koyote

I've got an '03 Tourmalet in size 57, don't know if it has the same geometry as the Poprad. But the TT is 57.5cm. With the stock 115mm stem, it fits about like my other bikes which are 58cm TTs and 110m stems.

My Tourmalet does have a short headtube, but a long steerer tube on the fork. So that is workable for me.

So, no, I don't think Lemonds are larger than the stated size, if you look at the TT length.

I will also say this: is the Poprad made of Reynolds 853 steel? Because if it is, that's gonna be a sweet frame.

nstone

I usually ride a 59, but fit is tricky. Got long legs and a short torso, so road bikes that are the right height for me often feel long (hence my concern about the Poprad's headtube and toptube). However, I've never owned a cross bike, so I wonder if the slacker angles will make up for the longer geo.

chas58

I usually just go for the cockpit length (top tube + stem). Everything else is fairly adjustable. Cross bikes tend to have low head tubes as they are designed for racing, although you can raise the stem and angle it if you need to.

Cross bikes don't have slack geometry, unless you are comparing them to road (track or crit bike). Even so, its not slack like Gravel , hybrid, or mtb bikes. They are meant to turn aggressively at relatively low speeds.

fishboat

Maybe look for a 57 Poprad locally and give it a spin to see. I have several Lemonds, including a recent Poprad acquisition (all 55s), and the Poprad feels quite similar to the road bikes...though with the weather lately I only have one 35 mile ride in on the Poprad.

From what you've said, I think if a Lemond will fit you, it'll be a 57cm. The following link has the spec-catalogs for the Lemond bikes in the Poprad era. The catalogs will have the Poprad as well as the road bike frame geometries. If you know your existing bike's geometry you should be able to get a reasonable idea of relative fit.

Trek, Fisher, Klein, Lemond bike catalogs, bicycle brochures

tFUnK

I used to focus on tt length but now consider ht length equally important. Frames with modern geometry tend to have taller ht lengths which effectively reduce reach. OP's concern is warranted but if the fork has a long enough steerer it will allow for some adjustment there.

Dave Mayer

I have roughly 10 road bikes, including a Poprad. If I was forced into the choice of taking a single bike into the afterlife (hell by definition), I would take the Poprad over my other newer, far more expensive bikes.

Great do-it-all bike. Reasonably light (in the rim brake version), huge tire clearance and great ride.

The only measurement that really matters on a bike is the top tube c-c. Find the top tube that fits you.

Cynikal 

I have an 05 poprad as well. I normally ride a square 56cm road bike with a 100mm stem and the Poprad (with a 90mm stem) fits perfectly. The fit is different than most CX bike that I've ridden. I sit in the frame more than on the frame, which is something that I prefer.