squirtdad

What range of frame sizes do you find that you can ride compared to your "perfect" size?

I know that there are a lot of variables, including how much seatpost you want to see, etc but over/under experience will be helpful to me.

my motivation, my measured frame size is 58cm (and my three bikes are all in this area... 23", 58, 58), but I just saw a frame, NOS, that is on my list, but it is a 61cm. My conservative side says forget it....my N+1 side says...it is really pretty and if I can get a good deal on it......Yee Haw

Barrettscv 

A 59cm c-to-c Top tube with a 110mm stem is ideal, as long as the seat-tube angle is normal.

A 60cm c-to-c Top tube with a 100mm stem is just as good.

Seat-tube is less critical, but stand-over becomes an issue at about 24.75 inches (63cm), c-to-c.

I do look for a longer headtube, less than 140mm can alter the fit formula. It requires an elevated stem which can shorten the reach. 160 to 175mm is good.

Too small



Small-ish



Perfect



another perfect fit



Too big.

avzay66

i am 6'2", perfect size is 58, biggest I would ride is 60 and smallest is 55. I have much easier time on a frame that is too small, rather than too large. I think the ideal size for my height was 60-62, but I prefer to go smaller.

bobotech

I like 53 to 56cm. I mainly ride modern frames that have sloping top tubes which helps me with standover. I have short legs but longer arms so a 56.5cm modern frame is fine for me because I can still stand over it.

I have ankle problems that make standover height more of an issue for me than most people.

itskohler

I like tall frames, 60-63cm and I'm 6'1" . I have long legs and long arms as well so it just feels better.

rootboy 

59 to 62 cm. I have one 63, a little long for me, but I couldn't resist.

Velognome 

59-64cm but the toptube dimensions are more critical with the smaller frames.

gaucho777 

55cm-58cm for me, though 56cm-57cm is ideal. I have a long torso relative to my legs, so I prefer a slightly longer top tube. I think it also varies with the bike. For a bike with race geometry, I'd rather it not be at the large side of the spectrum. My 58cm UE-8 is set up with a French fit, and the larger size works well for that.

cyclotoine

60-62. That is it. I could make something a tab bigger or even a tad smaller work, but it would look funny and not ride as nice, so I don't. 61 c-c ST with a 58 cm c-c tt is perfect. For me is it the TT that matters more.

rccardr 

One cm down and two up. Perfect size is a 57 ST (CTC) but I can go down to a 56 or up to a 58. A lot depends on the top tube.

jdefran

At almost 6' tall I have found my desired frame same size is 24" CTT. My first C&V bike was a 22.5" CTT, after several hundred miles I found there was too much saddle to bar drop and I was running a 120mm stem which lead me to think 'why not go up?'. Another bike came and gone that was 57 CTC, even being slightly larger (if at all really), I still didn't feel right. On a whim I purchased a 24" CTT bike on eBay hoping I could adjust it to fit and sure enough. Now one thing I noticed between the various frame sizes is a I was either 'sitting/riding on the bike' or 'sitting/riding in the bike'. With the larger frames I would naturally have even bars and seat, providing a more comfortable position. With respect to C&V road bikes, my modern 29er is more of a medium to allow for jumping, tight maneuvering, etc.

Bandera

56cm CT is ideal on the road but I own 55-57cm as well all w/56cm CC top tubes.

-Bandera

thinktubes 

I'm 6' 1" and I've tried everything from a 62cm to a 55cm.

57x56 is perfect. 58x57 is pretty good too. Anthing else is too big or too small, or requires compromises that affect the handling.

Here's a sampling (all sizes are c-c)

57x56


57x57.5


58x57


57x56


56x55

Lascauxcaveman 

I'm another peewee (6'0") that just feels at home on a too-big bike (62-63cm). My choice for today's commute, as an example:

ThermionicScott 

Same for me. My Armstrong 3-speed is a 21" and I can just get the stem and seatpost out enough to make the bike rideable from one bar to the next, but it's not ideal (planning to swap all the parts onto a 23" frame this winter.) The 55cm Bianchi Eros works in a "competitive fit" sort of way, but I really feel best on my 57cm frames.

Armstrong (old pic):


Bianchi Eros (could have sworn I had a newer pic with SPD's):


Bianchi Premio (57cm):


Bianchi Sport SX (also 57cm):

rhm

As long as the top tube is in the 56-57 range, the seat tube can be anything in the 58-62 range. If the seat tube angle is very slack, the top tube can be longer.

lostarchitect 

I have short legs and a long torso. Sizing is difficult. I suppose a 54 ST X 57 TT would be close to ideal. In reality I usually end up on a 56 or 55, and they work fine. I occasionally ride a 57 or 53, but they can be iffy.

Italuminium

my current stable neatly bookends my comfort zone, 54 through 58, with a sweet spot around 55.5

note, these are TT measurements, ST measurements are next to worthless IMHO.

Shp4man

Like others, I have short legs and a long torso. I can ride a 53, but it's cramped. One of my current bikes is a 57, but the top tube is pretty intimate with the crotch on standover. I guess 54 or 56 is about right.
I should probably sell the 57, but I just like the bike.. There's only about 2 inches of seatpost showing:

hairnet

24"-27" works. The short ones are long and low while the large are more upright with the bar closer in. Top tubes don't seem to change much in my sizes ( except touring bikes) so the head tube makes a huge difference.

RaleighSport

53-58ish depending on geometry TT etc... standovers almost irrelevant to me. Just another long armed long torsoed short legged rider here.

SJX426 

I am nearly 6' with a 35" CBH. I measure c-t-c for the ST. I think my low end is a 58:
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I have a 60 that is maybe more my size but the frame geometry is less agressive:
[IMG][/IMG]

Revracer

I am 6'2" and prefer a 60-63 in C&V, but have a very comfy 57 in a modern CX bike. I am trying to make a 58 work, but it is a struggle and it looks a little odd with long stem and high seat. TT tend toward 56 to 60 with stem adding 110 to 130.

tamaso206

My personal take on this-- bike fit is fundamentally just the relationship of the three contact points: butt (read:saddle), feet (read: bottom bracket), hands (read: bars). Once you find a relationship between these three points that agrees with your body (easier said than done!), it shouldn't change much between bikes. If you keep these points fixed, changing frame size within this range will just mean that you have to vary the amount of exposed seatpost & quill(or spacers), and the position of the saddle on the rails & stem length. This is somewhat aesthetic. But I find that the more I ride and the more fitness I have, the more I enjoy the handling of bikes on the 'smaller' range. YMMV.

Put the seat level and far enough back relative to the wheels so that you aren't bearing too much weight on your hands, fall forward into a position that is sustainable for your hips & back, reach out and find the hoods with your elbows flexed. If you can't do this, adjust your frame size / stem / seatpost until you are able to, and/or work on your mobility. Sorry for the digression, it just seems to me that naming heights and frame dimensions alone, without some contextual 'why' isn't terribly useful.

That being said... I'm 5'11.75", have riden top tubes 55cm-61cm, varying seat-to-bar drop between 8cm and 1cm.

Standalone 

61-67cm, though my xtracycle is built around a 23" 700c hybrid and my commuter is a folder.