Do you think bikes have gotten smaller over the years?
10-29-18, 07:05 AM
#1
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Do you think bikes have gotten smaller over the years?
Most frames 58 and up are very rare. A lot of the ones I do find are vintage frames.
10-29-18, 07:11 AM
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Maybe bike manufacturers have stopped catering to the outliers. Consider that 90% of the population probably require a frame that's 56 cm or smaller, and probably more like 95% when you factor women, it doesn't surprise me that a 58 cm or 60 cm frame is difficult to find.
10-29-18, 08:37 AM
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What bikes are you looking at that aren't available in taller sizes? It seems like almost every bike I've looked into in the past few years is available at least up to 61cm. Above that it's pretty dicey, but the population up to 6-3 seems pretty well covered.
10-29-18, 08:44 AM
#4
Non omnino gravis
Oh, they're available, but good luck finding them. My LBS had 6 bikes in stock of at least a 58cm frame size. But 54 and 56? Most of the store. I can't find a big selection of bikes in my size for the same reason I can't find a big selection of shoes in my size-- I don't wear a 10US, I wear a 14US. That's just the reality of it. If you're of average height and build, you have a lot of options. I don't complain because I can ride a 58 or 59 or a 61. I'm just thankful I'm not 4'10" or 6'10". They can barely find a bike at all.
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10-29-18, 08:44 AM
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1. Compact Frame Geometry
2. Big, high-volume manufacturers tend to gravitate toward fewer frame size options for a given model, to keep manufacturing costs down. Instead of 8 or 10 different frame sizes, some newer bands only offer three or four sizes to span rider heights from 5'2" to 6'2".
2. Big, high-volume manufacturers tend to gravitate toward fewer frame size options for a given model, to keep manufacturing costs down. Instead of 8 or 10 different frame sizes, some newer bands only offer three or four sizes to span rider heights from 5'2" to 6'2".
10-29-18, 08:53 AM
#6
Banned
Que?
No , But do Disclose; how tall are you? why do you ask this question?
more people not as tall as you wish just for your finding a cheap 60cm bike?
maybe they break sooner?
the distribution of the size of the average consumer is, generally stable.
when nutrition was poor people were short. as was their life spans..
In Holland, for example, you find bikes for tall women, because they are a big market sector..
....
more people not as tall as you wish just for your finding a cheap 60cm bike?
maybe they break sooner?
the distribution of the size of the average consumer is, generally stable.
when nutrition was poor people were short. as was their life spans..
In Holland, for example, you find bikes for tall women, because they are a big market sector..
....
Last edited by fietsbob; 10-29-18 at 08:57 AM.
10-29-18, 08:58 AM
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I think the answer is yes. Back when I bought my first "nice" bike, there was very little guidance out there on sizing, and a lot of us bought bikes based on guesswork and looks. I was also under a misconception that a short bike with a long seatpost and stem would be weaker, not to mention, less fashionable. I can't think of any other reason why the shop let a 5'10" college kid out the door with a 60cm frame. Today, we've got compact frames and hopefully fashions have changed. A lot of the old road bikes being sold on the Craig are 60 cm or even bigger. I'm assuming that it's guys like me realizing that those huge frames were a mistake from the git go.
10-29-18, 09:42 AM
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https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...rcos-frame-set
A super tall friend of mine has one of these with the double top tube and he loves it.
A super tall friend of mine has one of these with the double top tube and he loves it.
10-29-18, 05:14 PM
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Yes. They have definitely gotten smaller.
10-29-18, 05:32 PM
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Huh. A thirty second google search shows that Cannondale, Trek, and Specialized all offer road bike frames over 60cm.
10-29-18, 05:51 PM
#13
Interocitor Command
I think they have. Today when I see riders in the TdF some of them look as though they are riding children's bikes. I don't remember that a few decades ago.
EDIT: Well, I take that back. I do remember Ned Overend riding on a pip squeek little Specialized MTB.
EDIT: Well, I take that back. I do remember Ned Overend riding on a pip squeek little Specialized MTB.
10-29-18, 06:02 PM
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I don't know about that and being 6'1" there are plenty of bikes out there I could purchase that fit me, depending on the geometry I ride a 58-60cm.
10-29-18, 06:21 PM
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Says the man man who had to have a size not usually imported to the US with the consequent sight unseen buy and no try.
Many shops would not even order a large frame without commit to buy from them; yes, you might not buy THAT bike but it was trade not refund.
6’7, for reference.
This also has has no bearing on ‘have bikes got smaller’ but on availability of large frames.
10-29-18, 06:48 PM
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Frame fit style has changed over the years. When I got my first road bike back in the 70s, I seem to remember that you would ride the largest frame that would fit. Now it seem to be you ride the smallest frame that will fit.
10-29-18, 07:19 PM
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Offer. Yes. Finding them in stock can be a challenge, for sure.
Says the man man who had to have a size not usually imported to the US with the consequent sight unseen buy and no try.
Many shops would not even order a large frame without commit to buy from them; yes, you might not buy THAT bike but it was trade not refund.
6’7, for reference.
This also has has no bearing on ‘have bikes got smaller’ but on availability of large frames.
10-29-18, 08:01 PM
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In defense of the LBS, less that 4% of the adult male population is 6'2 or taller. So carrying those larger frames wouldn't be very financially feasible. At 6'4 I can somewhat relate to your situation. Not only did I have to pay for my bike in advance, but I ordered it in early December, and didn't take delivery until early February. Such is life for the height advantaged.
But the frames are out there. I ordered in late March, got it in August.
10-29-18, 08:33 PM
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Actually if anything, frames have gotten taller and longer if you compare the stack and reach of older bikes VS current models. Older bikes with the classic horizontal top tube had tall seat tubes, but the actual stack of the bike (high point on the headtube of the frame) was actually fairly low if you compared old to new in a comparable size. Compare effective top tube length as well. It's generally close to the same or longer on current bikes. Even older bikes that were 25" or 27" size frames had pretty short top tubes relative to the size of the bike. The ability to use a longer seatpost gives manufacturers the luxury of making less frame sizes that fit a wider range of people as others have said. The compact style frames really just "look smaller".
