Transfixed06

anyone with pics of tall folk riding track frames a few sizes too small? i ask because i am a 6'2" dude with a golden opp to pick up my dream frame, built to kill, at a great price. is the potential for total disaster THAT huge? oh, top tube is a mere 54cm, btw.
half of me just wants to throw caution to the gale force, and take the plunge. the other half knows i'd probably be making a colossal mistake...though, i suppose one could always go the way of the re-sell (its a keirin). talk some sense into me, people.....but be gentle, im sensitive to name calling..haha.

deathhare

what is the frame and whats the price?
i ask because you should be sure you can flip it for your money back if you need to.

asherlighn

55cm is the length of my top tube and I am a hair under 5'7" and my bike fits me perfectly. It might be a golden opportunity, but Im pretty sure you would be amazingly cramped. Is there anyway you could test it out before buying it?

onetwentyeight 

you will be in lots of physical pain. dont do it. im 5'11" and tried to ride a 54 for a few months and it gave me various joint pains.

EMT

I am 6'4'' and rode a 53cm for a few months borrowed from a friend. This was not too bad once I got used to it, but after more than 30 or 40 km my shoulders would get painful as I had to put way too much weight on the bars just to keep my face out of the front wheel. That said after getting my hands on a larger framed bike I have had nothing but knee pain.

bonechilling

The major con is that you'll look like a ******.

Transfixed06

^ hey thanks!

nexus6

I'm 5'9 and ride a 55cm currently. My other bike was a 53 and a bit too small.
You'll look like a circus act on a bike that small and I'd hate to be your vertebrae.

mykrrrr

Besides the pain you'll feel by being too cramped up on that frame...this comes to mind.

BRANDUNE

That does sound waaaaay too small, Im 6'2 and I have a 58cm, and even that is begining to feel a bit small

Transfixed06

a friend of a friend just scored a Kalavinka, near perfect flake paint, nitto groupy (new), DA HS/BB/Hubs/Cranks (new-ish) for 800 (homie price). its too small for him, and he's an inch shorter than i am. i thought i may be able to take it out of his hands and jack the seatpost up a bit, being the total tanabe-san fanboy that i am. conversely, i know i could re-sell it for a lot more...flipping is no prob, but i just want to keep it, and frame the damn thing over my fireplace...if, that is, i owned a fireplace. agh! i want to ride it SO bad. stupid genes!

thanks for the info so far, though. minus to feminine product shout-out

cavernmech

I am also 6'2". I rode many bikes that were too small for me over the years because of "great deals". Now that I know better I stick to bikes that are the right size and am no doubt better for it. Unless you are all legs 54cm top is gonna be too short for you.

deathhare

Just buy it and sell it. Keep the parts you like.

kemmer

I bought a nice Raleigh Professional track bike cause it was super purdy and cheap despite bieng too big. I ride it around now and again, but I would never want to ride it very long. One of these days I'll sell it, but for now I just show it off to people who come over to my house.

andre nickatina

The biggest problem you're going to have is discomfort in various places of the body, obviously. I'd say buy it, ride it for a month to get it out of your system and than flip it for a profit. I rode a frame a bit too small for me for 3 or 4 months and while it was a very fun bike and easy to throw around, in the end I was happier selling it to get a bigger frame that fit me better. The most obvious issue is going to be a crazy saddle-to-stem drop (which isn't necessarily bad if you plan on riding very short distances), and feeling cramped unless you can somehow get a super long stem to find the bike. It's not like the frame is going to limit your top speed by 5mph less than what it would be, it's just that you're going to feel the pain after awhile whether it's your knees, ass, hands, wrists or back.

roadgator

hmmm, too small of a frame.

wont be comfortable, wont get ridden, will be an expensive prop.

im not a sizing nazi, and believe a reasonable fit can be had on anything +/- 2cm of ideal, but 6'2" on a 54cm is ********.

andre nickatina

he said 6'2.

Kol.klink

i'm 175 and ride a 50, its fits like a glove, took a bit of getting used to, i thought it was to small, untill i rode some one else's 54

roadgator

edited, but its still way too small.

bonechilling

Weight + Frame Size = ???

roadgator

cm. 1.75m. hes from canada, give him a break.

laryanshabaz

I'm no expert, but I think there's a greater chance for toe overlap issues.

Transfixed06

thanks all...im convinced. i'll let someone who actually fits it, enjoy it. plus my friend stands to make a great deal of loot without having to "hook a friend up". thanks again for the input.

bonechilling

Ahhhhhhhhh. Whoops.

MIN 

Severe saddle to drop issue would be the most pressing issue because you can generally account for other measurements using a longer post or longer stem. You can't chage the saddle to bar drop without using a (silly) flipped-up stem. Also the weight being centered over a short wheelbase might present handling issues.

You can have equally bad problem being fitted to a bike that's too large also. If your rides are under 25 miles though, there is much more tolerance for a size mismatch. Repetive stress is what creates tension and injuries.

I feel like my road bike is maginally too large for me and the Pista is a touch too small. Custom Vanilla bike, here I come!