Bike jambalaya

Guys with a 32-33" inseam what road bike size frame do you y'all ride. I measured my inseam height with a marker against the wall. To get my inseam number. The pants I'm wearing right now are a comfortable fitting 34waist and 30 length. I have other pants longer than 30 but none lower and I have some 33 and 32" waist pants but none 35. I'm 6' 185lb. Leg and torso proportionate athletic build.

Iride01 

Mine is 34.5" I'm 5' 11". I currently am on a 56 cm Tarmac. I like a somewhat aggressive position it gives with a fair amount of drop from the saddle to the bars/hoods. I tried the 58cm model, but I felt it was not as sporty handling as I wanted and since frame stack increases with size I would be limiting how low I could go with the bars for me. Frame reach also increases with increasing size. Though that's only in general, you might find some exceptions. Older vintage bikes might scale the reach differently with size than newer bikes. But there is no one pat answer. You have to consider each model individually for size.

For my 2020 Tarmac, Specialized recommended either a 56 or a 58 cm frame. There are some models of bike I would be suggested a different size because of the differences in the geometry between the two models. So don't just blindly look for one particular size bike. You'll be frustrated when you get to the bikes that are letter sizes. <grin>

I use to ride a 59cm Raleigh Competition GS and a 60cm Schwinn Paramount. Before that a 25" (about 64cm) Schwinn Varsity. All comfortably.

Bike jambalaya

I just picked up this 25" 86 bianchi sport sx 700c. I feel like it's a clear indication of how tall of a bike I can stand over. It feels like one more cm and it's going to be in contact with my pelvic bone. The 23" 83 nishiki international feels nice. Standing over it but that with 27" wheels.

The bianchi doesn't feel weird when I ride it. It's just up in me when in standing. That's not the end of the world for me but is it for some people ?

Iride01 

Most definitely. It's not the end of the world. Whether or not a bike has enough room between you and the ground to let you straddle it and put both feet flat on the ground is purely a person's own personal preference.

I seldom want to straddle my bike and stand with both feet on the ground. Typically when I stop, I keep one foot on the pedal so I'm ready to go when it's time to go. So leaning the bike toward the side that has the foot on the ground quicky makes that top tube lower. Leaning the bike lowers the saddle too. So many times when I'm stopped, I'm still in the saddle with one foot down and the other ready to go.

Eric F 

I'm 5'-9", 180lbs.(ish), with a pants inseam of 32". I generally ride a 53-54 / Medium frame.

Acadianbob

5'10". Riding a 55 cm bike. 32" inseam. Just as important might be the geometry of the bike you decide on. Do you want a bit more upright endurance style for example.

oldbobcat

Your leg length is pretty proportional to your height. Go no larger than 56, no smaller than 54. Test ride a few to be sure. Be sure you can straddle the top tube at its entire length, and you might want to avoid any bike with a virtual top tube of less than 56cm.

Wildwood 

I'm close to your height. If you can stand over the 25" (63.5cm) frame barefooted with a cm to spare, then your inseam is most likely longer than what you state in post #1, by at least a couple of cm. My guess is a 24" (61cm) should be a good French fit, probably a 23" (58.5cm) the best competitive fit. But there are so many other variables to make the frameset a good fit.

At 6'1" with a 34" cycling inseam (pubic bone height) my range of vintage frame sizes is 58 -63cm. But 59-61 cm = the sweet spot for fit and with normal stem lengths, classic drop bars, etc.

Palmer

I'm just a hair over 6' with a 33" inseam. Longish arms. My first "adult" bike (fitted by the bike shop) was a 25" Raleigh. Back then, the only measurement that mattered was the rider's ability to straddle the top tube. If you could do that with a little room to spare, the bike fit.
After I crashed the Raleigh, I bought a 58cm Dawes. I've ridden 58cm ever since. The owner of my LBS thinks that I should ride a 56cm, but he's never actually measured me.

George Mann

I have no idea how the frameset is measured, but I am 5'11", with an inseam of 33".

Measuring from the bottom tube to the top of the seat of my Raleigh measures 26" at its current adjustment height, allowing the balls of my bare feet to touch the ground when seated..

BTinNYC 

George, typically frame measurements are from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube. If the top of the seat tube is not flat, then to the center of the curve.

oldbobcat

Mr. Sensible here. We need more of that.

oldbobcat

That's the way it was done back in the day. And it's so wrong. And maybe you could ride a 56 that's almost as big as the 58 you're already on, but hey, that's splitting hairs.