Rio

Hey, Two questions. I've inherited a nice bianchi volpe. The problem is it's a little big for me. 54 should be 52. Should I just sell it. Or can I modify it to fit me better? Also, would it be bad to give it a more upright riding position while I'm at it? I really like this bike and want to keep it, but wonder if I should.

Thanks,

Rio

bman72

The volpe is a cyclocross framset, correct? Are you thinking it's too big for CX, road riding, overall? Assumming the standover height/top tube length is fine, you can swap out seat post and stem for some adjustment. However, back to the CX aspect, some suggest to fit down a frame size for CX bikes, others argue the geometry should fit like your road bike with a more upright position.

europa

My beloved Europa (see attachment - the seat is about a cm higher now) is a tad big for me, but she's been with me since the eighties. Funny how I never noticed the size before so maybe I need a slightly smaller frame now. I was riding her regularly until recently when I bought a nice new Trek520. Now the old girl has been converted into a fixie and continues to bring smiles to me dial as before

As long as you can stand over the frame safely, you can make the bike fit and if anything, you might get a plusher ride (might not to). It's all about saddle position vs pedals vs handlebars - the funny metallic thingies that hold the whole lot together can be changed to arrange those three and that's part of the fun of bike ownership anyway.

I would never suggest buying an oversized bike, but seeing you have her, and she's nice, enjoy her.

Richard

Rio

In answer to your question, Bman, it's a matter of reaching the peddles and even more, reaching the handlebars.

Thanks both of you for your great advice. I will keep her and see if I can make the fit a bit better. We had a bit of sun yesterday (4 inches of snow today) and I took the volpe out. She really loves to go.

Cheers,

Rio