Help with choosing the right size...
08-21-10, 10:44 PM
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Help with choosing the right size...
Never been on a real road bike with drop bars, and I have recently caught the bug to go fast.
I'm relatively fit, standing at 171.45cm with a cycling inseam of 79.5cm at the weight of 155lbs. I work out daily and am lean. I am at the tender age of 25. I plan to do some fast paced group rides with the local clubs, and maybe look into racing a couple years down the line if I'm any good/serious.
I've been reading a lot of threads about bike sizing and how important fit is. I understand that there are different fits for a road bike. I can be more aero, for racing, or more relaxed/upright for longer rides. A smaller bike will have more saddle to bar drop, and a larger bike will have less seatpost showing. I also understand that it's easier to make a smaller bike bigger, but not as easy to make a bigger bike smaller.
The bike I'm sizing is the 2010 CAAD9-5. I'm either a 52 or a 54...
I rode both sizes and found the stock 52 very comfortable. I felt balanced, my sit bones were planted on the seat, my arms had no pressure. All I wanted to was spin. Had I closed my eyes and reached for the hoods, they would be there, right where I was reaching for. I thought to myself, if I was Goldilocks, this was the one. If I spent a hundred kilometers on it, would I end up feeling cramped or sore? Probably, but I could always swap out the stem for a longer one and pull the seat back, right?
On the stock 54, I felt stretched out like Superman, with pressure on the arms. This is while on the hoods. The stretch was mainly in the lower back, and the pressure was mainly elbow down. My arms were practically locked out. Turning also felt less responsive than the 52. Is this feeling correct for a new rider on a road bike? The shop that had the 54 insisted that the 54 was my size, and what I was feeling was normal. They insisted as I rode more, that I'd become more flexible, and that it would feel more natural. I can agree to this. Doing anything more often makes it easier and feel smaller than it use to be. After a couple laps around the lot I told them I was uncomfortable and that I felt stretched out. Graciously they switched out the stem for one that was 10mm shorter and had a little more rise. The swap didn't make much of a difference. I still felt like Superman. Even with a shorter stem with slight rise, and the hoods angled upward, I felt stretched out. I understand that the top tube is a cm longer on the 54, but it felt a lot bigger. Probably due to dimensions of the head tube and seat tube angle? I understand an even shorter stem would change handling, and overall feel of the bike's geometry. I felt stressed because I couldn't fit on the 54 and went home.
Every thread about bike frames puts someone my size on a 54. I realize different bike frames measure out differently, different riders have different porportions, and that I can't fit myself from reading something on the internet. If anything I'll have to buy a bike, put couple hundred kilometers on it, and then dial in from there. Is it possible to get the right fit the first time around?
Which size do I put my money on? It seems every shop I step into, the bike they have on the floor is the size for me. Do I go with my gut feeling and get the 52 and have the shop tell me "I told you so" after I realize the bike is too small later down the line? or Do I HTFU and stretch out on the 54 and hope for the best? At this point a professional fit from a 3rd party seems reasonable to me.
They say fitting a bike is like fitting a shoe, but in this case, I've never worn shoes before. I don't know if the shoe is too big or too small.
5'7.5" 31" cycling inseam
52 54
Top Tube 53.5 54.5
Standing over the 54, I have a cm of room.
Standing over the 52, I have 3cm (about an inch) of room.
I like room.
https://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...0RA95C-CAAD9-5
Thanks in advanced.
I'm relatively fit, standing at 171.45cm with a cycling inseam of 79.5cm at the weight of 155lbs. I work out daily and am lean. I am at the tender age of 25. I plan to do some fast paced group rides with the local clubs, and maybe look into racing a couple years down the line if I'm any good/serious.
I've been reading a lot of threads about bike sizing and how important fit is. I understand that there are different fits for a road bike. I can be more aero, for racing, or more relaxed/upright for longer rides. A smaller bike will have more saddle to bar drop, and a larger bike will have less seatpost showing. I also understand that it's easier to make a smaller bike bigger, but not as easy to make a bigger bike smaller.
The bike I'm sizing is the 2010 CAAD9-5. I'm either a 52 or a 54...
I rode both sizes and found the stock 52 very comfortable. I felt balanced, my sit bones were planted on the seat, my arms had no pressure. All I wanted to was spin. Had I closed my eyes and reached for the hoods, they would be there, right where I was reaching for. I thought to myself, if I was Goldilocks, this was the one. If I spent a hundred kilometers on it, would I end up feeling cramped or sore? Probably, but I could always swap out the stem for a longer one and pull the seat back, right?
On the stock 54, I felt stretched out like Superman, with pressure on the arms. This is while on the hoods. The stretch was mainly in the lower back, and the pressure was mainly elbow down. My arms were practically locked out. Turning also felt less responsive than the 52. Is this feeling correct for a new rider on a road bike? The shop that had the 54 insisted that the 54 was my size, and what I was feeling was normal. They insisted as I rode more, that I'd become more flexible, and that it would feel more natural. I can agree to this. Doing anything more often makes it easier and feel smaller than it use to be. After a couple laps around the lot I told them I was uncomfortable and that I felt stretched out. Graciously they switched out the stem for one that was 10mm shorter and had a little more rise. The swap didn't make much of a difference. I still felt like Superman. Even with a shorter stem with slight rise, and the hoods angled upward, I felt stretched out. I understand that the top tube is a cm longer on the 54, but it felt a lot bigger. Probably due to dimensions of the head tube and seat tube angle? I understand an even shorter stem would change handling, and overall feel of the bike's geometry. I felt stressed because I couldn't fit on the 54 and went home.
Every thread about bike frames puts someone my size on a 54. I realize different bike frames measure out differently, different riders have different porportions, and that I can't fit myself from reading something on the internet. If anything I'll have to buy a bike, put couple hundred kilometers on it, and then dial in from there. Is it possible to get the right fit the first time around?
Which size do I put my money on? It seems every shop I step into, the bike they have on the floor is the size for me. Do I go with my gut feeling and get the 52 and have the shop tell me "I told you so" after I realize the bike is too small later down the line? or Do I HTFU and stretch out on the 54 and hope for the best? At this point a professional fit from a 3rd party seems reasonable to me.
They say fitting a bike is like fitting a shoe, but in this case, I've never worn shoes before. I don't know if the shoe is too big or too small.
5'7.5" 31" cycling inseam
52 54
Top Tube 53.5 54.5
Standing over the 54, I have a cm of room.
Standing over the 52, I have 3cm (about an inch) of room.
I like room.
https://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...0RA95C-CAAD9-5
Thanks in advanced.
08-21-10, 11:37 PM
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Firstly, it's always beter to get a bike that's too small than one too big. There is much less pain riding a smaller bike.
One thing you really need to do is try out more bikes. Cannondale are nice, but different brands and models will have different choice sizes and geometry that may be more or less comfortable to your particular body. Trying more bikes will also give you a much better idea of what you should expect out of the fit and comfort. You could make an aim to try a brand that makes a bike around a 53.
Oh and you also need to ride it more than just around the parking lot a few times.
One thing you really need to do is try out more bikes. Cannondale are nice, but different brands and models will have different choice sizes and geometry that may be more or less comfortable to your particular body. Trying more bikes will also give you a much better idea of what you should expect out of the fit and comfort. You could make an aim to try a brand that makes a bike around a 53.
Oh and you also need to ride it more than just around the parking lot a few times.
Last edited by damnable; 08-21-10 at 11:41 PM.
08-22-10, 10:02 AM
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Go with the one that feels comfortable. You have to ride it so you decide.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
08-22-10, 11:25 AM
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I would probably go with the 52 but with a 31" inseam you're going to be forced to ride with a decent amount of drop even with all of the spacers underneath the bars. I would set the saddle height up at the .883 X cycling inseam and make sure the drop doesn't bother you.
