Did you see the picture of me straddling the top bar? I know that's not the definitive way to size a bike, but the top bar is spot on, no?

I agree I just need to ride the damn thing and stop posting on here

Well it looks like the saddle is angled forward and you might be reaching a little. That might have you feeling that you were falling forward. I'd possibly drop the saddle a little and flatten it out. Forward-tilted saddle Can be a sign that the saddle is too high and the rider is avoiding unwanted pressure with an unhealthy tilt.

Standover height is meaningless unless you bought the bike to support your junk while hiking.

And yeah .... getting pissy about snark is not the way to joy here. It took me a while to learn it is just BF and no0ne of it matters .... lots of wise-mouths here, having lots of fun.

[MENTION=78894]Carbonfiberboy[/MENTION] is not normally snarky .... he is like 7000 years old and can do one-finger pushups, and is just a nice guy as a rule .... but he saw the same thing I saw, which is that in the first photo, the frame looked small .... i think a combination of the downward angle and the sitting position (not a riding position) made the frame look smaller than it is .... but that is a short head-tube which means whatever size the frame is, the bars will not go up much ....

As far as the guy who owned it before being taller and longer-limbed .... yeah, so? Maybe he preferred a really stretched-out riding posture so his long limbs and longer torso let him reach comfortably what you, with shorter limbs, cannot reach?

Every one of us is a unique snowflake or maybe just a flake of ash .... but we are all different. Different proportions, different length of limbs, different flexibility and range of motion, different riding styles and preferences.

Anyway, one of the classic BF posts is "I just bought this, should've I?" Not so many lately, but when people buy stuff and ask if it is worth buying .... yeah, they might get some good-natured ribbing .... because it is pretty much an idiot move. Figure out if it is worth buying Before you buy it, is usually the response.

Your post verges on that.

By the way .... for future purchases, i recommend the Competitive Cycling fit calculator (https://www.competitivecyclist.com/S...ulatorBike.jsp) I took those measurements and made a stick-figure of myself, then when buying new frames I sketch the frame on graph paper and add my stick figure to see if it fits. So far I have been able to get seat height and setback nearly perfect and stem length and angle and spacer stack just right on new frames.

Standover has almost no bearing on fit - there was a time when that was a standard for some, but that time has long passed. Hip position relative to the bottom bracket and stack and reach are the important factors.

Actually, that was just to get around the censor. I've never been to England, but I've been to Oklahoma.

Also .... you bought a bike with an unspecified rattle somewhere in the front end? ...... Really ...... okayyyyy........

Could be headset or brakes or wheel bearings or stem or bars .... and any of those things failing at speed could cripple or kill you. Good plan.

Headset .... well most likely outcome is that you will ovalize that expensive Ti head tube and the frame will be worthless. Bars suddenly shifting while riding can lead to a nasty crash .... whether they turn when the bike doesn't or the bike doesn't turn when you need it to or if they rotate out from under you .... all good ways to investigate the details of your dental insurance coverage at the very least.

If the brakes are loose, that's fine .... only risk is that they crack the fork or tear loose and gouge a huge hole in the crown, and maybe then wedge in the wheel and send you fling .... particularly exciting on a downhill turn at high speed, and best if there is no guardrail ...... And wheel bearings, who needs 'em? What could happen, the wheel could stop turning at speed, of flop sideways? What could go wrong?

While the fix might be simple, .... it might. or maybe permanent damage has already been done .... maybe the guy has wrecked his head tube and doesn't even know it. This is why I tell folks looking at used bikes to bring a knowledgeable friend along.

Coould be nothing. You might have gotten a really nice ride for a really good price. I'd say most of us here would prefer that to any kind of horror story.

But seriously .... "I just dropped $500 on this bike .... it might have terminal mechanical damage, or maybe not. I am going to ask some friends if it fits me .... what do you guys think?"

If you saw that post, what would you think?

Congrats on the bike..it's very nice. If you paid $500..you got a killer deal.

As I mentioned in the other thread, I have a Lemond Victoire (basically the same bike) so I know how it rides (wonderful). You mentioned in the other thread on this bike it was advertised as a 57cm frame. This bike looks like a 55cm frame to me..as compared to the four 55cm Lemonds I have. Photos can distort in weird ways though..it may be best to measure it (center of crank to the center of the top tube along the seat tube). Mine measures 55cm exactly in that measure. If it is a 55cm frame(56.5cm top tube) and you're 5'10..then it'll fit. (I'm 5'10.5") Your stem looks like it's 90mm-ish...maybe. You may need a 100-110mm stem. Also looks like it's running Gatorskin tires. Some folks here love them..but in real life they are dogs. Good flat protection, but you'll pay for it in every mile with slug performance. 28mm Panaracer GravelKing Slicks will fit on that frame, just nicely as they measure about 27mm. MUCH nicer tire and fairly inexpensive. I run 28mm GK Slicks on my Victoire. There are better tires for more money...tires are one place where most often(?) you get what you pay for. Great tires are about the biggest bang-for-the-buck improvement you can make in a bike like this. You'll notice it without any ambiguity.

You done good..nice ride.

I think it's too small.

If you're 5'10", I have difficulty believing that bike is a 57cm.

PS: I think the saddle is too high.

So if you sell it to someone who's an inch shorter than you, and that person sells it to a person who's an inch shorter than him...Then it might fit nicely. The circle of life.

Seriously, though, if it is a little small, the first step (if you can't return it) would be a longer stem. That's cheap and easy.

Rattle?
 

I missed that part of the thread. It could be nothing or it could be very serious- I would get it checked out by a mechanic.

I replaced a carbon fork after a crash because of a rattle. After I cut it up to check I think it was just just some of the manufacturing debris inside that got loose (there are a lot of bladders used in making carbon fiber that are often left in after baking) and was very impressed how tough the fork is. I’m pretty sure the fork was fine. Anyway, the peace of mind of not worrying about something going wrong sending me to the ER again was worth it.

Maybe ask the previous owner about the rattle and if the bike was ever crashed.

Another thing
 

I love the look of unpainted titanium frames. That is was of the nicest I’ve seen

That bike looks too small. Guess it's still better than no bike and will probably be fine for your use.

Yet another thing :)
 

In another thread you posted more pics of the bike. One showed a speed sensor in the front. Check if any of that is loose or if the wire is slapping the fork. I’ve had one of those magnets on the spoke cause a rattle as it got loose before.

If you aren’t using the speed sensor I would take it off myself

The rattling could just be the cables.

An easy starting point for saddle height:

First, level the saddle. I like the middle to be level, on your saddle, it's the portion above the diagonal slashes on the saddle cover. Other riders just level using the front and back edges. Either use a carpenter level, a phone app(!) or just sight against a window frame or a fireplace shelf, etc.
The single bolt saddle clamp needs to be very tight to keep the saddle from tilting if you hit a bump hard.

You have a low setback seatpost, with close to zero setback. seatposts with more setback will let you move the saddle back farther, if that's necessary for your fit.
I'm guessing you'll want it moved backward just a little right now, since the frame is a bit small.

Now sit on the bike in a doorway, and put your heel on the pedal. Pedal backwards. Can you reach the pedals on your heel without rocking your hips? Adjust the seatpost up or down as needed.
This gives you a reasonable bend in the knee when you pedal on the balls of your feet.
Don't crank down the seatpost bolt with a huge force. It needs to be tight enough to keep from slipping, but not "as tight as I can force the hex wrench"


The "jam a book to measure inseam" method is good, too, but is a little more work.
~~~
setback seatpost example:


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f187124318.jpg

~~~~~~~
Standover height:
I have short legs for my height. A level top tube, like you have, might be a bit too high for me in the correct size frame. My bike has a sloping top tube, so it works in the correct size for me. Your frame should be fine, perhaps a new stem and/or seatpost will be good.

But ride it for a while first!

EDIT--
Your stem is a zero degree slope (it's straight out, 90 degrees to the steerer tube that it's clamped to). Many stems are sloped, and could raise the bars by 10-20mm, enough to be noticeable. And they come in different lengths, too. It's an easy swap.

Thanks for all the replies. I hate that for every positive constructive comment there's at least one a+hole comment, but I guess that's how it goes. The clunk was easily fixed by tightening the stem? Head tube? I guess I'm stupid for buying a bike that makes a noise. It's not always easy to do an exhaustive test on a bike you are buying in a busy parking lot. Ill ride it for a bit and if it's uncomfortable I'll sell it and get something else.

Did the shop fix the rattle? Or did you work on it?

Adjusting the front steerer bearings is quite easy, once you know the correct method. But it's not obvious how it works at first, and guessing how to adjust it is a really bad idea!
If you want to know how to do it, reply, and I'll post the link to the method.

Any and every bike requires some adjustment (or a new stem or seatpost) to get the fit right. Don't be too hasty in selling the bike if it doesn't fit as is. You'll gain nothing by getting another bike as you'll land in the same spot your are now...it'll need adjustment and possibly some parts-fitting. Dialing a bike fit in can take some time. Ride it and see how it feels. If the cockpit feels a little cramped, consider a longer stem or setback seatpost..if the bars seem too low consider a stem with some rise (25 or 35 degree). The bike will fit you..you just need to work through what that means.

If you're not sure how to fit it or want to cut to the chase..go to a bike shop with a good fitter and have it adjusted to you. You'd be hardpressed to find another bike as good or better for that money...particularly in TN(which is where you are..if memory serves). You're money ahead at this point. In my neck of the woods that bike would sell for $800-$900 fairly easily. I've been watching Lemonds on CL & FB for years..

Remember to wear a shirt or jersey.

Firmly against junk ≠ spot on.

Maybe he was selling it because it didn't fit him?

Ok this is from mid crank to seat post insert. If you want to believe the bike is too small then I don't know what else to say. Maybe I had a growth spurt at 52 years old I dunno...and yes the tape looks slack because I only have two hands but that's where it marked off. Slightly over 57cm.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...492a9fedb9.jpg

This is why you ask people with more experience.
Three things:
1. the seatpost is not way, way out of the seat tube. A pretty normal amount.
2. The seatpost is a setback seatpost, with the saddle largely centered in the cradle.
3. The saddle is way off level, which may result in you
A) sliding forward as you ride
B) feeling like you're being thrown at the bars
C) putting too much weight on your hands, resulting in numbness in the hands..

That's actually 55 CtC, which would NORMALLY be at the small end of normal for a 5'10" guy, but you might have short legs.

Not Arizona ... what does it matter?

zero setback?

My suggestion would be, since you're going to get a fitting, level the saddle first, and set the saddle height by putting your heel on the pedal at the most extreme reach, and set the saddle so your leg is straight. This will put you in the ballpark for saddle height, assuming you put the ball of your foot over the pedal spindle - in the first pic your leg looks too straight at the bottom of the stroke.

Then ride it a bit, just a couple miles maybe, today and tomorrow, to see how that feels. Then go ride with your friends on Monday, and take note of what feels "off". That'll help with the fitting.

I think that the frame will work for you. In the first picture, you look really upright, like the bike is way too short front-to-back, but your leg is too straight at full extesion, which makes me suspect that MAYBE you have shorter legs and longer torso.

Looks more like 1 cm setback to me. Not zero.