vsanthos

I picked up a 1974 Schwinn Continental today at the flea market and was pretty excited. As with any unplanned purchase, I have moderate buyer's remorse. The frame seems to be a bit too large for what I should be riding. According to online calculators, I should be riding around 22.5". I haven't measured the frame yet, but from the sizes they made, I'm guessing it's the 24". I can stand with both feet flat on the fround while straddling the bike, but... for lack of a better term, the bike gets quite intimate with me when I do. I rode a few miles to my sister's house today and aside from being out of shape from my primary bike being broken for the last few months, the ride on the new bike was great.

I've been looking for a decent road bike for a while, and I'm excited. Aside from busting the family jewels if I slide off the saddle, is there going to be any large issues with comfort or safety from a frame that's a smidge too large? If I had to get rid of it, I would likely make a large profit off of the bike, but I'm really in love with it.

volosong

Good find. They were pretty decent bikes in the day. You shouldn't have any real problems ... that is if you don't slide off the front of the seat.

If you are planning on some long rides, say more than 30 miles or so, then the size might be a problem. But, that would be from a fit/comfort angle. For shorter rides, one can go up or down one size without any real problems. (Just my own personal opinion. Others will most likely hold a different view.)

c_m_shooter

It's probably fine. I have been leaning more to Grant Peterson's theory that most people are riding too small of bikes.

Erwin8r

I agree. IME, if I can straddle the bike flat footed, it's gonna' be ok--especially on older bikes where they were more "square" instead of the newer l, compact and semi compact style frames where you can have a couple inches of clearance. Ride it and enjoy it!

Oh, and please post pics...

vsanthos

I only have the picture I took to rub it into a friend when I got it home. It's in pretty good shape.

CACycling

Looks just like the Continental I rode in high school. Judging by the amount of seat post exposed, it is probably a good fit. The older bikes had shorter top tubes relative to seat tube compared to modern frames.

volosong

How tall are you, vsanthos? What is your inseam? Based on my Mondia, which is of the same generation, I'd hazard a guess that your frame would fit someone between about 5'10" and 6'1", plus or minus. If you are around 5'7", I can see how it might be slightly big.

vsanthos

I'm 5'11" and have a 30" inseam.

Pshrynk

This. Anyways back in those days (according to Sheldon Brown) a fistful of seat-post was the "standard measure" of fit. Cool bike, ride it, maintain and have fun!!

Chitown_Mike

I ride the fool out of my 82 Conti, great bike! Only replaced the original steel rims and tires, greased the bearings, and probably have 2000 miles on it since last June. I am planning on probably finding another to turn into a commuter.

They are heavy so they are great training bikes, but I wouldn't imagine you getting super speeds out of them. Although I have a tendency to ride with some riders on lighter, and faster bikes. When we get to a street to stop and they see a 30 year old bike keeping pace, most are amazed. Enjoy it, they are becoming harder to find in original form.

steve0257

If you can ride the bike for reasonable distances without hurting and aching because of the fit then the bike fits. Personally, I prefer to ride a bike that is larger than most fit calculators recommend.

vsanthos

The biggest discomfort is just the dropped position in general because of my gut, but it got a lot better once I maxed out the handlebar height. Need a bit more spare time for some tuning, but this bike seems to be the best $60 I've spent in a while.

LongT

Just a guess, it's hard to tell from a picture, but looking at the apparent headtube length I would say that is somewhat smaller than 24".

vsanthos

You could be right. I was making a guess. I've never ridden a road bike before.