mymorningjacket

Been using a 49cm masi giramondo. I took it on a 600km tour last year and was having some saddle sores. I think it may of been a problem with the saddle and not with the frame size. Ive swapped it with a Brooks so I think ill be okay. My question is there any hindrances to using a frame thats a couple cm small for me. Im 6ft and think im better fit for 53 or 55. But for touring where speed doesnt matter and only comfort should this be an issue? Also what are our opinions on riser stems for comfort. I heard there are more cons than pros that come with it.

CliffordK

Hmmm... With the sloping TT, there are different ways to attribute a size to the frame. Apparently Masi is going by straight seat tube length.

Your bike apparently has an effective top tube of 575mm, and a head tube length of 16 cm, and a stack height of 61cm.

So, the size is probably comparable to a bike with a horizontal TT about about 58 cm size. Although, for 6', Masi is recommending the size "52/L" frame.

What length of stem are you using? How cramped does the bike feel?

Stem choice is up to you. I'd choose an upward angled stem that is fairly long if you want a "riser".

I'd ride the bike if it is comfortable, or can be made to be comfortable. Saddle Sores are likely due to the saddle, and not overall bike size. Is the seat set to the proper height?

djb

morning morning, is your frame a medium?

If it is, then as cliff points out, the ett is 575. I am a bit shorter than you and ride a 54cm med Spez Tricross, its ett is about 54.5 or something, and I used the standard stem that came with the bike, probably a 90mm. Even though on paper I could ride a 56cm, I am comfortable on this bike, so your bike (if the medium) is very much in the ballpark for being similar to my setup.
Only you know if a longer stem would make you feel more comfortable, or one that tilts up more to bring the bars up more, we cant really answer that for you.

re saddle sores, there are just too many factors to take into account, and in my opinion and experience, play a factor--like seat position--often small small adjustments make all the diff, teh seat itself, padded bike shorts that fit you properly, the shorts themselves, not wearing underwear, how much you ride---a whole slew of things basically.

fietsbob

I had owned my Brooks and ridden on it a lot for 10 years before I took my 1st long, meaning months, bike tour .


Skin Hygiene, and clean bike shorts every day is how I kept my self free of saddle sores, ie, bacterial skin infections.

Tourist in MSN

If you want to raise your bars, no reason why you can't raise your bars up higher. I assume your steerer tube is steel and not carbon.

Not sure what you mean by a riser stem. They make steerer tube extenders that allow you to put your stem on the extender and that extender attaches to your steerer tube. Stems also come with large angles, I have a 35 degree stem on one of my bikes, it raises the handlebars quite a bit. You can also get adjustable stems that adjust for angle, I use one of those on my foldup bike to raise the bars up higher.

skimaxpower

49cm seat tube is a small frame. At 6 feet tall, you're a better fit on a 55cm or 56cm frame.

Your bike is too small for you.

djb

a seat tube is just a seat tube, its the ett thats the important thing here, and his bike appears to have a 575mm one, which is completely in line with one of my bikes with a 545mm ett, and Im maybe an inch and a half shorter than him, so its very much in the ballpark, especially when you take stem choice into account.

geoffs

The way they are measuring ETT looks like they are overstating the top tube length. Even by Masi recommendations for the giramondo the OP is to small for the bike.
Have a look at the self help section of www.stevehoggbikefitting.com for proper info as to how to get fit yourself

djb

On paper sometimes a given size can still feel big if someone has longer legs vs top and arms proportionally, but who knows how this fellow looks and feels on his bike.

skimaxpower

djb

all this back and forthing, and mr jacket hasnt come back to tell us how he is on the bike, or other details like stem length, etc.
In the end, its up to him to know how he feels on his bike.

TallTourist

Well it's probably just your saddle. Problem is you won't know for a long time cause they take forever to break in.

I'm 6'8" and almost always wind up with a smaller frame than I'd like but I never got saddle sores once I broke my brooks in. Best thing is you can wear any pants/shorts/underwear you want with a brooks. no slow drying cycling diapers lol. Big help avoiding saddle sores

raria

A seat tube is just seat tube. What matters is the ETT. At 57.5cm the ETT length is perfect for a 6 foot guy.

My Fuji is also 49cm and its ETT is 545mm which is fine for a 5'10 guy.

fietsbob

5'10", lost a bit with age have bikes from 54 to 58, with horizontal top tubes , but who knows what proportion of others

is Arms, legs, torso or neck & head ... since my mother was not a people factory making identical children..

She actually only had a one of a kind.. for better or worse..

djb

that was a good one fiets.