Tajue17

so my main ride is 54 cm I can even get comfortable on a 53 and possibly a 52,,, a buddy sold me a Felt pretty cheap that is 58 and the seat is all the way down to the frame the top bar is just barely touching the crotch,, I'm sure I need to shorten the stem but could this be made to work?

originally was thinking about stripping it and getting another frame but wondering now if I should just keep it the way it is maybe make a touring bike out of it if I could get that up right position.

FlMTNdude

For my 2 cents - my bike overall fits, the top tube could definitely be a little shorter. I am ok using a shorter stem. Though one of these days I am shopping for a lighter bike with components current to the last couple of decades.
Yours sounds like you have more going on than that. Being the top tube is lightly touching the crotch, I could imagine this being an issue if you hit the ground too quickly. Also, a shoe, pedal or saddle change could mean the seatpost needs lowered more, this rendering an unridable bike. I wouldn’t think twice about a different bike.

cny-bikeman

You can possibly "make it work" with a shorter stem, assuming both saddle height and fore-aft position are correct. DO NOT move the saddle forward merely to get closer to the bars, and the fact that you can pedal it does not mean the height is correct. However, it's much less likely that you can make it comfortable and efficient. I would never consider that much too large a bike for a touring bike, especially for loaded touring, where control is more difficult and dismounting could be seriously painful.

The links below may be helpful in determining fit:
Basic Bike Fit
Revisionist Theory of Bicycle Sizing

HillRider

"Standover" clearance isn't a complete test of frame fit but you really want it to be adequate for safety. An emergency dismount, particularly on an uneven surface, could be more than just uncomfortable, it could be damaging. I think that frame is significantly too large for you.

exmechanic89

I'd pass the frame on and look for something else. As I've often said, I'd rather have a lesser frame that fit, than a better frame that didnt. Fit is everything imo.

Crankycrank

+1^^^^^. Fit is the most important part of a bike. False economy as it will never feel as good as the proper frame size even with a new stem, possibly handlebars, possibly shorter cranks, etc. to compensate. If all the parts work for you then as you mentioned stripping the frame and selling it to pay for another frame may work but check to see if you can use all or most of the parts as it may just be better to sell it as is and look for another complete bike in your size.

Retro Grouch 

Time to cut your losses.

Every dollar you spend as you attempt to make this frame fit is a dollar added onto the cost of the correct sized frame that you will eventually realize that you need.

Wanderer

Just give it to me, as 58 is my size - problem solved! lol

cny-bikeman

I would vote for the latter option, rather than putting a large amount of work into disassembly, reassembly and probably finding non-compatible parts as well.

MePoocho

Back in the day... We just screwed wood blocks on the pedals and suffered through any quick stops ...... maybe that is why to this day I speak in a high voice.

( I was just being goofy in the above. No harm meant.)

My frame is 63.5cm and fits perfectly. I've ridden smaller frames and can tell you that 'fit' is important...!

davidad

If you are forced off of the saddle you will inhale for at least 15 minutes.

WizardOfBoz

I'd advise against "making it work". I had a custom built Paramount, made for me in 1979. It was a 26" frame, but with very steep (75 degree) frame angles, which shorted everthing up. Worked perfectly. A drunk rear-ended me one night. Can't complain - I ended up with a a small nick on my knee. No other injury. But the bike was bent. Sent it back to Schwinn, and they were on strike. Instead of fixing it, they sent me a standard 26 inch frame. I never liked biking as much after that (til I got a properly sized Domane Series Six, in the proper size for me, which rocks).

Frame size is one of the key things determining your ride quality. I'd sell the frame you got, for retail, on eBay or CL. Then buy a comparable frame in the proper size. You'll be a lot happier I think.

pesty

This right here tells me you shouldn’t be trying a 58. 56 maybe, but 4cm is a big jump.

Kontact

A 54 is generally going to have corrected top tube length of about 55 cm. A 58 is going to have a corrected TT of about 58. So if you use a 110mm stem length on your 54, you'll need to drop to 3cm to a 90mm for the 58.

Is your 55 stem length long enough to subtract 3cm from it? This is the primary fit issue.



Aside from that, it is going to look a little silly. But if it gets you riding, great!

IrishBrewer

Inversion table with heavy weights over time will solve the problem but then you'll have to get a new wardrobe. Probably best to just get the right size frame. Maybe you can trade with a tall guy.

bogydave

Ask your buddy if he wants it back
Or,
since yo got a great deal, maybe sell it for a profit

Money spent to make it fit will most likely be wasted.
Get one your size, it'll pay dividends every time you ride. & Not only in $$
but in pain free , comfortable rides.

Good luck

cny-bikeman

I wonder how many ways "Don't do it" can be said. I have a feeling that many from the northern climes, who have nothing better to do, will use their spare time to test the number of iterations.

Tajue17

Hey thanks everyone for the advice and opinions. I'm going to take good advice and either try to sell the whole bike for cheap or trade the frame for anything in 53/54 maybe even a cross frame or bike might be cool..

CliffordK

Tajue17, how tall are you?

All those people who are worried about the family jewels... have you ever been hurt on a bike?

People including a lot of kids have been riding oversized bikes for eons. It may feel tight, but usually isn't a problem. One doesn't just magically fall onto the top tube, and if one does, a cm or two in height probably won't make much difference (other than more downward acceleration before impact). One often isn't standing flat footed, but often has one foot on a pedal, and perhaps the body off-center slightly.

Now, the bad thing about the large frame. Modern frame building often has an over-sized head tube. With a larger frame, that increases the head tube length even further. And, thus higher bars. It is OK if that is what you want, but difficult to get a race fit.

People unbuild and rebuild frames all the time. It is a booming used market. If your bike is, say Ultegra or better, 10s or 11s, then there would be no reason not to re-use the parts for building your dream bike.

Crankycrank

Also don't get caught up in listed frame sizes as they can vary quite a bit as to how well it fits you. Best to get an idea of how long a top tube you need as well as how high the head tube sits in relation to your seat height to give you the best range of adjustment for how high your handlebars are going to be. Measure the bikes you have if you feel they're setup comfortably and use those measurements to determine your new frame size. Almost all mfrs have a chart of their frame dimensions for each model. Even better if you can take a test ride.

fietsbob

IDK, you have a long torso & arms, but short legs.. frames used to only need short seat posts.. 50 years ago that was the fashion..

SkyDog75

My bikes are generally in the 53-54 range and I can comfortably ride most 56's, but 58 is generally a no-go. Simply too big for me. Kinda feels like when I was a young teenager, trying to ride my dad's bike.

As mentioned by a few guys above, a frame's effective top tube length may be the most critical measurement when it comes to determining whether or not you can make a frame work for you. Since you mentioned the possibility of a cross bike, be aware that cyclocross frames often have long effective top tube lengths compared to road frames of the same nominal size (possibly due in part to CX bikes' higher bottom brackets). What this means is you may find yourself comfortable on a CX frame whose nominal size is a few cm smaller than your road bike. Like crankycrank mentioned above, most bike brands have published geometry charts for their recent models. You can look up the top tube length (and other specs) to compare them to your current bikes for a fit reference.

fietsbob

& .. what are the top tube lengths? as the ST is lengthened the TT is also..

state both numbers..

Tajue17

I still haven't been professionally fitted so im not sure if "what feels right" is right for me so for now thats all I can do is determine by the height of that top tube. what I noticed as far as my body speaking to me on long rides is my finger tips go numb sometimes so i'm wondering if should raise the bars or am I stretched out too far.. Bike stores will only do a ballpark fitting IF I'm buying a bike from them and a Pro bike fitting that I found here with all great reviews is $300.00 with I think 2 or 3 hr sitting, standing, pedaling video and full documentation for me to take home but I have to wait till I get the spare cash.

CliffordK

Lots of people have never had a fitting, and still survive with what "feels right".

Be careful with numbness. Don't lock your elbows, and try rotating to a few different hand and body positions. For example, a relaxing position when you're not needing to ride the brakes is to lay the forearms across the bars and hang onto the knobs on top of your brake levers.

Here is a thread...
Not everyone rides all the same size of bicycles.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-you-ride.html