jreeder

A track cyclist I know suggested that since I ride a 56 cm road bike, a 54 cm track bike would probably be the right size for me. You guys that ride both, is your track bike a size smaller than your road bike? Is this normal or do you ride the same size track and road?

I know that fit is a complicated subject, etc, etc, but I'm just looking for some broad ideas of what to start looking for.

mcatano

A "true" track frame will tend to have a higher bottom bracket (and hence a higher standover height) than a road/etc frame with the same seat post length. My road conversion is a 55cm and my track frame is a 53cm and the standover on each is pretty similar. Obviously it's going to vary wildly from frame to frame, but the 2cm rule seems to be a good starting point, if nothing else. At the very least, it's held true in my limited experience. Also, if you're ordering something sight unseen, it's probably better to err on the side of slightly too small, as you can always raise your seat or get a longer stem if you're feeling cramped.

m.

80sMutRider

On road bikes I'm a 54, and my fixie is 52, they both feel correctly sized. So I think that maybe the 2cm rule is true for most people?

jreeder

Cool, thanks for the input guys. I have an opportunity to grab a 2003 Fuji Track Pro off of ebay for a pretty decent price but I just wanted to make sure that 54 cm was going to be close to a correct fit.

If it turns out not to work (I'm sure that won't be the case) then I can always just turn around and sell it.

Thanks!

taras0000

The -2cm rule is pretty good. It works for almost everyone and is the general rule when you're starting out on the track. Once you get some experience and decide to plunk your own cash on a frame, look for something that has a top tube 1cm shorter than your road bike. Set it up with a stem that's the same length as the one on your road bike. You can even go for a steeper drop if you like as well.

My own track setup goes like this. 57cm top tube, 100mm stem, 1cm bottom bracket drop, and a 19 cm drop from seat level to bar tops.

My road bike is 55cm seat tube, 56.5 cm top tube. 110mm stem, 27 cm bottom bracket height, and a 10cm drop from seat level to bar tops.

Just some numbers to fudge around with. I stick to short sprint events on the track and have short legs/long torso. To start with, try to mimic your road set up as close as possible.

taras

pstock

if following the -2cm rule do you not then have to jack your seatpost up 2cm to get your optimal saddle height? which I assume would be fixed whether road or track

veganbikes

There is literally an active thread on this topic created less than a week ago but you had to go back 17 years to post in this thread? I am baffled it wasn't even a long running thread it went on for just a few hours back in 2005.

Bianchi pc

Also...
this "rule" is fairly nonsensical as all seat tubes are not set identical angles and slacker or steeper angles change standover height a decent bit...

Bianchi pc

But yea - some set their fixed gear up with the saddle set to slightly lower than on their road bike but that's more of a seat post insertion issue than whole new framesize thing.