Mikealwa

Without knowing I've probably been riding frames "too large" for me. In quotes because I feel comfortable and fast. I've modernized some vintage road bike frames with new components and now bought a very cheap look kg486 from a pawnshop on ebay haha without knowing the size.

I'm 5'10" and it seems to be a 58cm maybe 59cm as far as I can tell. I can stand over flat footed but only with some parts to the side ha. I know a smaller frame is ideal, but if through stem, crank arm length and seat adjustments I can get comfortable...does it even matter? I bought the bike in an attempt to better some hill climb times I've been focusing on on Strava haha.
In the end I'm asking if I'm comfy is it a big deal. Handling may be different or not ideal for uphill sprints but we'll see when I give a few a go.

zandoval 

Yep... But the ting is you are ridding... That's what is important. This winter when ya get stuck in the house you can switch out components with a smaller frame. Till then... RIDE THAT HORSE... Ha

Mikealwa

Ha thanks for the input, it's been causing me a headache and I can barely sit on it. I didn't want to spend more money, but I found the same frame in a 55cm which should work great. This was a 59cm. I'm learning a lot of lessons and having patience, doing research and being cheap up front costing money in the long run are some of em! I thought I learned these lessons when I bought my old bmw 🥲. Slow learner. Thanks!

AnthonyG

There was a time, long ago before "standover clearance" was "INVENTED", that everyone rode bikes like that.
I mean, are you riding the bike or standing over it?
If your comfortable riding the bike then the bike is a good fit.
At some point, standover clearance, was invented as a quick and dirty way to size people for bikes in a bike shop. If you like to have standover clearance then good for you yet the idea that its the most important measure of a bikes fit is utterly preposterous.

Mikealwa

I agree and that was my thinking, but to make this work I needed to find an exceptionally low stack saddle, low stack seatpost, use 165 crank arms and have 0 adjustability. This frame has an extended seatpost tube well above the top tube so the lowest you can put the seat is higher up than on traditional vintage road frames of the same size I was used to riding. Thanks for the input and I agree, stand over isn't important unless mountain biking maybe with a high chance of bouncing off.

Carbonfiberboy 

Just be sure your saddle isn't too high. I wonder if the seat tube could be cut down. You could ask a bike shop. It'd depend on the type of seat tube clamp. The carbon end grain of course would need to be epoxy coated, no biggie.

Mikealwa

I mean there's an extension of the seat tube that's integrated into the frame which effectively measures like 65cm from bb to top of seat tube, so I'd have to cut the frame ha. Sorry I wasn't clear. I may have confused seat post and tube.

Cratecruncher

I just bought my first bike in many years. I'm 5'11" with a 32" inseam and the bike I bought is a vintage road bike with a 61cm seat tube measured from center of bb to center of tt. Is it too big? Probably. But I can "stand over" it without making changes in my family planning so I'll ride it and enjoy it. The thing with vintage bikes I've found is that you can't always get what you want. But you get what you need.

cyclezen

of course, ride what you want, and brung... LOL!
but... I just don;t get the whole 'oversize' frame thing... especially when one has to make crazy, unusual, overcompensated adjustments.
aside from material, paint, shinnieness/blackness, perceived 'value'; there is an inherent purpose to a bike. An it's application has been improved over the years and broadened by DESIGN.

There is NO shortage of vintage/old crappage..., and really no serious shortage of 'new'. A cm here or there is not a big deal, but 3+cm in a major frame dim is really an obstruction to letting the bike 'disappear' under you, when you're riding.
'collector' - ok, but actually doing more than a few miles/minutes... ? LOL!
we are 'adaptable', so by all means, adapt. and feel free to rationalize, but there's no extra points, gold star associated with it, only what cooks up in your own coconut.
'rationalization' is one of the top 3 worst characteristics of the human character... LOL!
Ride On
Yuri

grizzly59

Factory bikes often have a crank arm length that’s in proportion to the frame size. And that’s not always an easy swap if you need a different crank arm length than the one that’s on that bike.

downtube42

Standoff height is a reasonable indicator of fit if and only if

• BB height is average
• Top tube length is average
• Your body proportions are average
• Your flexibility is average or better
• Your intended usage is average
• Your typical rides are average.

OR

• You primarily intend to stand over the bike.