Unicyclic

Should I go with a 53cm frame or a 56cm frame? This googlable chart says 56 matches with the 31" inseam, but is also paired with a height of 5'9". I want to match my inseam, but I don't want to be stretching myself to the max the whole time I'm riding this thing, and I'm wondering if it would just be more comfortable and easier to go with the 53", which is below even the minimum of the range paired with my inseam.

hamster

If that's what the chart says, is strange and (in my experience) unreasonable. Going off height, typical frame sizes for someone with your height are 50-52. If you have a 31 inch inseam, you have (slightly) longer than average legs and shorter than average body, which means that you need to lean towards smaller bikes. 53 or maybe even 50 would be a good choice, if they are conventionally sized. I suspect that you won't even be able to stand over a 56.

buffalowings

56 is way too big. I have a 31.5" inseam (measured cyclist style, balls against the pelvic bone ) if you are of average proportion (which you appear to be) 52 or 54 cm. Also, I'm 5ft 6

Unicyclic

Thanks for the replies. Saved my ass, quite literally.

Now, for the truly important question: Orange or black?

hamster

xjustice09x

Sizing is not uniform between manufacturers and models. You need to provide more information to get useful answers. A generic chart will not lead you to the correct size in every frame. What size and model of bike do you ride now? What bike models are you looking at.

I'm 5'7" and have an inseam somewhere between 30 and 31. Some 54's have top tubes too high for me to comfortably stand over. 56's typically will also have too long of a top tube for me.

My current bike is a size 50, however looking at its measurements it is sized more like 52's or 53's from many other manufacturers.

My guess is you would fit better on a 53 than a 56, but without knowing which model you are looking at its impossible to know for sure. If possible test ride the bike to make sure it feels comfortable to you. You might actually fit better on bikes smaller than 53.

Pirkaus

Get a Black bike!
Pirk

Unicyclic

I'm looking at the roadbike that was most recently posted in that <$700 thread

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...remio_xiii.htm

Seems like people agree on it being a good deal and a good starter / commuter bike, which is exactly what I need it for. Biggest deterrent is that I can't test ride it, and I doubt there are any in the lbs's around me that I could test ride.

kenji666

Bike sizing is not universal or standard. Your bike size will vary based on each manufacturer's frame geometry.
I'm 5'6" with a 29" inseam, and ride a 52 cm Madone.

xjustice09x

Based on the top tube lengths you probably should look at the 48, 51, and 53. I would recommend test riding other bikes to figure out what feels comfortable to you. If you find a bike that fits good and you still want the bikes direct bike get the size thats closest to the bike you test rode.

Biscayne05

You should be going for a 48. I got a couple of inches on you and 53 and 56 would be ginormous.

48 has 53.5 ETT already and will come with a 90mm stem and 170mm cranks. The seat tube/post can accommodate your inseam I'm sure about that.

I used to ride a 52 Motobecane with an ETT of 53.5. It was just perfect.

buffalowings

The bike you listed has a longer top tube then average, in this case, 53 might be too long, 48 and 51 are so close to each other, I don't see much of a difference between the two. 51cm should work for you. Actually, my friend has a bianchi volpe with a toptube length of 53.5, I feel more stretched out on it, but it's still manageable.

hamster

Size 48 would probably work but it would be a bit too close to the ground. With 28.7" standover and 11 cm head tube, you would have quite a bit of seatpost showing (6"?) and you'd have to put a bunch of spacers under the stem to arrive at a comfortable fit. I'm sure it can work, but size 51 is only a little longer (54.0 ETT, 100 mm stem) and taller.

hamster

Since the industry moved from traditional to compact frame geometry, most major manufacturers no longer use seat tube length to label frame sizes.

For Cannondale Supersix, Trek Madone or Specialized Allez, ETT of 54.0 would lie about halfway between "frame sizes" of 52 and 54. Size 54 Cannondale has the seat tube (C-T) of 52.0 cm, Specialized is at 51.0 cm, and Trek does not publish the C-T figure at all but its total seat tube length (to the clamp) is 50.6 cm. Their head tubes are 14, 15 and 14.5 cm, and their standover heights range from 29.8" to 31.4" (Trek is lowest because of its aggressively sloping top tube.)

Judging by all these measures, 51 Motobecane from the link would be called "size 53" if it were made by any of these three manufacturers. It is probably sized roughly like traditional geometry bikes with 53 cm seat tubes from the days before they went extinct.