Fitting a ridley frame

[too slow]

So Im new to this cyclocross thing. What Ive noticed is that some euro cyclocross frames have much shorter top tubes. The Ridley supercross is one that Im looking at. It is 52 c-c and 56 c-t with a 53.5 top tube. I ride a 52 or 53 road with a 53.5 top tube with a 110 stem on my road bike so I have been looking for a frame with the same top tube and I would run a 100 stem. I dont want to go too short on the top tube because of toe overlap. Im assuming that they do this so the bike is easier to sholder? Is that right? The thing that concerns me is stand over hieght. I dismount my bike from behind the saddle so thats not it. Its just standing over the top tube my "boys" will be right on the top tube. Ive never ridden a bike that big. Sorry for the long post.

[rayhuang]

Your on the right track, you want to be able to nail your road position as close as possible (and many do agree to take 1cm of reach off your road stem).

SOme frames due mainly to a high BB will dimensionally fit you, but mayb be in your crotch when standing on the ground. What can I say? Us short guys dont have the luctury of having a big triangle to shoulder the bike AND have clearance for thr family jewels.

But keep looking, there are so mnay different frame geometries used by manufacturers so unless your dead set on one frame, you'll find somethng that works.

[ParisCarbon]

You may want to email Ridley directly and ask them for advice.. This is what I did and they came back and recommended me a 56 crosswind. My inseam is rather tall at 36.5 inches (92.7cm) A few local US distributors recommended me a 58, I think it would have been too big.. the 56 is fairly big as it is. I did find this, it may help?

Crossbow/Crosswind/Supercross
Size c/c Min leg size Max leg size Body length (Approx.)
48 78.3 cm 81.4 cm 170.4 cm
50 81.5 cm 84.6 cm 173.2 cm
52 84.7 cm 87.8 cm 176.9 cm
54 87.9 cm 91.1 cm 181.8 cm
56 91.2 cm 94.3 cm 186.6 cm
58 94.4 cm 97.5 cm 191.5 cm
60 97.6 cm 100.7 cm 197.0 cm

Goof luck with your choice... the Ridleys sure look sweet!

[NealH]

You may want to email Ridley directly and ask them for advice.. This is what I did and they came back and recommended me a 56 crosswind. My inseam is rather tall at 36.5 inches (92.7cm) A few local US distributors recommended me a 58, I think it would have been too big.. the 56 is fairly big as it is. I did find this, it may help?

Crossbow/Crosswind/Supercross
Size c/c Min leg size Max leg size Body length (Approx.)
48 78.3 cm 81.4 cm 170.4 cm
50 81.5 cm 84.6 cm 173.2 cm
52 84.7 cm 87.8 cm 176.9 cm
54 87.9 cm 91.1 cm 181.8 cm
56 91.2 cm 94.3 cm 186.6 cm
58 94.4 cm 97.5 cm 191.5 cm
60 97.6 cm 100.7 cm 197.0 cm

Goof luck with your choice... the Ridleys sure look sweet!

We are close to the same size and, given the 56 frame has a 56 TT (from the Ridley site) I struggle to understand this fit. My road bike has a 60 TT and fits me like a glove. Are cross bikes typically suppose to have 4cm less top tube length or, is cross bike fitting very manufacturer specific?

[Briscoelab]

is cross bike fitting very manufacturer specific?

Yes:) Fit on CX bikes is all over the board. I try to match TT length and go from there. I am riding a 56 Supercross this year.... the seat tube is massive at 60cm CT. I have basically no standover height... because I have a short inseam for my overall height. But, there is no way a 54 would have fit me. I was comping off of a Redline Conquest Pro, that had a 56.5cm TT, but much greater standover. I love the way the Ridley rides, but it did take a while to get used to the higher BB and the corresponding higher center of gravity.

I really think standover is over rated. Get a bit that fits in the TT.