Frame size for a women

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mihalina
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:21 am

by mihalina

HI,

I am looking for Specialized Amirahttp://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/amira/amirasl4prosramcompact as next bike my girlfriend:) I would ask you for a little help, as I do not know much of women frame sizes:) Now she is riding pinarello Fp2 size 53.

Here are here measurements:

Inseam: 82
Trunk: 69
Forearm: 33.5
Arm: 64
Thigh: 61
Lower Leg: 55
Sternal Notch: 139.7
Total Body Height: 174

We ware looking to buy tarmac size 52 ( I guess 49 would be too small), so If I am looking right Amira would be 54 (same lenght of top tube). Am I right?

THanks for all your help

miha

adidavas
Posts: 41
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:34 pm

by adidavas

contact Specialized customer support :)

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mihalina
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:21 am

by mihalina

I did and thay suggest me that 56 would better fit, but I think that would be to bigger:) I was thinking more for 52:)

5 8 5
Posts: 1315
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2006 2:36 am
Location: UK

by 5 8 5

How is the fit on the FP2?

An Amira 54 or 56 are close geo to the FP2. The 52 Tarmac looks like it would too small as it only has a 120 HT.
The 54 Tarmac looks a better match if the FP2 fit is good.

mihalina
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:21 am

by mihalina

@5 8 5 and do not think that fp2 frame fits her good.

She is having a lot of paint in her neck and log rides. Frame frame size is right but geometry does not fits her.

Here is and photo her on bike:)

Image

She is always having problems with holding the lower part of handlebar (the bike is to long???).

THanks for help!

Miha

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elviento
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by elviento

a shorter top tube would go a long way. That, or a short high rising stem.
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joeldesgreniers
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by joeldesgreniers

The only significant difference between Amira and Tarmac is the length of the top tube. Most women fit better on an Amira than a Tarmac because their trunk is shorter, so they need a bike with less reach. Still, some women fit better on a Tarmac. According to what I see in the picture, she should go with an Amira and she seems to be right between 54 and 56 Amira... A tarmac 52 would fit as well, but as it was said before, has a shorter headtube.

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de zwarten
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by de zwarten

Those small frames always have a rather long top tube in relation to the head tube.
sitting in a stretched position is not that harmful, but it is if combined with a big difference in the height. So it seems to me like the handlebar is too low and should be raised significantly (2-3cm) and see what happens. I fear however that the current bike is not allowing that much raise so a frame change will be necessary. Don't go for a too short top tube. This is as harmful as a too long one.

mihalina
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:21 am

by mihalina

@elviento, @de zwarten, @joeldesgreniers thanks for your replies:)

She tried tarmac for about 5 min and it looked good, it fitted her well:) But you know what girls are when color is not right:)
SO, that is why she whould like to have amira:)

Pinarello has a top tup lenght of 537 as Tarmac 52 and Amira 54 has the same top tup lenght. So that is why this botthers me, if she would need smaller size but I guess Amira 52 would be to smal as she is not so small for a girl (174cm).

Amira 56 has a top tube 548,dont you think that this will be to long?

@de zwarten, we tried everything with handlebar but it make no difference. Pinarello frame just do not fits her well.

Thanks!
Miha

Don
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by Don

A lot of the discussion in this thread does not make any sense to me. Without considering frame angles, comparison of different top tube lengths can be misleading as to their effective size. The critical measures for comparing bicycle frames are their stack height and reach measurements. The Pinarello, I believe, has a reach of 383 mm while the Almira is 378 and 380 mm in sizes 54 and 56 respectively. The Almira does not offer much improvement if one is looking for a shorter reach.

The height of the Pinarello is 556 mm. The Almira is 547 mm and 564 in sizes 54 and 56 respectively. If the Pinarello provides insufficient height for this cyclist than neither the size 54 Almira nor the Tarmac are the solution.

if the cyclist is only experiencing discomfort on long rides, the issue may not be the bicycle frame but her fitness and conditioning and her positioning on the bike. To relieve pressure on her neck, she needs to bend her elbows.

The geometry of that particular Pinarello is not unusual and compares favorably with other bikes as seen in the comparison with the Almira. In my opinion, this cyclist needs a consultation and session with an experienced bicycle fitter.

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elviento
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by elviento

I know experienced fitters can help you a lot but nothing replaces some good old tweaking combined with some miles on the bike.

From the picture that girl just has exceptionally long legs and she probably needs a short top tubed frame. Maybe a 90mm flipped stem will resolve this whole issue in less than 2 mins. Or you could always do a full custom Parlee or Seven (fill in ur favorate brand).
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Franklin
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by Franklin

elviento says something I fully support. In fact in my opinion fitters are overrated. The reason I say this is that their advices can be amusingly contradictory if you compare their advices. :roll:

Do a rough fit with Genzling's formula and then go from there almost certainly gives as good a fit as any experts... people act like it's very intricate while in fact there are some pretty well known general starting points. After that just listen to your body.


Now onto this issue... the cheap solution would be to turn her stem (so it would point more upwards) and to use less setback (if need be with a zero setback post). It's hard to see from a still, but she sure seems to sit far behind her bracket. Also, perhaps lowering her saddle a cm? Again it's hard to see, but she seems a tad overstretched.

In fact I strongly suggest you guys try this first even if she wants a new frame. At least this should give you some pointers how the fit should be. As de Zwarten said, the reach of those smaller frames doesn't diminish that much unless you radically opt for smaller wheels.

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TheRookie
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by TheRookie

Agreed, inline post and/or move saddle forward on clamps would be my first step to remove the 'stretched out' look (which is extreme), only then look at bar height and whether to fit a slightly shorter stem (any cheapy for a trial).

A better pic would be nice - not for riding position, just to check out your GF! :oops:
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