You are absolutely right! I am Spanish and we never use ft in, but I always thought it was 6' 3''...

187 cm is indeed 6' 1.5''. Still no chance I can fit in an M/L? : p

Giant is opening a new Concept Store close to my house, and I hope they'll have an M/L on display, perhaps I can try it and see if it fits... My understanding is that tue only concern is the saddle to handlebar drop, right? After all, as someone said (MrGib?), reach can be tweaked with a 120/130 stem...

i am 181cm and rode a M/L most of this year with a 130mm stem.

don't get a M/L it will be way too small and you will be in a super aggressive position with a lot of spacers.

Hopefully this helps. I am 6'1", I ride a 79.7 saddle height, 120 stem, about 9.5cm of setback and I am on a large 2012 TRC Advanced SL. You are about my height. I would go with the large.

spinwax,

What saddle-t-handlebar drop do you have in your bike? BTW, amazing picture.

Regards

10cm. Although I am flexible, I am old and I like to keep my hip angle open at the top of the stroke (Flexion).

Thanks, pure pain in that photo. Only about 8min left in the race. 60+ starters in the 35+masters, only 20 finishers. My wife is the team photog.

Things don't seem to add up, man. You have your saddle all the way forward and have 8cm of setback? No way. Also, you use a 100mm stem now but think you will got to a 130? No way. Also, a 130mm stem usually means a wrong size bike unless you are built like a gorilla. Based on your inseam, you could easily drop your saddle height and reduce your saddle/bar drop. But judging by the other numbers posted here, who knows if that is your actual inseam.

You need to start by taking some accurate measures of your body and of the bike. From there you tweak for comfort. The more you try and position yourself on the extremes, the more pain you will have. Start with saddle height and setback. The rest will fall into place. Measure seback via KOPs and make sure you keep your heel in the position you would use when pedaling, as this affects the outcome. Keep drop around 6-8cm. There is no need for more. By doing that, you should be able to find a frame that lets you ride comfortably and efficiently.

That's *exactly* what the last bike fitter said. He measured it a second time using a laser level and after shrugging he said "That's odd". For the record, it was on a Giant TCR Advanced 2010, with the saddle at 78 cm and a Fizik Aliante, measured from the centre of the BB to the edge of the saddle. Will check again this evening.



I didn't quite get this. I was using a 100 mm stem on a size L. If I got an M/L I could use a longer stem to compensate for a shorter horizontal tube. Seems logical to me.



Don't know what you mean by "built like a gorilla", but I definitely don't have the body of your typical cyclist. I've always heard that if you are between two sizes (say 56 and 58), always take the smaller one, that it's easier to "stretch" a bike than "shrink" it, and the feeling of having a bike which is too long is certainly not comfortable.



I don't have any reason not to trust the figures given to my by the last (certified) fitter and would like to hear the reasons why you're questioning them.

he he. Gorillas have long arms is all it means.

You seem to be a bit compressed and not stretched out enough. I would try lowering the seat a smidge and pushing it back a tad and see if that doesn't make you want to stretch out more. However if you know your fit and that's it then the M/L still looks ok to me. The only issue is the spacer stack which isn't a problem if you are prepared to flip your stem. Many people don't approve of this, more on aesthetic grounds I think than for any practical reason. A 100 mm stem with a 6° rise/drop gives a 20mm stack variation. The difference in head tube lengths between the L and M/L is 15mm (from that posted geo chart). The difference in top tube length is 15mm. 3mm of that is back set difference so 12mm is extra reach. You would probably be well served by a 110 mm stem. A 4° rise would leave you with the same spacer stack you used on your L. So the M/L will fit without changing your preferred position and if you do stretch out a bit you can swap to a 120 stem.

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r o y g b i v

Like I said, things don't seem to add up. If you were unhappy with the fit, who cares if the fitter was "certified." Your saddle is slammed forward and somehow you still have 8cm of setback? Not sure how that is possible unless the saddle has short rails. Your saddle height is high, even by the .883 formula method. Lastly, if you size down, you will only lose 1.5 cm off the top tube, factor in the additional reach you will have due to the shorter head tube and you will still be on a 10 cm stem -- maybe an 11 cm, but unlikely.

You & I have very similar measurements. Our height & inside leg are in fact identical.
I had a 60cm (2007) Trek Madone which I always felt stretched long on. The bike was stolen recently & I found myself in the market to replace it. So I decided this time round I'd get a Giant TCR Advanced 2 (2012)--great spec, frame etc.
Due to my experience with the Trek I decided to go against all the sizing charts that suggested I should ride a L & went for ML. Disaster. The moment I built it & sat on it (literally 2 days ago) I began to fear that it was too small for me. I took it to a fitter this morning & we couldn't do anything with it. Due to leg length the saddle needs to be 78cm centre bb to saddle--that translates into a seriously aggressive drop to the handlebars. On top because of your reach you will need to put your saddle all the way back which means your knee position over the bb won't be optimal to get the most out of your legs.

So I'd recommend you don't buy the ML. If you want one I have a brand new, never been ridden one to sell you! If you can't make the L work then try a different brand eg 58cm Trek Madone.

Barters,

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. I do appreciate it a lot.

Well, evidence is mounting... *shrugs*

Are you sure your trunk & arm measurements are correct?

Yours
Trunk: 67.5 cm
Arm: 81 cm

Mine
Trunk: 62cm
Arm: 66.5cm

If your measurements are accurate then you should have a very, very long reach. In which case the ML would never work for you.

You are right, the arm figure does not make any sense. Crap.