Frame size, new bike fitting, questions

[Maddie]

Is there a website where you can compare your measurements like height inseam etc to the norm? I read a lot of comments like "you have long arms" or the like and I would like to know where that is coming from. For instance I know that I have short legs (177cm and 81cm inseam) but I would like to see by how much compared to others.

[TobinHatesYou]

Is there a website where you can compare your measurements like height inseam etc to the norm? I read a lot of comments like "you have long arms" or the like and I would like to know where that is coming from. For instance I know that I have short legs (177cm and 81cm inseam) but I would like to see by how much compared to others.

There aren’t any great resources for this that I know of, but generally speaking your inseam is slightly on the short side of normal. Also keep in mind that even femur, tibia, foot length matters with bike fitting.

[maxim809]

Is there a website where you can compare your measurements like height inseam etc to the norm? I read a lot of comments like "you have long arms" or the like and I would like to know where that is coming from. For instance I know that I have short legs (177cm and 81cm inseam) but I would like to see by how much compared to others.

What I have done in the past is look up white papers via Google on statistical research conducted on the measurements I am interested in.

In these papers are usually:
1. A general formula
2. Statistical distributions and linear regressions

The detailed papers have more specific formulas for different categories of adults vs children, gender, and even ethnicity. After reviewing the gist of how the statistics were collected and taking into considerations any caveats & shortcomings of the data collection methodology, I try out the formulas on myself to see where I land. Cross-checking against a couple different formulas to get the general gist.

And every time, the formulas are like... "Yep son, you're short as a kid!"

You're right, it'd be nice if there was a website that pooled all this stuff together.

[mikedtn]

Post moved to frame specific thread.

[Benji86]

Hi,

Long time fan of this forum - I recently put down a deposit on a Stelbel Sb/03 disc. I'm hoping this will be my once in a lifetime bike that I keep for ever.

To start the process I recently had had a bike fit using retul on my current condor Italia RC (55cm).

I provided my fit details to Stelbel and now have a design.

2 points tripping me up and making me a tad uneasy. (It's so much money - don't want to get it wrong!)

1 - my current condor top tube is 555mm while on the Stelbel design it's 543mm.. I'm approx 6'1 foot. I also ride a giant TCR M/L and have a cervelo P3 56cm. So when I saw the measurements it threw me off.

2 - top tube slope angle -The design provided by Stelbel shows the top tube slope at 5 degrees - of all the online pics of Stelbel I've seen online there is something special about a completely flat top tube on a Stelbel. I know you can't advise since you don't have my fit details but what handling impact would it have if I went completely horizontal?? Can a taller stack pick up the change in top tube? Or am I being dramatic and 5 degrees is nothing.

Thanks! If you want the CAd and my bike fit happy to send along for your input! Thanks so much

[TobinHatesYou]

Hi,

Long time fan of this forum - I recently put down a deposit on a Stelbel Sb/03 disc. I'm hoping this will be my once in a lifetime bike that I keep for ever.

To start the process I recently had had a bike fit using retul on my current condor Italia RC (55cm).

I provided my fit details to Stelbel and now have a design.

2 points tripping me up and making me a tad uneasy. (It's so much money - don't want to get it wrong!)

1 - my current condor top tube is 555mm while on the Stelbel design it's 543mm.. I'm approx 6'1 foot. I also ride a giant TCR M/L and have a cervelo P3 56cm. So when I saw the measurements it threw me off.

2 - top tube slope angle -The design provided by Stelbel shows the top tube slope at 5 degrees - of all the online pics of Stelbel I've seen online there is something special about a completely flat top tube on a Stelbel. I know you can't advise since you don't have my fit details but what handling impact would it have if I went completely horizontal?? Can a taller stack pick up the change in top tube? Or am I being dramatic and 5 degrees is nothing.

Thanks! If you want the CAd and my bike fit happy to send along for your input! Thanks so much

1. What is your saddle setback and what is the proposed STA of the Stelbel? Going from a 73deg STA to a 74deg STA would change the TT measurement while not impacting frame reach.

2. A level TT is mostly aesthetic. Perhaps your saddle position is lower than Stelbel prefers for frames with level TTs. There would be no handling impact, but there might be a change in stiffness. Smaller triangles will make a stiffer frame, while more exposed seatpost will result in more compliance for your ass.

[Benji86]

Thanks @tobinhatesyou

Re point 1
- My setback on the condor is -92mm (specialised saddle)
- The seat tube angle on Stelbel is 74.4 degrees (I looked on condor it's 73.5)

Re point 2
That makes sense cause it's 171mm seat post with 5 degree TT while with a straight TT it is 120mm

[TobinHatesYou]

Thanks @tobinhatesyou

My setback on the condor is -92mm (specialised saddle)

The seat tube angle on Stelbel is 74.4 degrees

92mm setback (even with a 240mm Power saddle,) 543mm eTT and 74.4deg STA makes zero sense to me unless you are extremely tall with long legs and short torso/arms.

[Benji86]

Might be my mistake - here is the design.

I'm 6'1 and I'd say I'm in proportion (most clothes I wear fit fine off the rack)

Thanks so much.

[stillTrying]

Currently on a 61cm sl6 tarmac and am thinking of a new tarmac/aethos build. Want to ditch the rim brake as I'm a big person on carbon rim brake wheels.

Current set up

Stack 625mm
Reach 508mm
Saddle to bb 798mm

Thinking of going with a 58cm
Or maybe stick with the 61cm

The 61cm stack is almost slammed and have a 100mm stem(Although I think I could go out another 10mm.).
Have just 5mm on top of the small headset cover.

Whatcha all think? Thanks.

[kercerece]

Hello everyone,

I need your help for choosing the correct size for a V3RS disc (or maybe a C64 also in disc version).

I am 172 cm tall, inseam: 78cm, torso 62cm, saddle hight 70cm, other measurements on the drawing if needed.

Currently I have an M sized (54) Focus Izalco from 2012. Reach 388, Stack 539. Reach bar 466, Stack bar 589mm with a -8 degree 90mm stem and 37mm of spacers with headset cap. I use a 42cm (c-c) bar and a 172,5mm long crank. So maybe everything is a bit long/big for me. I am flexible enough but I used to use only 4cm saddle to bar drop, because of neck and back pain. Honestly it was set up for a tourist. But I am not a tourist. I like to go fast and raced a few times on road, but mosty in MTB marathons.

I few weeks ago I had a bike fit and it changed everything. We lowerd the saddle and pushed it forward. We didn’t touch the height of the bar because of the neck/back issues. But since, the pain disappeared, so I started to lower the bar. 6,5cm bar drop was okay. 7,5cm was also fine but maybe a bit too low. Unfortunatly I couldn’t ride more than 2 hours because its wet and cold out there. So I don’t hawe so much experience with these settings.
I was sure that I needed a 50s, which is pretty much the same size as my Focus: same stack, but with a 6mm shorter reach. With a -6 degree 90mm stem I could throw away a 5 mm spacer. I’d like to replace my handlebar by a 40 or even a 38cm one which could raise my head a bit I guess. Or am I totally wrong?

When I asked the guy in the webshop , he suggested a 48s V3RS frame with a 100mm stem after my body measurements. It would be lower (-9mm) and a bit longer (+1mm) than my current setup with the 100mm stem and the same amout of spacers. This is the same setup that I tried lately, but I couldn’t go higher on the front end. So I’m a bit worried. By the way: how much spacer can I use safely without being ridiculous? What’s the point in using a smaller frame with a longer stem rather than a longer frame with a shorter stem (except for having more exposed seatpost)? Would it be comfortable enough on long rides (6-10h sometimes)? Knowing that comfort on long rides is very important for me.

The third option would be the C64 in a 48h size (3mm shorter and 21mm higher than the V3rs in 48s). It is a beautiful bike, a true italian design which I absolutly love, mostly in black and red. Even my heart beats faster when I see it. But I am hesitating to give up the lower weight and the aero properties of the V3RS. Maybe it is more compliant as well which is welcome. I’d like to use it with 303 firecrests (25mm inner width) and at least 28mm tyres (spread out to 30 maybe). I don’t know if the C64 has enough clearance for this setup. The BB is also 2-3mm higher.
So I would be grateful for any advice. Which would you chose?

[sdawg1]

Hi all - need some guidance on Bar width.

I'm building up my Tarmac SL7 and can't decide on bar width for the aerofly 2 bars.

Trying to decide between 42 and 40 widths (C-C). Coming from Canyon Ultimate which had 41 integrated bars, they were stock and I just left them. They seemed fine, but I never really thought about testing anything else.

My shoulders measure 41 between shoulder blades. I'm 188cm/6'2, frame is 58cm.

I'm worried 40 might seem pretty narrow, they look narrow on a friend's 58 frame, but on the other hand maybe 42 will feel too wide. Spesh seem to spec 44 on the stock build.

Thoughts appreciated.

[CyclingGiraffe]

Hi all - need some guidance on Bar width.

I'm building up my Tarmac SL7 and can't decide on bar width for the aerofly 2 bars.

Trying to decide between 42 and 40 widths (C-C). Coming from Canyon Ultimate which had 41 integrated bars, they were stock and I just left them. They seemed fine, but I never really thought about testing anything else.

My shoulders measure 41 between shoulder blades. I'm 188cm/6'2, frame is 58cm.

I'm worried 40 might seem pretty narrow, they look narrow on a friend's 58 frame, but on the other hand maybe 42 will feel too wide. Spesh seem to spec 44 on the stock build.

Thoughts appreciated.

I'm about your size (185cm height/about 41cm at shoulder joints) and use a 42cm c/c bar (Ritchey Superlogic Logic II). It works well and is comfortable to me. I do think that, provided you're not way off in your measurement, a cm doesn't make a huge difference; the truth is that your body will likely get used to the setup. The fashion seems to go back and forth between narrow and wide bars over the years/decades.

[ml4m]

Hey ya'll,

Loving all the information and knowledge here so far, super awesome.
Had a question and looking to gain insight/opinion on what SL7 frame would be best suitted for me compared to my current setup.

Current setup: 2015 Scott Addict SL (47cm)
Effective TT = 510mm
Reach = 370.6mm
Stack = 502.6mm
Stem length = 90 (-6 degree)
Spacer stack = 20mm

Height = 165cm (5'5")
Inseam = 74.5cm (29.3")

Size chart for Specialized says 52cm (TT=531mm, Reach=383mm, Stack=517mm), but Geometry chart shows that a 49cm (TT=509mm, Reach=378mm, Stack=504mm) is closest to the Addict's geometry. I'm mainly looking at Reach and Stack

I'm leaning more towards the 49cm instead of 52cm. What's everyone's insight/opinion.

I know this is all subjective too because a proper bike fit is important; but wanted to start somewhere.
Thanks in advance!

[TobinHatesYou]

49cm if you like the way the Addict fits. The SL7 has an obligatory headset cover bringing the 52cm to 380mm reach / 527mm stack, and the 49cm to 375mm reach / 514mm stack. With the 52cm you would need to go to an 80mm slammed stem or shorter reach bars.