Colnago C64 Fit Question

[Boshk]

Thank you all once again, including in particular the most recent erudite post from Calnago, and beeatnik's channeling of Mr. Colnago. I now feel empowered and confident in my decision -- 54s it will be. Please remember however that if the spouse reaches out to any of you, to apply the standard WW 75% discount figure when you reveal the cost of the frame.

Edward

except when she tells her friends about your nice new bike and one of them is also a cyclist or visits the shop in order to get you a present and discovers the real price of the frame....

[nickstea]

Hey Cal, I have a question for you... I’m thinking of getting a c64 disc to go along with my c60.

My c60 is a 48s (I’m 171cm with a 70cm inseam, not super flexible) the c60 feels good, however I have 25mm of head tube spacer which doesn’t look good. The reach is fine with a 100mm stem.

Question: to eleimante the head tube spacers, can I just go with a 48h?

I appreciate your thoughts.

[beeatnik]

"Aye, how much does that bike cost?"

The correct answer is always 500USD.

[Calnago]

Hey Cal, I have a question for you... I’m thinking of getting a c64 disc to go along with my c60.

My c60 is a 48s (I’m 171cm with a 70cm inseam, not super flexible) the c60 feels good, however I have 25mm of head tube spacer which doesn’t look good. The reach is fine with a 100mm stem.

Question: to eleimante the head tube spacers, can I just go with a 48h?

I appreciate your thoughts.

Going with the 48H will simply get you a 15mm taller headtube, with no corresponding change in the top tube/ seat tube junction. It will therefore have more slope on the top tube. It'd be a tradeoff but I'm not sure it would look better. I think I'd leave well enough alone... especially in small frames, I think too much slope would look worse (if that's what you're worried about), than the 25mm of spacers. And I don't think you should be sizing up, with the 100mm stem, and saddle where it is. Couple things you could try to improve the looks. First, definitely chop off the excess steertube above the stem, leave just a 5mm spacer above the stem to ensure full contact with the steertube and enough space to provice the preolad on the headset bearings.

I think that's all I'd do for now. Then over time, just try playing with different heights on your bar by taking a 5mm spacer out from the bottom then placing it on top, and riding it around for some time to see if you can tolerate the change. If you can, then that may be an indication you could drop the bars down a bit. Do it gradually. No need to be in a rush. You can easily cut little by little, but you can't add once it's been cut. As much as we'd all like to have the raciest looking bike possible, your own riding comfort has got to come first.

[Boshk]

Hey Cal, I have a question for you... I’m thinking of getting a c64 disc to go along with my c60.

My c60 is a 48s (I’m 171cm with a 70cm inseam, not super flexible) the c60 feels good, however I have 25mm of head tube spacer which doesn’t look good. The reach is fine with a 100mm stem.

Question: to eleimante the head tube spacers, can I just go with a 48h?

I appreciate your thoughts.

that white/black looks really stunning actually, with a fizik matching saddle too.

[Mbergeron]

Any recommendations for a great fitter of Colnago in the Houston Texas area. I could also consider going to Austin. Given the price of the bike I want to make sure that I have the best fit for my short leg/long torso.

I have a Colnago CX0 in 50s but obviously a much different geometry.

[AndreLM]

Not Colnago specific, but Tad Hughes is highly recommended

[Lars D.]

Been reading through the C64 threads and I have a few things that still puzzle me - maybe someone can help solve these.

I ride a C60 55cm traditional geometri with a 120mm stem and the usual 15mm Colnago headset spacer. I am 177 cm tall and I tend to get a bit tired in my inner thies and hipflexers, so have been thinking if my stack may be a bit too low.

I'm looking at the C64 and trying to figure out what size is better.

The 54S and 55 have almost identical reach with 385mm vs 384 on the 55. Stack height is however 36mm taller on the 54S with 583mm vs. 547mm.

If I use reach as the common denominator I can pretty much choose any from 48S to 54S - they range from 383-385mm.

Reading through the threads it seems you tend to size up a bit on the C64 - so I have been looking at either the 52S or 54S depending on the importance and influence of stack height. What do you think?

[Calnago]

First of all, with the information given, it is impossible to even begin to advise on which is better for you, so I won’t. What I will do is try to at least explain that stack and reach are just one aspect of comparing different frames, but it is by no means a substitute for understanding the whole picture.
However, if you’re going to be comparing stack and reach, do know that reach is only comparable at identical stack heights. In your case you’re comparing two frames, the 55 traditional, and the 54s (equivalent to a 58 traditional). The reach of the 54s, at the same stack height, is going to be over 10mm longer than the 55, once you adjust the 55 for the difference in stack height. As a rough guide, assume around a 3mm reduction in reach for each centimeter gained in stack height. So with a difference of 36mm in stack height, to make things comparable, deduct between 9-12mm from the reach of the 55 when comparing to the 54s.

As a very very rough guess however, based on nothing more than your height of 177cm, and that you’re riding a 55T currently, I’d say a 54s would be on the big side for you. The 52s would actually still equate to a slightly bigger frame than your current 55 traditional.

[Lars D.]

Thanks for the detailed answer Calnago - it makes good sense and explains why reach is difficult to compare with different stack heights.

Sounds like I should be looking into a 50S or a 52S.

[AJS914]

I'm 183cm and ride a 52S with a 12cm stem. I think you should be leaning towards the 50S. Of course, it depends on other factors like how much saddle to bar drop you use.

[Calnago]

In contrast, I’m 184cm and it’s a no brainer for me that I’d be on a 56s in C64. Just shows that height is but just one variable.

[AJS914]

True. I'd recommend that Lars get one of those bike geometry calculators. One can put their current bike in there and then compare it to other frames in various sizes. You have to include every last measurement (BB drop, angles, stem angle, stem steack, headset stack, topcap stack, etc....

I did that and it was kind of a coin toss between a 52S and a 54S. I can create the same contact points on either sized frame. I then sat on a 54S at a dealer and it just felt big so I went for the 52S.

That said, you have to know your contact points and desired fit. If you don't, go see a fitter and sort out your current bike first.

[wilwil]

Im 178 cm with quite long legs and have a 52S with 110 cm stem. I keep wishing it was a 50S the only difference being a smaller headtube so would need more spacers and maybe a longer stem. Im already running 15mm + the taller head cap.

[Calnago]

@wilwil, out of curiosity why do you keep wishing you had a 50s instead of what I presume is a 52s in your photo? If someone showed me that bike in its current configuration and said they wanted to go smaller I’d be shaking my head, without even having to see the person.