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Is my Road Bike Frame too small? |
just bought a Canondale Synapse 60cm bike. I am 6'4", 190lbs, with a 36-37 inch inseam. I have proportional body parts. Is this the right bike size for me? I think I need the 63cm. Really would apreaciate the help. By the way, I did buy my bike from a bike store. I have a feeling they measured me wrong. They had something that I was supposed to pull up between my legs. I did so, but I think it got stuck or something. The guy who fit my bike when it came in questioned if i had pulled it up all the way, but then said it was the right size. I bought it from Sid's bike store in nyc. It was a 3.5k bike....are they really going to exchange it for one size up after ridding it for a month? I have 200 miles on it. It is very unlikely that the bike is too small for you. Comfort bikes are usually fitted a size too small for traditional notions; however, do notice that all of the Tour de France riders were showing "epic seatpost" on seemingly small bikes. Listed frame size is extremely un-reliable in that the modern designs fit better when small, and that fork length may or may not be included with bike geometry charts, and that different models are actually all different sizes, even within the same brand. Traditionally, we would recommend a larger bike that you could barely stand over in order that the handlebars be up to a nice height. This is no longer true. The traditional approach will put the bars on todays bikes much farther away and result in a big awful heavy thing that is extremely slow to sprint or climb hills. Please do not follow the outdated notion that a larger frame makes an easier reach. Todays athletes do this on purpose to create a "trainer" bike that is a fierce workout and purposefully inefficient in order to achieve rapid gains in strength through the challenge of the overlarge bike. So, if you feel like you're overreaching, buy a Delta Stem riser to find out. Of course it has no place on such a high-level bike. The correct approach is perhaps a stem like Profile Designs H20 or the purchase of longer forks whereby the steerer tube is uncut and you may simply decide whatever height you need before--before--cutting it to size. If you feel cramped, the bike is truly too small for you. You should be able to straighten your back if you wish--or not straighten your back if you wish. That is the main hallmark of a reasonable fit. If the "amount" of cramping is not severe, then 1950's style Maaes bend drop bars may up and fix it. That, along with a slightly long, slightly upwards stem (brings the "drops" into reach). See Rivendell bikes for some ideas and the new Nitto handlebars that are far more eronomic than today's miniature "Anatomic" gimmicks. If the amount of cramping is severe, then know that the store is fully liable to replace the bike, because fitting was part of the service that led to bike purchase. No exact fit can really be made without lots of appropriate test drives and an after sale bike sizing. However, the point-n-shoot sales-centric sizing method that they used on you (as a means to greater sales) is completely inappropriate for bikes in that price range. And, it is well known that the sales device was never reliable on people who are over 6'2" or under 5'8" and that its actual purpose is sales, not precision of fit. Why is this? The simple readout of a size indicator does not take into account that every brand and every model varies considerably. It is also highly unprofessional for a bike store employee not to instantly recognize proper fit after you have ridden any bike for the first several. . .handspans. The bike professional or an experienced amatuer will know the variations of different bikes and will be able to get a reasonably close fit or adjust for any inaccuracies in the quickie sales fit device. A minimum wage sales clerk would probably make a lot of errors in bike selection with or without the sales-enhancing device. Although you should have been able to detect the size error on your test drives. What happened there? Yet, and purely by accident, that bike could be the right size for you. That class of bike is supposed to fit a size small so that you have "rowing machine" like leverage upon the handlebars for vastly improved power delivery and efficiency. You may wish to go to a professional bike store to have it checked out and the always-necessary after sales sizing done (saddles, stem, sometimes handlebars, lots of trial and error). If the "other" bike shop says it is too small and if you purchased on Visa or MC. Well, immediately dispute it. When faced with a chargeback for the full amount, the origional bike store will exchange it for you. For lack of other options, have your attorney (which you can afford if 3.5k is a bike price) send the quickie sales store a letter. Inappropriate use of a sales fitting device and making promises that were untrue for the purpose of quick sales. . .is fraud. The store will exchange the bike one way or the other. you know you could try but they are not going to give you the same price that you paid but i thik that you should stick to the bike you have rigth now They probably won't exchange it. The good news is that technically you want the smallest frame you can get with a road bike (weight savings) as long as you can adjust the stem and seat post to fit you, you should be all right. Making adjustments so YOU fit the frame is wrong, especially considering the $$$ you paid. They should have measured you and went with manufacturer's recommended fitting. Putting on a long stem and seatpost adjustments compromise your handling by throwing off the designed bike balance and center of gravityand weight distribution. The bike does sound like it would be to small for you. The shop most likely will not exchange it unless they guarantee their fitting service. You could buy a longer seat post as long as it does not stick out of the frame to far. You have to be sure that your knees are properly extended when riding. They should be very slightly bent and the bottom of your pedal stroke. If you like the ride and can be comfortable over a long distance ride, you should not have to worry about a few cm difference in frame size. If you are picky or it doesn't seem right then you could sell it at a bit of a loss and find a better fit. Hey a fellow NYC/metro guy! Yea, I know Sid's. I've shopped there alot for accessories. And I know what you're saying, I did once the machine you pull up to measure the size of the frame. Most of the sales guys there are either Mtn bike guys or don't have too much interest in road bikes. But I could be wrong. Do you feel any pain after your initial 200 miles? Seems like you don't. That's good. Anyways, do you feel like your arms are just too "constricted" when you rest your palm of your hands on the shifter covers? So, here you are stretched all the way to the shifters. For this, maybe you can get a longer stem, in order to alleviate this discomfort. Do you feel hat your knees are very very close to the handlebars? Of course, if too close then could be uncomfortable when you are trying to ride out of your seat. But this could be slightly alleviated by a longer stem, again. Do you feel too constricted when sittting and pedaling in your seat? Then maybe try to get a "recessed" seat post (this isn't straight, but on top, it has extra inches recessed back a bit). Maybe this can help. To make you feel good, the Synapse is a elite-level "comfort" bike so, if you tweak a bit here and there, you should feel better. The frame is nice, in itself. The pros get one-size-bit-small all the time. So, I'm sure, this will make you feel a bit better about your purchase. I'd say, before you go and ask for a refund, try to get some tweaking done. Maybe talk them into giving you some discounts for the suggestion parts that I've noted above. This is an idea. Well, good luck. I'm sure the extra 3 cm "problem" can be solved, and you can go enjoy your sweet ride. Cheers and good riding! I'm 6ft, 34 inch inseam and usually ride a 58cm bike. The Cannondales are notorious for running slightly big, at least the aluminum frames. The 56 is a dead on fit for me, their 58 is too long thru the top tube with the stem that comes stock on it. To be honest, that's probably the size frame I'd have put you on with that inseam. Of course, I would have stuck you on a trainer and run a fit to make sure of the right frame size. Couple of things to check out 1) put on the shoes you ride with and with the heel on the pedal, put the crank arms vertical (12 and 6 o'clock position) there should be a little bend in the knee (not quite completely extended) on the side where the pedal is closest to the ground. With the ball of you foot on the pedals, there should now be the correct amount of bend to your knees. If it feels as though you are stretching as you go thru the bottom of the pedal stroke, the seat is too high. Have somebody ride behind you and watch you pedal stroke, if you are rocking in the saddle, seat is too high. 2) For proper fore/aft position on saddle, you should be able to run a vertical line from about 1 inch below the knee cap thru the pedal spindle when the pedals are parallel to the ground. 3) Amount of reach: Put you hands in the drops of the bars, then look down at the intersection of you stem & handlebars. Ideally, your handlebars will block out the view of your front hub. Depending on where the hub is in relation to the bars, you can either adjust the fore/aft position of the saddle of change to a longer/shorter stem. All of this is just a guide or rule of thumb to start with. What may feel great on the trainer may not be great after putting in a few miles on the road. You should bring a set of allen wrenches to tweak the fit and fine tune it for you while out on the road. |
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