Looking to get a road bike for winter but i'm not too sure on road sizing.

I usually ride 16.5" to 18" frames
5 foot 10
inside leg of 32" (ish)

what should I be looking for?

Cheers

I'm 5'10" and I rid a 56 cannondale. The top tube length is the most important measurement, you need to look for 54-56cm. Go to a reputable shop that does some decent road stuff and take a good test ride, and listen to their advice – the right size won't necessarily feel 'right' if you havn't rode a road bike before!

cheers, just read that other thread too

FWIW, I'm 6ft with inner leg of 33 inches.

MTB frame – 19 inches
Road frame – 23.5 inches

5'11" here and always been a 56cm….

Cheekily I have a Specialized Allez Elite in a 56 for sale. Needs tidying.
£150 ono

other peoples measurements mean nothing. you need to go to a proper road shop and get sized up.
FWIW i'm 6ft1 and ride a 55.5 effective top tube with 120 stem, but that isn't going to help you find a bike that fits you.
different manufacturers sizes (seat tube) can give different length top tubes plus the variation between compact and traditional geometry.

Podge, you're nearly the same height as me and pretty much the same inside leg and I was fitted for a 54cm frame with a 100mm stem, this was in a Raleigh Airlite.

Every frame is different, I had a 56cm Spesh Allez previously, but the new 56cm Sirrus felt way too big 😕

You've gotta get the fit bang on on a roadbike as you're basically sat in the same position for a long time spinning away bar the odd out of the saddle climbing bit and drops for descending, still none of the chucking about you associate with MTB's though

Ribble's website have a guide on what to use for sizing their frames, which would give you a good start:
Here

Just scroll down to the links above the big green button.

I'm 5 foot 11 with inner leg of 31 inches.

MTB frame – 19 inches – Rockhopper
Road frame – 56 cm – Tricross.

Hope that helps!

David

loads of help guys, thanks, i'll get my self down the shop and see whats what.

however, Curly68, do you have any pics? what do you mean by "tidying" email is in my profile if you could as i'm very interested

Needs tyres which I have, headset replacing, which I have also. Wheels need truing and decals removing. Nothing much really.
I'll pull it out at the weekend as its buried under 8 mountain bikes! Take some pics and email you with them. Also have some Profile carbon cranks that can go with it for an extra cost.

cheers, i look forward to the email

Will also depend on the geometry of the bike, as some are traditional-horizontal top tube while some are compact-sloping top tube, shorter seat tube & more seatpost sticking out, resulting in a smaller frame size for the same position, such as Giants, then some are semi compact, which sit somewhere in between.
Try as many different ones as you can. I'm 5'8 & ride a medium (50cm) Giant or a 54cm Felt-both giving the same position.

Just to confuse things further, I'm 5'9", 32" leg and I have my saddle top 73cm from the centre of the bb, top tube 530mm and stem 105mm. it's just a tad too big. A 95mm stem would be perfect for me.
Incidentally, it's a Bianchi C2C, very nice and for sale £400. it's in the classifieds with pictures. About 4 pages in.

5'10" & ride a 54 Cannondale but, as mentioned already get a propper fitting & try before you buy…

And to confuse more I'm 5'8" 31" inside leg and run the same saddle top to B/B centre as barca (73cm) or 35.5" saddle to pedal axle. And I run a 120mm stem. That's on a small Planet X Carbon Pro SL.
On my two standard geometry bikes both 52 I still run 35.5" saddle top to pedal axle, but only 110mm stems. All three bikes are set for racing though, so I go for the smallest frame I can use with plenty of stem and post.

barca, sounds like a good deal but £400 is too much. i might not even like road bikes, just thought i'd give it a try for over winter, never knew it was going to be this precise.

Just to confuse things I'm just over 5'8" and ride 56.5 top tube road bikes and 55 top tube cx bikes.

aP – Member

Just to confuse things I'm just over 5'8" and ride 56.5 top tube road bikes and 55 top tube cx bikes.

That's because reach changes with seat-tube and head tube angle. it's not just about top tube length.

I think I might be an ape. I'm 5'8" but only a 30in inside leg but happily ride a 55cm top tube and 110mm stem.

Email with pics sent to you.

I'm 5 8 and ride a 56 top tube with a 100mm stem. Apes of the world unite!

Curly, can I have pics of the Specialized in case thepodge decides it's not for him? Email: pdonholiday [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Sent for you as well