[Closed] road bike too big. can I make it fit?

Nope 🙁

Sell it and buy right size

How long is the current stem, 100mm?

Could try a 90mm but depends on how stretched out you feel.

Definitely not a case of a new position?
How tall etc are you

my first ever road bike.

quite stretched out

Put it back on ebay.

You will be able to ride it. You may even get used to it.

But you will be better off with the correct size.

How long is the stem and how wide are the bars?

oldgit - Member
Definitely not a case of a new position?
How tall etc are you

+1
How do you know you should have bought a 52cm?
A first road bike can feel very stretched out compared to an mtb.

However it turns out I need a 52cm frame instead of the 54 compact I've ended up buying.

What does this mean? Does it mean you have swung your leg over it and this is your first impression or does it mean you have had a bike fit/ someone who knows what they are talking about has had a look and helped you come to this conclusion?

MTBers on road bikes for the first time are notorious for sitting like a sack of spuds. Conversely from a road background(hence user name) I really struggled not being as stretched out when riding a mtb and anything other than a full on xc machine felt wrong for years.

And stretched does not mean just bending more - it's a fundamental change in the way you sit on the bike. Your pelvis needs to be more rotated forward and you are sitting a little more on your gentleman's sausage. A nice way I heard someone explain it was that mtbers (thinking trail and AM/enduro fit, maybe not so much xc) should fart into the saddle, road riders should fart across the top of the saddle.

Let's have a pic of you on the bike. That way you can get a free STW bike-fit.

A 54 compact is like a 56 in standard frame sizing anyway I believe, so you may be two sizes too big.

A 54 compact is like a 56 in standard frame sizing anyway I believe, so you may be two sizes too big.

Ignore this. The compact just means it has a sloping top tube rather than a conventional horizontal TT. Most (if not all) manufacturers publish measurements with a virtual horizontal top tube irrespective of the actual, physical length of the TT. Similarly the published seat tube length is often virtual as well.

Of course some bikes and manufacturers use a different length TT for a given seat tube length which is of course another can of worms. As TT length, reach and stack are the most relevant measurements to determine a bikes actual size I have not idea which the industry still uses seat tube length (and very often virtual seat tube length at that) as the published 'size' of the bike.

Most (if not all) manufacturer publish measurments with a virtual horizontal top tube

The sizes are for seat tubes though, no?

The sizes are for seat tubes though, no?

Sorry, I edited after you posted. Very often the published size is based on the 'virtual' seat tube length, not the actual seat tube length, with virtual top tube lengths too.

[url= http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/road/allez/allezcomp#geometry ]Look at this Specialized geometry sheet for example - the size number relates to nothing on the actual bike.[/url]

Need more info but as oldgit says, positioning is very different on a road bike if you are not used to it and may just take some getting used to.

Would be worthwhile knowing your measurements like height and leg length.

You can check the seat post and stem. Some people like to run a smaller frame and layback with a long stem. If this is the case you might get away with less layback and a shorter stem. However anything shorter than 90mm and using an inline post may make it ride strange.

What is it? And how tall are you?

A compact road bike isn't a different frame size. It is the way the gearing is spread.

No a compact is compact geometry. You're thinking of compact chainsets.

A compact road bike isn't a different frame size. It is the way the gearing is spread.

nope...it relates to frame dimensions

As above, first time i went on a road bike it felt way to long....now it feels just right. Stick with it.

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The venerable Planet X SL Pro is a compact IIRC. A Colnago Master for instance is standard.

Been there, done that, several times, I think I've now finally learned my lesson, at least until the next time.

You might be able to get some drop bars with less reach which could help if the existing ones have quite a lot of reach.

You can certainly put a shorter stem on; I was told it would be way too twitchy to be rideable and I would die, but it hasn't happened yet, and I don't even notice the difference compared to my properly-setup bike now.

Push the saddle forward. Play around with the position of the shifters on the drops (not too much or people will laugh at you).

Having said that, if you end up in an awkward position despite all that (i.e. too stretched out) you may well end up with frightful back/leg/knee pain and you'll wish you had got a frame in the right size in the first place. I know I did.

EDIT: I read somewhere that if you can't see the front hub because it's hidden by the bars then you're not far off, and that seems to work for me.

TBF it is a minefield. Brands and their styles really vary.

I got a bargain of a road bike, which was a bit - quite a bit - too big for me. Felt 'ok' in the shop but after a couple of medium rides, I was in agony, no way was it for me - could have fiddled with stems, saddles but sold it on and eventually got one a size smaller, much better feeling bike (I tried someone else's bike in the mean time to confirm the mistake I had made). Life was too short to try and make the longish fit feel comfortable..

There's a reasonably accurate bike fit calculator on the competitor cyclist website. It will give you an idea of what size bike, cranks, stem etc are likely to suit.

Shorter stem and narrower bars can lose about 2cm of reach. A shallow drop bar (12 cm) can also help with riding on the drops. Saddle should not be moved to accommodate bike fit, only pedaling dynamics. If the stem is a 120 mm go for a 100. If it is 100, try 80. If it is 80, then the bike is too big. There is a lot of flexibility in modern bike fit.

Compact road geometry just means a properly sloping top tube. This from a Giant fanboi 😉 .

It's a fuji sportif 1.1 compact. I'm 5ft 6 with a 30" inseam. Tried a mates 54 but it was an old bike. This one feels bigger than a 56!

To be fair, looking at their geometry charts they are a manufacturer that does actually name their bike by the actual size of the bike, not effective. That bike has a 565mm effective top tube - it is too big for a short arse like you!

[url= http://road-bikes.gearsuite.com/l/1341/2013-Fuji-Sportif-1-1-Compact ]link to geometry[/url]

You are right , it's too big for you . Cut your losses and sell it on , put it down to experience n no point trying to make it fit or you will end up with an absolute dog of a bike . Get rid .

I've just taken my stem from 110 to 90 and it has just about sorted out my riding position.

I'm 193cm, but the majority is legs, shorter torso, getting a bike to fit was a pain.

I gave up in the end, ordered one of the net, and then pissed myself off riding it badly for 6 months.

Shorter stem has certainly made it a little twitchier, but other than that I am happy. At least I am not constant riding with the long bit of the saddle supporting my mass on by balls

Next time I look at a bike, I will try and get bike fitted.

I've Just read 'bike fit' by Phil burt it's interseting stuff this sorting a bike out...

I'd give it a few rides and play with all the usual culprits before bouncing it ...just in case it's just it's just your body's reaction in moving from a real bike to a golfbike (just kidding) 🙂

I'm 5'7" with more or less the same bike (Sportif 1.3 disc). It did feel pretty stretched out to begin with, but I shoved the saddle all the way forward and stuck with it for a while. I've recently put a 90mm stem on which has improved things quite a bit with no noticeable effect on the handling, and TBH on 5+ hour rides it's fairly comfortable. For the sake of 15 quid for a shorter stem it might be worth sticking with it for a few rides before you make your mind up.

It's at least one size, possibly 2 sizes too large in that particular bike. You can play around with stems and seatposts but you'd be far better off selling and getting something that fits.

Yep, sadly it is too big, much too big. The 73 degree parallel geometry means that 56.5 is a long effective top tube - my size in fact (179 cm and exactly average proportions). A shorter stem won't make that bike fit you. At all. I'd put you on a 46 (S/M) frame with a longer stem, probably 110 mm. The 50 has a very long head tube for its size (17cm), which will give an upright position, the 46 has a pretty long head tube as well, and will retain the upright position but have the option of going lower as your flexibility increases (it will).

When looking at geometry tables to compare different brands, look at the head angle as well as the ETT. A half a degree difference is about 0.75 cm on the ETT, so the next size down has a non-parallel 72.5 head and 73.5 seat tube angle. That has the net effect of bringing the bars disproportionately closer (the saddle position is linked to BB not seat tube angle, so can be discounted).

And stretched does not mean just bending more - it's a fundamental change in the way you sit on the bike.

That covers it. Until you can sit properly, you'll find it difficult to get a comfortable position and a bike that handles nicely.

[img] [/img]

You should never be "stretching" to reach the bars. Look at the woman above; great example of how to sit. In the drops, flat back, head up (no bend in her neck) so she can see where she's going, arms dropping down and bent at 90 degrees. That's how it's done.

Saddle position is critical. Generally, 30 degrees on the goniometer with foot at POTE and patellas in line with crank tips on the horizontal, with discrepancies in leg length adjusted through cleats.

If you have to compromise your saddle position to 'fit' your bike, you are on the wrong size.

I see a lot of bikes coming in with extreme adjustment made to saddle position to shrink or lengthen reach.

So anyone want to buy a bike 🙂

Cheers for confirming my worst fears

You're on the line between a 52 and 54.

The 73 degree parallel geometry means that 56.5 is a long effective top tube

The 54 is a 544mm effective top tube:

[url= http://images.evanscycles.com/product_document/file/81c/d9a/085/2752/fuji-2014-size-guide--road.pdf ]Fuji Sportif Geometry[/url]

What size stem? Going from 130 to 90 would make all the difference but I'm guessing its not got a 130 stem on it?

Something to try: Whack the seat right forward. As you get more used to the road position, nudge it back a little at a time.

Hang on. The geometry chart posted by rj above is very different to the one I posted on the previous page. If his is to be believed then the bike is a 'medium' and the dimensions a lot closer to what you might need. I'd be getting a tape measure out and measuring what is in front of you. Similarly posting a photo of you on the bike might help too.

The one you posted was correct. The one above is for 2014

I am 5'7" with a 30" inside leg but a long body. 52cm bikes are the biggest I would look at. I spent a long time getting used to a road bike and am now comfortable and I now know any normal 54cm bike would certainly be too big.