New to the darkside of ROAD riding

With 2013 mostly in mind and this rubbish weather we’re having playing hell with the local trails i decided to invest in something more non-dirt related. Every time i go out on the mud at the moment it’s a complete and utter slopfest. Add to this that next years riding goal is to get back to the Alps, this time though taking in some of the big clims from the TDF.

Bianchi Via Nirone Alu Carbon Veloce

It’s a 2010 model with 70 miles on the clock (not really got clocks)

weeds need sorting, and that moss between the bricks will only cause problems if you don’t get it sorted asap.

LOL that’s his house, not mine 🙂

odd looking saddle position

Nice bike that. Now prepare to embrace Lycra and concider shaving your legs.

Did he sell it as someone sold hin the wrong size frame?

i dunno mate. I may find the same. If you mean because the saddle is so far back, then it’s entirely possible. Although he blamed lack of time and desire in the advert on BR.

You’ll need to stop calling it Darkside though

He’s right you know, don’t call it ‘Darkside’.
It’s ‘darkside’, you had it right.
No need for a capital ‘D’.

Lovely looking bike, btw.

lol. OK….

I don’;t know the rules yet…

Sadly… one of them seems to state i can’t buy the Bianchi jersey i want 🙁

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251104568901?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

It’s yellow… apparently i’ve not earned a yellow jersey so am not allowed it 🙁

you want a nice carbon stealthlike bottle cage to match your carbon forks and stays, . . .

apart from that it’s lovely

i can get a stunning colour matched Bianchi one lol..bloody expensive though.

don’t wanna throw too much at it yet, just in case i don’t get on with bike/road riding.

I think i’ll even have my camelbak on for the first rides 🙂

Need some advice guys,

Hi mate,

Right, we may or not have a problem. Just been out getting the bike ready for boxing up etc. – got the tape out to measure the seat tube and post to check if it’s fit in the box still attached before I take the wheels off – and it’s a 54cm seattube – from centre of BB shell to top where the seatpost leaves the frame…

I’m thinking that this makes the deal a non-starter ? He’s happy to refund me etc, so no worries on that, seems like a top bloke too, so not worried their either..

What you think ?

sounds fine if you ride a 54cm

Don’t get a Bianchi jersey too, that would look daft

is it 54cm? the reason i ask is that road bike sizing is far from simple, depends on if you measure centre bottom bracket, to centre of where top tube lug would have been, the top of the seat tube, some where in between, a fictious horizontal line. etc. and it depends on where the manufacturer chose not the buyer.

Far better to measure the top tube.

What size did you think it was and how tall are you. without sitting on the bike you are taking a risk regardless. long legs, short legs, low femur, short femur, arm length etc etc etc

How tall are you? Insiide leg?

i’m 6’0

I honestly have no idea on inside leg, but ‘long’ trousers are slightly long and regular are slightly short lol.

if it is a 54cm it is almost certainly to small, as a guess you should be thinking 56-58cm. depending on your exact build. And yes a couple of cm does matter.

Hes told you its a 54cm centre to top which is how I always measure frames more accurate than to the centres as it could have a fat top tube or an extended seat tube which would affect standover height .Measured this way you know thats not an issue

I would guess 56/57cm as well, but it is only a guess .Just got an old road bike(for free) for my 6ft son and its a 59cm and whilst not massive he could come down a couple of cms

Where should he be measuring from and to guys ? there seems to be some conflicting ideas hahahah

How Do I Measure a Bike Frame?

If C to C top tube length is under 54CM then you’re in trouble at that height unless you’ve got really short arms. If you’ve got long arms it’ll want to be longer than that.
You can always shove the seatpost up a bit, but you don’t want to be bunging a 150mm stem on it!

The size on road bikes doesn’t refer to the seat tube, but the top tube. And not directly either. As I unerstand it, traditionally the top tube and seat tube would be the same length. However with a sloping top tube and/or compact geometry, that’s no longer true.

So your best bets are

a) look on the Bianchi site for clues about sizing
b) email Bianchi for recommendations
c) get it out and sit on it.

Is it not labelled with a size?

I am 5’11 and ride a 53cm fwiw – it’s on the small side but I can ride it perfectly happily all day long with a 120mm stem and the saddle back a bit.

http://www.evanscycles.com/help/bike-sizing

Evans go with centre of BB to top of seat tube.

Oh god.

Seat tube length is irrelevant

Top tube length is important.

Your bike is actually a “57” although the seat tube measures 54 and the top tube measures 56.

What molgrips says is correct. When people say you need a “56” or a “57” when your 6 foot, they arent actually referring to the seat tube length.

With regards the jersey, you’ve got a thumbs up from me, as it’s not a ‘tour’ yellow jersey, just a bianchi jersey which happens to be yellow.

Mind you, you shouldn’t need the approval of a bunch of numptys on the interweb to help you choose what to wear 🙂

size guide, rough

what you need to know is, is the top tube horizontal, it looks it, and what i can find suggests it is, and then from the centre of the head tube to the centre of the seat tube, how long is it.

56-58 and a tweak of stem you should* be ok. If it is 54 or less i would strongly suggest it is probably too small.

*don’t come asking for compensation if it isn’t

The size on road bikes doesn’t refer to the seat tub

Yes it does its seat tube from bottom bracket to seat clamp /centre of top tube .All my road frames are sized from bb to top of seat tube

It’s a tricky one to get bang on using a tape and with steerer tube fitted etc. But, I’d say roughly, if we take seat tube centre to headtube centre ‘ish’, it’s 55cm – or from the most forward weld on the side where the top tube intersects the head tube, to the rear of the seat tube is 56cm – total length HT to ST is 58cm (that’s from ‘back to front’ as you see it side-on)…. Man it’s a hard one to get right, I guess you’d only ever know by getting a leg over it.

Hmmm i dunno now lol

Of course seat tube length is important .How do you know if the seat post will be long enough otherwise to start with? If the seat tube is to short you wont get it to fit will you ?

if it’s 54 centre-top the Bianchi website suggests the effective top-tube is 560mm, which at 6″ you **might** find a tiny bit short, or just right if you’ve got little arms

Where should he be measuring from and to guys ?

effective top tube. (horizontal not actual) it’s a compact geometry frame and the seat tube is quite short. you need to work out what the frame is from this chart*
http://www.epic-cycles.co.uk/images/Bianchi-VN7-geom.jpg
then you will know the effective top tube measurement, i would guess that a 6footer would be 55.5-57.5 cm ETT depending on body shape.

he needs to measure the seat tube properly as the chart has 2 ways of measuring the seat tube, the 54 is measured from the center and gives a 56cm ETT so depending on your torso/arm length and flexibility with a 120-130 stem it should fit**

*this chart was just a quick google, check the year of the frame as it may change and this chart may be wrong, get him to measure it properly.

** anecdotal sizing advice is a very vague guide and pissing in the wind compared to sitting on the bike and having an experienced eye help you decide if it fits.

Edric, you’re talking shite.

OF course seat tube length is irrelevant, seat posts these days come in sizes upto 400mm long, sometimes even more!

Road bike sizing, is the seat tube, depending i believe on nationality played a big part on whether it was centre bottom bracket to top of seat tube or centre of lug.

The angles would be 73 parallel with a bit of variation depending on size. and the top tube was usually the same length as the seat tube, again with a bit of variation.

So it is that my Lemond Croix de Fer is a 57cm, and i believe the geometry gives me a top tube of 57.5mm, the seat tube a laid back 72.5 and a steep head angle of 73.5.

What has since happened is that compact frames came out, but the referral is to the seat tube, which happens to be the same as the top tube.

I can’t sit on it guys,

it’s many many miles away. I can either take my chances or take the money and come up with another plan.

Probably would be a Boardman new in Halfords as i can actually try that and am struggling to think of anything ‘new’ in my budget and within a distance i could realistically travel to view.

No im not .I think it may be a tad small to ride a 53cm with a 400mm seat post .As the front end would be way to low .Im 6ft 4 by the way anything under a 59cm is to small seat and top tube for me

Weeksy, stop being a **** mong and buy the **** bike. You’re never going to know if it fits unless you try it. a 56 c-c top tube is long enough for you. The seat tube angle is steep so you’ll probably be running some layback on the post, this’ll make the top tube even longer. You dont really want ot run less than a 110mm stem anyway, ideally 120mm. I reckon this bike will fit you jsut right. No paragraphs sorry, I couldnt be bothered.

oh if it is a tad small fit a set of tri bars and take up time trialling.

As the front end would be way to low .Im 6ft 4 by the way anything under a 59cm is to small seat and top tube for me

Head tube and seat tube length arent determined by one another though.

I understand what you’re saying, but its not right.