Frame size advice

A.D.R

Dirt Disciple
Quick question on frame sizing (though the answer could be longer if my trawls through the internet are right).

I have a 1992(?) Carrera Krakatoa with a seat tube that measures 48cm (19"?)from the BB spindle to the top of the tube, and its around 44cm (17.5"?)to the centre line of the toptube intersection point. The top tubes about 56cm long



(drop bars are fitted to see how my 'project' might look)

The forks are probably a bit long for the frame so the Toptube is sloping more than it should

So is it a 17.5? or a 19 " frame? or none of the above? And why isn't there a standard for sizing!

And at 5' 11" with a 33" inside leg and long arms, have I been riding the wrong size frame for the past 20 odd years (Bought it second hand as a spotty faced 16 year old so cant be sure of the size).

My newest bike is a cycle to work acquired 2012 voodoo hoodoo with a 20 " frame and it feels comfortable and stable (longer top tube/wheelbase) , but then the Marin Hawkhill (a free of charge donation from a friend) I commute on is the same size as the Carrera and feels comfortable too if a bit more responsive (twitchy?).

As mentioned above I was going to be modifing the carrera with drop bars possibly even v brake adaptors and 700c wheels and cross tyres, but if the frames not the right size I don't want to be wasting my time with it

Confused and befuddled.

Andy
 
There are various methods, but the standard one is centre to centre. Of course, this frame has.a sloping top tube so while c to c it might be 19" you need to imaging that the top tube is horizontal and take the measurement accordingly, so it's 'virtual' size is probably in the order of 20-21".

Then there's top tube length, and then wheelbase, rake and trail which dictate how stable the bike is and how it changes direction. All good fun.
 
Chopper1192":28zq5yp5 said:
...Then there's top tube length, and then wheelbase, rake and trail which dictate how stable the bike is and how it changes direction. All good fun.

Well I plan on making the bike rigid again as fork has definitely slowed the steering down. The RST 380 has a longer A-C length than the rigid forks it originally came with which were 395mm Axle to crown, but after I had them fitted by the local LBS way back then I was too enamoured with front suspension to notice or care. So do I stick with the original Hi ten forks with Tange drop outs or try obtain a set of Chromoly forks ( Did tange make hi -ten forks?)

Andy
 
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