road bike sizeing

THWANG-666

Senior Retro Guru
how do you size your self for a road bike im 5-10 so my question is what size frame will i need. a chap at work says 2 sizes bike than your mtb that would make it a 21" frame dos that sound right.
regards simon
 
Sounds about right - though 2 sizes is often more like 4" - I ride a 21" MTB and about a 25" road bike. It's the top tube length that's the most important thing though.

It may be worth spending a little money getting fitted by a local bike shop, or perhaps just going to a good road bike store and trying out a few bikes for size - beware of somewhere that mostly sells MTBs or cheap bikes as they'll be most likely to try and fit you on whatever they've got in stock.
 
For my 2 penny's worth, I'd say that at 5-10 you probably want a 57cm or 22.5".

A trick to use is too look at the range of sizes available for your MTB - normally five. Which one would you choose? Biggest, second, middle ? Pick the size the corresponds with that from the road bike range. If you ride the second to biggest MTB, buy the second to bigges road bike.

This trick works well where manufacturers use virtual tube lengths due to sloping designs etc..
 
cheers guys thats a shame i,ve been given an old custom built thats 21" that is way too small.all i know about the bike is that it was built early 80,s for a guy that used to time trial with the likes of dave hinde.no builders name on the frame.i might have to buy a frame off the bay
 
a pic of the bike in question as i dont know any thing about road bike bear with me

21" custom built frame dont know how the builder is or was chromed drop outs and chain stays nice lug work.the ends of the lugs have been smoothed off
shimano 12 speed with clamp on D/T shifters
sachs hubs
cinelli bars and stem
campag headset
asp brake levers?? and shimano calipers
paint finished in a red/brown metalic with gold lug out line

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v710/ ... adbike.jpg
 
as said above , 80 s frame used to have a very long top tube , so check this as moden bikes are much smaller .
 
Top tube length is important, but equally so is the seat tube (if it's too long/legs too short! Ouch.) :shock:

To find out what seat tube length you require you need an accurate measurement of your inseam.

Stand with your back against the wall with nothing on your feet and your legs spread about 6", push a book up against your crotch (oo-err)
Measure from the top of the book to the floor a couple of times (you may need help here)
Whatever that measurement is, times it by .67 and that's the size of the frame you need (c-t).

HTH
 
go to bikefitting.com, find your nearest pro bikeshop & get measured up.
its a simple, highly efective way of getting a bike size/make that suits you, & also maximises your power output (important for everybody).
you will aso find out how you measure up againt the averges for a male of your height, which affect how you are setup on the bike.

a bit more techy than "guessing" but if you guess, you run the risk of serious discomfort & dodgy god-knows-what.

road bike fitting is far more important than mtbs.
 
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