Buying first road bike online - a mistake?

colblimp

I'm looking to buy a Cube Peloton from CRC but I'm not 100% sure of the size. I'm 5'11" so I think a 56 will fit me. Am I mad to buy it online without being fitted properly?

wotdef

Go over to cyclesuperstore, they sell them.

wotdef

Oops just realised where you are.:o

Ryaner

I bought my first road bike online without any problems. Know a few others who have done similar too. You just need to check the measurements of the frame too. Although if you can get to a shop, they'll be able to advise much better.

NeedsTraining

Colblimp,

I was on a peloton in CRC recently for sizing.
The 58 frame was the best size for me and I am also 5'11". So either check again or actually get measured.

colblimp

NeedsTraining wrote: »

Colblimp,

I was on a peloton in CRC recently for sizing.
The 58 frame was the best size for me and I am also 5'11". So either check again or actually get measured.

Now that's interesting, I was convinced I was a 56 - hmmm, not so sure now. The thing is, I can't exactly 'pop up' to Belfast now, can I?! I think you've convinced me to get sized properly for this bike, although I'm obviously going to have to pay more, it's going to be worth it, right?

Lumen

colblimp wrote: »

I'm looking to buy a Cube Peloton from CRC but I'm not 100% sure of the size. I'm 5'11" so I think a 56 will fit me. Am I mad to buy it online without being fitted properly?

I am somewhat of an expert in buying the wrong size bike online.

It really depends how "typical" you are. If you're an average shape and not between sizes there's usually no problem.

One size wrong is usually fixable with stem choice, and the worst case is that it'll look a bit wierd. Two sizes wrong is unlikely to be fixable.

Comfort/fit is the single most important thing about a bike, assuming it isn't complete crap.

coolbeans

I bought my bike from Lidl, not exactly bike experts but it was a good deal at the time and I'm extremely pleased with it. The real reason I went to them though was all the bike shops I visited could not source a new bike for me in the (large) size I wanted. It was during the summer and due to various factors there was something of a bike famine which according to the guy in my LBS still persists today. After six weeks of frustration I went ahead and bought the Lidl bike and have been spinning regularly since. Bike fit really is very important however and ideally you should employ the expertise of your LBS if you don't know what you're doing. After a few months riding I had pains in my lower back and in my knees due to a poor set up and I wondered if I could continue cycling. Eventually I got all this sorted with the assistance of Ray in Worldwide Cycles but I could have avoided all that bother if he could've supplied me with a new bike in the first place. He could not. I ended up buying my Stratos in a supermarket and while I got a great deal I would only recommend buying blind i.e. from Lidl or online to people who have a little more experience than I had at the time. You'll pay more to buy locally but find the right shop and it'll be worth it. I finally got the set up right but my first preference as a beginner was and always would have been to buy from the LBS. You really should avail of their expertise.

colblimp

OK guys, that's what I expected - I'll buy from my local tri shop, they're the only shop that seems to do a proper fit anywhere in Cork. Thanks very much for all the advice!

Vélo

I bought my first road bike online and am now selling it as I'm not happy with the fit. It's only a little too big for me. I could get away with it but I was given a deal on a nice steel road bike and couldn't say no. Actually the new bike I bought online also but I was better prepared when it came to the geometry of the bike.

alfalad

Just cause you are buying a bike in a LBS does not mean you will be sized right for it, some LBS owners and workers have no clue. So make sure you get to a reputable bike shop that has a lot of experience and a good reputation, ideally they should be able to let you try the bike on a turbo for a couple of minutes and even take it round the block if needs be. As well as doing the standard measurements!

crashoveroid

colblimp wrote: »

OK guys, that's what I expected - I'll buy from my local tri shop, they're the only shop that seems to do a proper fit anywhere in Cork. Thanks very much for all the advice!

Hi if your like me im six foot tall but a 56 frame is way too big the main reason is i have short legs and a really long torso and really long arms so i have to go for a 54cm frame with a 130 or a 140 stem depending on the frame dimensions.

The tri shop is not bad but would suggest talking to Brian Lynch in Douglas Cycles or speedy spokes in Riverstick. He knows how to set people up and has a great range of equipment ranging from BMC Cervelo Time Pinarello Tifosi to name a few every bike is custom built to fit what i mean you bike the groupset the wheels finishing kit. So you get exactly what you want.

Lumen

crashoveroid wrote: »

Hi if your like me im six foot tall but a 56 frame is way too big the main reason is i have short legs and a really long torso and really long arms so i have to go for a 54cm frame with a 130 or a 140 stem depending on the frame dimensions.

A small frame with a long stem is the same fit as a large frame with a normal stem. The only real difference is head tube length, but there are plenty of frames with shortish head tubes, unless you have the flexibility of a yoga master and need a massive handlebar drop?

I have short legs too, but that just means I don't have much seatpost showing.

edit: sorry for off-topic! just curious

short circuit

I feel on a moral high ground here ....

All 3 of my bikes were bought locally .... support the LBS FFS .... :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Ok.. Ok .. one of the bikes was a Focus ... but it was bought 2nd hand

crashoveroid

Lumen wrote: »

?

A small frame with a long stem is the same fit as a large frame with a normal stem. The only real difference is head tube length, but there are plenty of frames with shortish head tubes, unless you have the flexibility of a yoga master and need a massive handlebar drop?

I have short legs too, but that just means I don't have much seatpost showing.

I do agree with you but i know my head tube has to be a min of 58cm any thing shorter and im too upright and not feeling comfortable.

colblimp

crashoveroid wrote: »

The tri shop is not bad but would suggest talking to Brian Lynch in Douglas Cycles or speedy spokes in Riverstick. He knows how to set people up and has a great range of equipment ranging from BMC Cervelo Time Pinarello Tifosi to name a few every bike is custom built to fit what i mean you bike the groupset the wheels finishing kit. So you get exactly what you want.

The tri shop spend an hour on bike fit, they stick you on a turbo and everything, so it's very comprehensive. I'm on the North Side of Cork so Douglas or Riverstick is totally out of the question - I don't drive, you see.

coolbeans

short circuit wrote: »

I feel on a moral high ground here ....

All 3 of my bikes were bought locally .... support the LBS FFS .... :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Ok.. Ok .. one of the bikes was a Focus ... but it was bought 2nd hand

In fairness there has been some serious supply issues with LBSs in the past year especially on road bikes. I was waiting six weeks before I made the leap. I made lots of phone call and shopped around Dublin and the south but it was the same story; "we just can't get the bikes". Buying online is quite understandable in these circumstances although as previously stated I wouldn't recommend this option to a beginner.

short circuit

coolbeans wrote: »

In fairness there has been some serious supply issues with LBSs in the past year especially on road bikes. I was waiting six weeks before I made the leap. I made lots of phone call and shopped around Dublin and the south but it was the same story; "we just can't get the bikes". Buying online is quite understandable in these circumstances although as previously stated I wouldn't recommend this option to a beginner.

People around here don't mind ordering custom frames and waiting 3 months for delivery .. why not the same for LBS ... they might even let you use the pump if you puncture in front of their shop in a few weeks time.

I am just bored and trolling

Lumen

short circuit wrote: »

People around here don't mind ordering custom frames and waiting 3 months for delivery .. why not the same for LBS

Because the entire justification for the LBS as middle man is that they carry stock.

When you ask them why their prices are so high you get a Cadel Evans-style whinge fest about how tough it is being a dealer and how much depreciating stock they have to carry to satisfy the conditions of distributors/maufacturers.

cdaly_

colblimp wrote:

I'm on the North Side of Cork so Douglas or Riverstick is totally out of the question - I don't drive, you see.

I'd have thought being able to row would matter more at the mo...