Whats my frame worth and whats my options

dario28

I am going to irishfit later today for a fitting but I have a feeling he is going to say my frame is too big for me.....

Eurocycles said it was fine when I bought it but, its a 56cm others have said its too big and im getting lower back and shoulder pain after 2hrs , roughly am 5'8 / 5'9 with 31 inch leg

If he does say its too big what are my options , I was thinking I could sell the frame get a smaller one and keep the rest the gears etc and get them fitted or sell the whole bike and buy new one..

Its this bike http://www.trifuel.com/Detailed/t23-2684.php

I use my bike for following

1) commuting 150kms a week

2) duathlons at some point tri's

3) spins..furthest so far 100kms, enjoyable but tight lower back at end and got given out to by massage lady for being too tight, i put them on hold until I get the bike sorted

Short distances im happy with the bike , get decent speeds and times in races just after 2hr mark the tightness starts


So I need to know whats the frame worth and is it best to sell it as a whole or just frame

and

What should I get in its place

and do I have any chance of saying to eurocycles that they sold me a frame too big

Lumen

How long have you been cycling 150kms a week/up to 100km in a single ride?

I sold a bike last year that I thought was too big for me, but in restrospect I just wasn't fit enough and I was blaming the bike size.

Your body only knows the relative position of your hands, feet and arse.

The difference between a 54 and a 56 is only about 15mm in toptube length, which is easily within the range you could compensate with by a variation in stem length.

So it should be possible to fit you on the bike you have, though the handling may not be ideal you should at least be comfortable.

tunney

Seems like you are going for a Tri fitting.
When coming to fittings for Tri there is only one system that is worthwhile. The F.I.S.T. system pioneered by Dan Empfield of QR fame. Thankfully we now have someone in Ireland doing it and that is the only place I would go or send people for Tri fittings.

Base on your dimensions I doubt you'll get a good tri fit with the stack and reach of that frame.

Whats it worth? As a bike or a frame? Probably get for it as a bike. Depending on condition, 800-1000 euro.

What bike should you get. Trek Speed Concept imho. But I would have a read over www.slowtwitch.com and determine what bike fit you need and then determine what brands have models that work.

dario28

Lumen wrote: »

How long have you been cycling 150kms a week/up to 100km in a single ride?

I sold a bike last year that I thought was too big for me, but in restrospect I just wasn't fit enough and I was blaming the bike size.

Your body only knows the relative position of your hands, feet and arse.

The difference between a 54 and a 56 is only about 15mm in toptube length, which is easily within the range you could compensate with by a variation in stem length.

So it should be possible to fit you on the bike you have, though the handling may not be ideal you should at least be comfortable.

I built up to the 100kms in prob 3mths...I have been doing the 150 a week since Sept last year when I bought the bike and took mid-Dec to mid-Jan off cause of the ice , then went sat cycles of 40 , 60 , 80 , 100

Im pretty happy with handling at the moment , in the duathlon last week in the park prob climbed 10 positions by skinning people on bends and taking the S bends as tight as possible

Cool , maybe its not too big , I heard Leo's in irishfit's the man anyway

Any idea what the frame would be worth anyway

dario28

tunney wrote: »

What bike should you get. Trek Speed Concept imho. But I would have a read over www.slowtwitch.com and determine what bike fit you need and then determine what brands have models that work.

Thanks for the tips...Trek Speed Concept is a nice looking bike , cant see it being too practical for cycling to work every day though , and spins through wicklow...or am i wrong ?

Lumen

tunney wrote: »

Base on your dimensions I doubt you'll get a good tri fit with the stack and reach of that frame.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but it looks like normal road bike geometry to me, in which case it should be possible to get a comfortable fit when riding off the aerobars, no?

tunney

Lumen wrote: »

I'm not disagreeing with you, but it looks like normal road bike geometry to me, in which case it should be possible to get a comfortable fit when riding off the aerobars, no?

IMHO you can get an adaqute tri position on a road bike (that fits as a road bike) with clip ons but not a good one. Going long or going hard would need a dedicated tri fit. A good article on the evolution of tri bikes at the minute on slowtwitch.

RoubX

you could always put your measurements into BikeCAD (google it) and see what it tells you based on standard calculations.

short circuit

For what its worth ... pros used to ride larger sized bikes in the past before the whole ride smaller bikes for aggressive position, aero needs and lower weight came. If you were sized in the 80s, I am sure you would have been recommended a 57cm frame ... obviously, today, you will probably be sized at a 54cm.

A smaller frame might actually make life more difficult for you as the head tube will be shorter, which will mean the bars will be lower and also farther away from you and your back will be bent more.

On a larger frame, you might need to get your saddle a bit more forward that what you might think is the standard and perhaps opt for a shorter stem. Aim for roughly knee over the pedal spindle or slightly behind .. get your saddle right and then choose a stem which suits.

If you are in between sizes, a larger bike should usually give you a more comfortable fit and a smaller bike .. a more racier one.

amused2death

For a 5"8/5"9 person many online guides suggest a frame size between 52-54cm. A frame size of 56 would be at the upper end of acceptable frame size for your height range. Ideally a frame would be in the mid range to allow for a more comfortable bike fitting position which can then be altered to allow for improvements in fitness/flexibility/core strength.
For a start you should look at getting properly measured height wise and inside leg. Some one else should help and measure in cms (metric) and not Inches (imperial).

I am 180cm 5ft 8.5 and my racing frame is 53cm and training frame 54cm. The manufacturer's advice for me is a 52..... 20yrs ago when I was racing I had a 55cm ( always found it difficult to get a good position). Starting off I had a 21.5inch frame which is 54.6cm.
A frame that is too big can less flexible and more difficult in handling. Before looking at what bike size/type to buy a cyclist should know precise information about themselves regarding their measurements. Shops will sell you what they have on the shelf or need to shift. It does not mean it is what best suits you.

gerardduff

amused2death wrote: »

Some one else should help and measure in cms (metric) and not Inches (imperial).

I am 180cm 5ft 8.5

Er...180cm is just under 5'11" whereas 5'8.5" is exactly 174cm.

I'm mostly 5'11.5" (182cm) and I ride a road bike with a semi sloping geometry, the seat tube is 55cm. It's a Cinelli Unica, a bike I hope I'm still riding when I'm ninety. The guy who had it before me used it to TT. Before that I had a 58cm Trek 1000 which always felt like a high nelly, no comparison in handling. My limited experience says the first place you notice handling is when going around bends and taking corners. If you have confidence to ride through the apex of a bend you're on the right size frame.

If you're looking to specialise, well that's a different ball game. I've never rode with aero bars but I know your hand position on a bike dictates the handling just as much as the right frame size and geometry. I guess the narrow position on a TT bike is compensated for by lowering the centre of gravity. Or something.