Was sold a bike, have been told its too big, any advice

mrbungle

Hi All,

I was sold a bike, from new back in August. Haven't put too many road miles on it, maybe <75km.
I found out yesterday that the bike is probably too big for me, its a 60cm frame, I'm just over 6'1", inside leg 34".
Is there hope to get this bike fitted or am I going to be all over the place, I'm new enough to cycling and want to get a comfortable feeling bike for Tri's ahead of aerodynamical for the moment.

Any advice welcome.
Thanks!

Lumen

Within reason, you can make a bike "smaller" by fitting a shorter and/or differently angled stem.

It won't handle the same as a smaller bike, but it will be comfortable.

Don't change bike size until you're absolutely sure of the reason you're uncomfortable.

mrbungle

Thanks ! There might be hope yet.

Bluefoam

It'll be grand. You'll grow into it.

feck sake lads

60cm emm i would say it's to big probably more like a 56cm frame would suit you .did you buy it from a bike shop new ,if so take it back.;)

Lumen

feck sake lads wrote: »

60cm emm i would say it's to big probably more like a 56cm frame would suit you .did you buy it from a bike shop new ,if so take it back.;)

Maybe. Depends on a lot of things.

I'm under 6ft, and my most comfortable bike has a 575mm top tube, which is anything from a size 58 to 64 depending on manufacturer geometry.

mkdon05

Generally a 58cm would be right for you height, but there are different factors to consider, leg length, torso length etc.

cantalach

Lumen wrote: »

I'm under 6ft, and my most comfortable bike has a 575mm top tube, which is anything from a size 58 to 64 depending on manufacturer geometry.

Really? I'm between 6'2" and 6'3" and my Cervélo is only a 58cm! You must have very long arms and/or great flexibility. Or perhaps I have very short arms and/or bad flexibility!

Making a more general point though, I can't figure out why the top tube length isn't the standard way of quoting the size of a frame, as it seems more fundamental in many respects.

Al Wright

It sounds to be the correct size frame for someone of your height.
I have a 580mm (23.5in)frame (centre of BB to centre of level top tube) I'm just short of 6ft in height and inside leg 32.5 ins. Even at that I have the saddle raised about 9.5 inches (say 230mm). Early on I replaced the (handlebar) stem from 35mm to 50mm for more comfortable reach.
It takes a bit of time to set up a comfortable riding position. When you set up saddle height by usual method, continue with adjustments of about 2mm up/down and also forward/backward on the rail until you find the optimum. I had covered about 200 miles before I got mine right.

Lumen

cantalach wrote: »

Really? I'm between 6'2" and 6'3" and my Cervélo is only a 58cm! You must have very long arms and/or great flexibility. Or perhaps I have very short arms and/or bad flexibility!

I have a long torso, short legs and crap flexibility. Short legs and tight hamstrings mean my seat is low, which brings me forward due to seat tube angle. Crap flexibility leads me to use a forward saddle position to open the hip angle, which brings me forward again.

My race bike is a 56cm, with a 560mm top tube but a longer (130mm) stem.

So much depends on saddle position. The difference between zero setback seatpost with forward saddle position and 30mm setback seatpost with rearward saddle position is probably something like 60-70mm, which probably spans the entire range of top tube lengths.

...which is why choosing a bike frame size based on a couple of measurements can be hit and miss.

el Bastardo

mrbungle wrote: »

Hi All,

I was sold a bike, from new back in August. Haven't put too many road miles on it, maybe <75km.
I found out yesterday that the bike is probably too big for me, its a 60cm frame, I'm just over 6'1", inside leg 34".
Is there hope to get this bike fitted or am I going to be all over the place, I'm new enough to cycling and want to get a comfortable feeling bike for Tri's ahead of aerodynamical for the moment.

Any advice welcome.
Thanks!

Minor adjustments can be made. What's possible really depends on what brand/model of bike you have and it's corresponding geometry: What's yours?

With slightly longer legs, I'm still pretty much in the same category as you at 6' 1"-and-a-bit. I ride a 60cm frame (57 Horizontal TT) with zero setback seatpost and 110cm stem. Sometimes it feels a bit long, but it's not uncomfortable and I'm not inflexible (I ain't no yogi neither! ). I don't race, do tris or anything like that - I prefer pleasure to pain

michael196

why do bike shops sell wrong sized frames to customers ? seems such a stupid thing to do. would you trust the shop ever again ? are they securing a second sale when u finally realise whats wrong.

I hired a bike on holiday last year, german guy ran the shop, asked what frame size did i want , i said i hadnt a clue, or more so: could you check me for the correct frame size? , he measured me and presented me with the best fitting frame I had ever been given. my riding took a leap forward from that day.

I have met people who were told they would grow into wrong sized frames, they never do.

I knew a bike shop that sold big frames to unsuspecting customers, when u saw the people cycling around on frames 2 or 3 sizes too big, so obvious, followed by abandonment of the frames eventually. such a shame .

i have put up a velo drome shop article on selecting frame size loads of times on here at this stage. I would not go back to the shop. such a common problem.

begs the question on the expertise of the shop owners.

mrbungle

el Bastardo wrote: »

Minor adjustments can be made. What's possible really depends on what brand/model of bike you have and it's corresponding geometry: What's yours?

With slightly longer legs, I'm still pretty much in the same category as you at 6' 1"-and-a-bit. I ride a 60cm frame (57 Horizontal TT) with zero setback seatpost and 110cm stem. Sometimes it feels a bit long, but it's not uncomfortable and I'm not inflexible (I ain't no yogi neither! ). I don't race, do tris or anything like that - I prefer pleasure to pain

Trek 1.2.
The guy told me to throw the leg over and to check for about a 1" gap just above the cross bar. Pretty reputable shop in the North East, though I've now been in touch with a specialised shop who know what they're talking about, have all the gear and expertise to measure, fit and advise.
Don't want to have to fork out for a new bike, my cycling will suffer for my tri work, so now trying to sort early in the season.

Good info so far.

el Bastardo

mrbungle wrote: »

Trek 1.2.
The guy told me to throw the leg over and to check for about a 1" gap just above the cross bar. Pretty reputable shop in the North East, though I've now been in touch with a specialised shop who know what they're talking about, have all the gear and expertise to measure, fit and advise.
Don't want to have to fork out for a new bike, my cycling will suffer for my tri work, so now trying to sort early in the season.

Good info so far.

Okay, well going on measurements for the Trek 1.2 2010, that looks a fair bit bigger than my frame. Given that I have ridden a 58cm Trek 1.1 before, I'd think that a 60cm would be too big for me. I s'pose the best thing you can do for now is to have a further chat/consultation with that knowledgeable guy you mentioned.

FYI, the guy who sold you that bike was obviously an eejit! I know because I was sold a bike that was too small for me - and the eejit who sold it to me was using the same rule of thumb!