Downsizing good or bad??

Dermog

Hi all,
I've been cycling a Specialized tricross 58cm for the past two and a half years.
I'm looking to get a full road bike now and have been offered a good deal on a 56cm carbon road bike.
I'm half an inch over six foot (in stocking feet) and my inside leg measurement is 33inches.
Will this bike be ok, I took it for a spin and it seemed ok, but it was only a 15 minute ride.
Any suggestions/thoughts from anyone?
Thanks
D

funkyjebus

Dermog wrote: »

Hi all,
I've been cycling a Specialized tricross 58cm for the past two and a half years.
I'm looking to get a full road bike now and have been offered a good deal on a 56cm carbon road bike.
I'm half an inch over six foot (in stocking feet) and my inside leg measurement is 33inches.
Will this bike be ok, I took it for a spin and it seemed ok, but it was only a 15 minute ride.
Any suggestions/thoughts from anyone?
Thanks
D

I would have imagined you'd need a 58. But sizes vary per manufacturer and type of bike. Some cx bikes might have a shorter toptube than a road bike ie while your cx bike is a 58, it might habe an effective tt of 57, while the road bike is true 56, so there would not be much of a difference. You can always compensate with stems and and saddle height, but only to a point, so do be sure.

The best way is to ride it yourself as you have done, so you probably already have good idea.

Have a look online at bike fitting and how you should be positioned on the bike, have another go, for longer if u can, and see if it seems right.

Good luck. Out of interest, what bike is it?

Lumen

I ride both size 58 and size 56 bikes, with different length top tubes.

I don't know how anyone can answer the question for you personally, but if it feels right it probably is.

niceonetom

The tricross has a 575mm effective top tube and a slightly slack seat tube so the reach is shorter than most 58cm road bikes...

I'd go and compare the geometry charts of both bikes - just becasue the bike you're looking at is a "56" does not tell you much about the actual reach to the bars etc.

If you're using a 140mm stem or some such then moving to a frame with a shorter tt is unlikely to work. If you're currently using a relatively short stem then you can compensate for the shorter tt with a longer stem.

The other thing I'd be looking at is how long the fork steerer is on the road bike in question. The head-tube wil be shorter than that on the tricross but if the steerer tube has enough spacers on it the you may be able to maintain the higher position you're used to now (if that's what you want to do).

Dermog

Hi all,
Thanks for your input, the bike I'm looking at is a Specialized Roubaix 56cm. I may take it for antoher spin a little longer this time. Its a 2011, so I'm having difficulty getting the bike geometry on line, I have a 2011 brochure, so I may try get a look.
When I took it for a spin last week, it was very different to the tricross, it was much more compact, which I'm guessing a road bike is, and I'm ok with that. And after about 10 mins it felt ok, there was no significant difference other than being more compact, I'm worried if I'm mistaking this for it being too small.
But I'm trying to ensure I'm not taking too big a risk just to save a few quid!!
D

Lumen

Dermog wrote: »

When I took it for a spin last week, it was very different to the tricross, it was much more compact, which I'm guessing a road bike is, and I'm ok with that. And after about 10 mins it felt ok, there was no significant difference other than being more compact, I'm worried if I'm mistaking this for it being too small

The Tricross is a tank - the chainstays are very long to give clearance for big tyres. So any road bike should feel more "compact" and nimble.

Main thing is that you feel relaxed when cycling it and have no neck or back pain.

coastwatch

Dermog wrote: »

..Its a 2011, so I'm having difficulty getting the bike geometry on line...
D

There's an archive section on the specialized site, it goes back to 2002,

home page, Menu - Bikes - Archive

Dermog

Thanks all, I reckon, i'll check out the geometry and take it for another spin.
D