Wrong size frame?? I AM SO TALL. Help!!

glenners08

Hi,

I bought a road bike recently and as I was in a rush to get the sale done, I took the owners word and bought a bike for €180. I am 6ft 5inches and the frame is 56. At the time I thought it was 58/60 but now realise its probably too small. Is there any way I can make it bigger?

Any help would be useful as I am only a beginner. its a castello potenza road bike

Alanstrainor

That bike is way too small. I'd say your best bet is to sell it again and buy the right size. Any changes that you can make to this bike will only give very small return. Even if you were 6ft tall I think you might struggle on that frame.

Eamonnator

I'm 6' 1" and all my bikes are size 58 or equivalent.
At 6' 5", no matter what your proportions, I don't think there's any way you could get a size 56 bike to fit you properly.
Cut your losses, sell on the bike and get a bike that fits you properly.

Mycroft H

I've a 61cm frame and I'm 6"4', it's one with a long top tube as I've long arms.

A 56 is way too small, even for me. Sell it. Not even a long seat post is going to make it right.

mr spuckler

same, i'm 6' 2" and all mine are 58s. i've tried a 56 before and was way too small for me.

as above, there's no way you're going to make it work for you and imo cycling it long term could cause you injury so would definitely recommend ditching it now for a small financial hit.

Boardnashea

When did you purchase?
How much have you done with it so far?
Bring it back and talk to them.

robyntmorton

I'm 5'11" and I'm on the border of 56/58. I can make my 58 work, but I would probably do better on a 56.

I can't imagine how you would ever make a 56 work. There's only so many adjustments you can make, really.

py

I'm the same height as you OP and I use a 64 (a Cube road bike which was bought a 4-5 years ago) and it works really well. Have had a bike fit performed and the guy said the frame was spot on for my height. Cube sizing was slightly different back then so it's probably somewhere between a 60-62 in other brands.

mr spuckler

on the back of this thread i googled what size conor dunne rides (he's 6' 9"!) and seems to be a 62 in a vitus. i guess sizing will differ across brands...

linkage here

py

Even within brands, they're different as it depends on the type of bike position you're looking for (race vs endurance etc.) I'd a quick look on Giant's site and they've endurance frames maxing out at 58.5cm whereas their aero bike maxes out at 59.5cm.

sin_26

What bike did you bought and what is your inseam measurement. Frame size means nothing. Stack and reach is whats matter.

Homer1798

I'm 6'5" and ride a 58/60 traditional frame, at present I'm riding a 55.5cm Giant TCR (Size L) which fits quite well. The frame fit really depends on your own personal dimensions, flexability and the type of riding your doing. I recently had a 61cm Cannondale which felt way too long and big so it's a personal thing rather than a height thing. 56cm sounds way too small, but that depends on other dimensions of the frame and yourself.

Beasty

Nearly 6' 2" and ride 58cm road bikes. Can go down a size for TT and reckon it would not bother me if I rode 56 on the road. It can also depend on your relativé leg/torso length (I've a relatively long torso) but at 6' 5" that's not going to help.

We can start to shrivel up as we get older mind so maybe hold onto it for a few decades :pac:

Cee-Jay-Cee

glenners08 wrote: »

Any help would be useful as I am only a beginner. its a castello potenza road bike

I think those Castello's are fairly standard sizing so a 56cm frame is going too small for you. Your better off selling it and getting a bike that fits you better.

On another note and probably more important, if you are in any way intent on cycling regularly and/or joining a club, buy something better than a Castello. They're the absolute bottom of the barrel in the bike world, pig iron frame and steel fork and they weigh a ton. For your money you will get a much better spec second hand bike. The Potenza is €220 new so you weren't getting any great bargain if it was a used bike.

sin_26

^^^^^^
This

glenners08

Hi Guys,

thanks for all your posts. I bought it brand new for €180. Im a total beginner with bikes so I have made an error in judgement. I bought it brand new from a guy on Done Deal out in business park in ballycoolin. I told him my height and he said 56 inc frame would be fine. Do you think he was having me on? Maybe I should complain or should I just cut my losses?

In hindsight, it was completely stupid of me not to do research first.

I am far too tall for it. Im a 34 long in leg length.

magicbastarder

glenners08 wrote: »

I told him my height and he said 56 inc frame would be fine. Do you think he was having me on? Maybe I should complain or should I just cut my losses?

yes, and if it was a private sale, caveat emptor.
if he runs a bike shop, complain.

TheBlaaMan

While general comments about size may be true - and I'd agree it sounds too small, the important thing is that each manufacturer (and even model) can be different, so you need to assess it based on measuring the frame (advice from owners of this frame carry more value than generic comments). Toe overlap, where the rear of the front wheel can snag your toe when you turn the handlebars, is the biggest issue, IMO.
FWIW, I'm 185cm/6"1.5' and all my bikes are 56cm - I have 58 and they are uncomfortably too big.

Tenzor07

glenners08 wrote: »

from a guy on Done Deal out in business park in ballycoolin.

Was he also selling €50 notes for €20?

smacl

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

While general comments about size may be true - and I'd agree it sounds too small, the important thing is that each manufacturer (and even model) can be different, so you need to assess it based on measuring the frame (advice from owners of this frame carry more value than generic comments). Toe overlap, where the rear of the front wheel can snag your toe when you turn the handlebars, is the biggest issue, IMO.
FWIW, I'm 185cm/6"1.5' and all my bikes are 56cm - I have 58 and they are uncomfortably too big.

Not just the bike manufacturers apparently, 6"1.5' = 6.125ft = 186.7cm

TheBlaaMan

smacl wrote: »

Not just the bike manufacturers apparently, 6"1.5' = 6.125ft = 186.7cm

OK, I stand (:D) corrected

I'm 186.7cm tall with 34in/86cm inside leg and ride a 56cm in traditional geometry frame....meaning that there isn't the risk of having to overextend the seatpost to get enough height on saddle to bottom bracket as there may be on this bike - from memory this measures 82cm on my bikes....

I'd add that a longer stem can remove any risk of knees hitting the handlebars, and that the toe overlap is the main issue.....

mp31

glenners08 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

thanks for all your posts. I bought it brand new for €180. Im a total beginner with bikes so I have made an error in judgement. I bought it brand new from a guy on Done Deal out in business park in ballycoolin. I told him my height and he said 56 inc frame would be fine. Do you think he was having me on? Maybe I should complain or should I just cut my losses?

In hindsight, it was completely stupid of me not to do research first.

I am far too tall for it. Im a 34 long in leg length.

Maybe he has other larger bikes for sale?

If not you can always try to get a longer seat post and go for the pro look:

Chuchote

If you're working (often even if you're working part-time, depending on the employer) you may be able to get a bike on the Cycle-to-Work scheme http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax_credits_and_reliefs/cycle_to_work_scheme.html which would mean you could get a good bike for as little as half price.

Go to a good shop run by racers or ex-racers or tourers (what county are you in - people here can recommend shops), and ask them to measure you up for the bike you need.