Do you think bike frame size is less important these days?

I'm 5"5 and have a bike coming that's 50CM and if that's wrong I'm blaming everyone here.

:D

too small - and it's ed's fault

too small - and it's ed's fault

and yours!

look up bike whisperer, cyclefit etc

I read about this today in the back of the sunday indy mag, the guy who does the cycling column said it was the shit - he also went for the custom footbeds. £210 though.. could probably replace my bike for that!

Go to the Bike Whisperer then, they're just as good (if not better) and only £85.

My frame was about 20mm too big for me, so I had some spacers inserted into the bones in my forearms, and now I can go forever with no discomfort.

Im 5'8" on a 56cm square frame (c-c)

Its comfortable after a lot of tweaking but I can still always feel that its the wrong size. Handlebars are too low and front wheel to far in front.

I think I need 58cm seat tube and 54cm top tube, but Ive never seen that combo before anywhere.
Of course size is imprtant, but youll feel it less in an upright position on risers etc. On a normal road bike the hoods is the standard hand position, if your frame is too long its gonna feel shit.

I'm 6' 1" and I ride a 61cm Fuji - spot on for me. I like frames a tad larger, though. I don't really see how someone can ride a 61 and a 53cm - they're massively different sizes.

both my bikes are roughly 23" (yes I will go old skool)
I am 6'6"

they are too small, but the raleigh (old skool frame, quill stem etc)
feels more upright than my Giant TCR which i feel massively streched out on
but neither are really the right height...

Custom frame ftw :)

saves up

I know how you feel, I'm 6'6" as well and really struggle to get ideal frames. Think its to do with having long legs and not so long femurs I need a steep seat tube angle and most OTP frames get slacker as they get bigger. Really considering getting a custom road frame as this is the bike I use the most and use for long distances. Waiting for cycle fit to get back to me on the price of custom Colnagos, think I'm dreaming though so I'll probably end up with either a titanium enigma or a carbon Glider.

It may seem like a silly question, and i know bike companies are all making those shitty compact frames, but it seems that the advent of mass produced bikes has allowed longer seatposts and stems that allow for more frame sizes to fit more people. I am 6'2 and a bit, and ride two bikes, one i built which is 53cm c-t and a fuji track which is 61cm not sure if its c-c or c-t, but i find the fuji considerably more uncomfortable in almost everyway, bar the fact the smaller frame has a slight toe overlap problem. What do you think?

That's mental. Maybe you've forgotten what comfortable really means. It's frankly a tragic tale. Come back with a happy ending or I won't be able to sleep.

Yap, at 5'5, somewhere between 51 and 53 would be perfect, depending on your other proportions and that, in my experience. If you have long legs and arms you'd be fine on a 54.

mines a few mm out but i put on a second pair of gloves and extra padded shorts and it fits like a dream

hi, first post here.

for me sizing is the most important thing on a bike, I'm kind of an ergomaniac though.

I am 165cm and ride a 51 cm Pista (hey, I bought it 2nd hand before knowing about that Bikesnob's Pistadex thing), which seems to fit just right. If it were 53cm it would hit my balls, and if it were 49cm I'd be too curled — I also can't imagine having yet more toe overlap than I have now.

taller people have more flexibility though, a smaller than (suposedly) optimal frame can be corrected with longer stems, or you can even feel comfortable with the more upright position that a shorter top tube will give you.

FTR, I found this article from Peter White incredibly useful.

How tall is 165cm in real numbers?

In proper number it's about 1.8 yards, which is pretty short.

somwhere between a span and a furlong

165cm is a real number. Stick your ye olde feet and inches up your bumholes.

I found a clever internet machine. It's 5 foot 4 inches.

I am 6'2 and the gotti is a 54. I love it. It is kind of like riding a lowpro. Nice and nimble arround town and still comfy on longer rides.

i'm five foot ten and have always ridden 56/57 cm frames; just as when it is cold it is -1 and when it is hot it is 82.

Sml frames,short top tube all leads to bad bak trouble. Get away with it track riding but longer road stints no.

My back only hurts if I am doing a really long journy with a bloddy heavy bag. Long journys with a sensibly weighted bag are fine.

"stand-over"

the most irrelevant measurement on a bike
2nd being seat tube length.

Top tube (effective/horizontal) is the most important measure and even that can be affected by different geometries.

The only accurate way to go is Stack and Reach, but so few manufacturers use it that no one even knows what it is.

i'm five foot ten and have always ridden 56/57 cm frames; just as when it is cold it is -1 and when it is hot it is 82.

when it's cold, my body get slighty smaller and I need a 56cm frame during the winter, but in the summer, a 58cm is required since heat expanded substance.

really annoying isn't it?

58cm seems to do the trick for me, although Edwardes did say "that's a bloody big 58cm".

Still going to blame you lot if my bike is the wrong size :P

these statements of i'm this and ride that are particular to you and only give a suggestion as to what may or may not fit another person. so not much use at all really because if we all put down our height and bike size it still wouldn't help somebody get a bike that fits them.

.