# 5' 10" - What size CAAD10 ? 54 or 56 ?



## JoeOxfordCT

I am going to be picking up a CAAD10 3 Ultegra and while I have mostly rode 56's in the past I always wanted to try a 54 w/longer stem thing that all the pro's seem to do. 

Is a 54 really going to be stiffer than a 56 ? 

Any fit issues going down one size ? I have normal proportion arms/legs/torso. 
I don't race...just fast group rides & centuries...

Either size is available so I'm not being forced in one direction or another.

Thanks !

J.


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## Sisbud

What is your current setup with size 56?
How many spacers under the stem and how long is your current stem?
At the end of the day, the biggest difference between a 54 and a 56 is the difference in the stack for each bike. A size 54 will have a lower head tube, and if you are not flexible enough you are running the risk of having more spacers under your stem. Sometimes this is not visually pleasant for some people


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## defboob

i'm pretty much your height and very comfortable on a 54 frame, dropped my stem a bit, plan on getting it cut down so there's less spacers, didn't have to adjust my seat very much either. I can't say much on whether it's "stiffer" or not, but regardless it rides as fast as i can make it without issue up or downhill.


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## PaxRomana

I am 5'10 and ride a size 54 very comfortably.


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## tranzformer

Sisbud said:


> What is your current setup with size 56?
> How many spacers under the stem and how long is your current stem?
> At the end of the day, the biggest difference between a 54 and a 56 is the difference in the stack for each bike. A size 54 will have a lower head tube, and if you are not flexible enough you are running the risk of having more spacers under your stem. Sometimes this is not visually pleasant for some people



Both stack and reach are 15mm greater on the 56 than 54.


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## retrosticks

5'10" and a 54, also put a 130 mm stem on and removed all spacers, but I race.


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## Yamabushi

I'm also 5'10" and ride a size 54 CAAD10 with a 120mm stem slammed. As others have already alluded to, it really depends on how much drop you want. All other things being equal, the 54 will give you more drop with a longer stem vs the 56 with less drop and a shorter stem. How aggressive a fit do you want?


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## JoeOxfordCT

Thanks for the replies...I usually run my bars about 2 inches below my seat, nothing crazy. 

Can you tell me what size stem came on the 54 ? I see folks are running 120-130's as replacements ? I will make sure my LBS has a couple in stock for me to try.


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## Yamabushi

JoeOxfordCT said:


> Thanks for the replies...I usually run my bars about 2 inches below my seat, nothing crazy.
> 
> Can you tell me what size stem came on the 54 ? I see folks are running 120-130's as replacements ? I will make sure my LBS has a couple in stock for me to try.


If you only want 2" of drop, you'll probably be better served by the size 56, IMHO.


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## jboyd122

I'm also 5'10" and I ride a 56. I tried both the 56 and 54 and struggled between which size to get. My LBS fit me on both frames and basically gave me the same wisdom others have posted. Ultimately I went with a 56 and shortened the stem to 90mm. The 56 just felt more stable to me vs. the 54.


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## gus68

5' 10", 54 with 110mm stem. I rode a 56 from 91 until 2006 when I switch. The 54 is a better fit to me.


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## FPSDavid

I'm 5'11" and the shop had me get a 56.


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## JoeOxfordCT

Ok, so the consensus is.....there is no consensus. Folks my height seem to be able to ride either size comfortably with minor adjustments.

I forgot to ask...
54cm riders, I'm assuming your seat is all the way back on the rails ? The stock Cannondale seatpost has little to no setback. Was this an issue ?


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## retrosticks

You may want to look at tit like this, if you are going to be riding in local group rides, or very long rides like 80 miles + then you may want to opt for the 56 but if you are going to race local crits on the weekend you may want to go with the 54 to get a bit lower and smaller bike will be lighter and may even be more agile.


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## dcb

As someone else said, if you're only looking for a 2" drop, I'd go with the 56. That's assuming you don't have really short legs and long arms. The stock seatpost has about a 20-25mm setback. I actually switched to a zero setback post on mine after getting a Retul fit done.


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## twiggy

It really depends on both the reach/drop preferences of the rider (as others have posted) and your proportions (leg:torso).

I'm 5'10 and ride a 54 comfortably with the stock stem, which I believe is 100mm. I may or may not increase that to 110 in a few weeks... as my racing gets more and more serious I'm finding I want to be lower and lower and more stretched out! If you have to go to shorter than a 100mm stem with the 56 then I would go with the 54... I find 90mm stems make the front end seem twitchy!


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## twiggy

I should add that I also got rid of the stock post and picked up a zero-setback version!... this is mostly a result of my odd proportions... 5'10 with size 13 feet... long legs and short torso... all these things mean that I need to rotate my position a bit forward compared to most.


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## NWS Alpine

The stock seatpost does have 25mm setback. Also you have very little drop so it would be stiffer to run the 56. You do not want to run a 54 with a bunch of spacers below the stem because that will not be as stiff as the 56 slammed.


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## JBF

Unless you are looking for an extreme position, go for the 56cm. If you were an Italian pro, you would opt for the 54 with a looooong stem. If you are a normal cyclist like the rest of us, you will be MUCH happier with the 56cm.


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## twiggy

JBF said:


> Unless you are looking for an extreme position, go for the 56cm. If you were an Italian pro, you would opt for the 54 with a looooong stem. If you are a normal cyclist like the rest of us, you will be MUCH happier with the 56cm.


I don't think you can say that with any degree of certainty... I'm 5'10, as mentioned... I found the 56s felt way too long for me!


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## tranzformer

twiggy said:


> I don't think you can say that with any degree of certainty... I'm 5'10, as mentioned... I found the 56s felt way too long for me!



Exactly. It will depend on the OP's torso length and arm length. I suspect the 56cm will have too long of a top tube for him.


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## texascyclist

Can you go beyond touching your toes comfortably and almost have your palms touching the floor?


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## jboyd122

jboyd122 said:


> I'm also 5'10" and I ride a 56. I tried both the 56 and 54 and struggled between which size to get. My LBS fit me on both frames and basically gave me the same wisdom others have posted. Ultimately I went with a 56 and shortened the stem to 90mm. The 56 just felt more stable to me vs. the 54.



I wanted to update this because fit is really important, and hopefully it provides some perspective for others.

I recently upgraded to a 54cm SuperSix EVO from my 56cm CAAD10. After a couple years of riding the CAAD10 I got the upgrade bug and I was always struggling with the fit on the CAAD. I was running a 90mm stem and the stock wide 44cm bars. Most of the time I felt just a tiny bit more stretched out than I wanted, but not in a way that was uncomfortable. About 2 months ago I decided to swap to a narrower(42cm) handle bar that was a better match for my chest/shoulder width and it made the bike much more comfortable, especially on long (50+ mi) rides, but it also made the handling more nervous and twitchy. After riding like this for the past couple months I gathered up the courage to discuss my fit woes with the family treasurer(wife) and she agreed to let me go for the upgrade, provided the fit was right. I got a pro fitting for the EVO and determined that a 54cm with 110mm stem was the right setup. The position feels very similar to what I had on the 56cm with the 90mm stem, but the handling is 100x better with the longer stem. 

I'm not saying that the 56cm wasn't the better choice for me at the time I purchased the CAAD10. That was my first road bike, though I had been mountain biking for several years. Given my lack of experience on the road and the added stability of the longer wheelbase I think I was served well by the 56cm. I've learned a lot about road riding since that initial purchase, gained some flexibility, and have spent a lot of miles listening to my body. I'm very happy to have the EVO in a 54cm. Good upgrades on both accounts.


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## randyharris

more factors than height for a proper fit, but to chime in with the others…

5' 9.5", I'm on a 54 and it fits great, stock stem. A 52 would probably fit well also, but the 54 was my pick.


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