# Trek madone sl 52 what frame size do I need



## warek (Aug 25, 2005)

I am thinking of buying a Trek madone sl 52 in size 58 or 60 cm. My current bike is a 1991 kestrel 200 sci with 58 cm frame centre to top. My seat height is approxiametley 76 cm from centre of bottom bracket to top of seat. I have the top of the bars at 2-3 centimetres lower than the seat height. I prefer to have the bars higher than most people these days as I ride longer rides of 100 km + per day and comfort is important. The length of the top tube is 56-57 centimetres and I have a 12 cm 90 degree stem. Any suggestions would be appreciated

Kevin


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## johngfoster (Jan 14, 2005)

*Go to your LBS*

Go to your local bicycle shop (LBS) and get measured correctly. Have them fit you to the frame. Try it out, ride it around. See which one feels better. When I got my bike, I went to my LBS. They had a 58 cm Madone, but not a 60, so they took a Trek 1000 in 60cm and put it on the trainer and then fit it to me to see if it was the right size. I then got to ride it around a bit to see if it felt ok. All was good, so I ordered a Madone 5.2 in 60 cm. When it came, they again fit me to it and I got to ride it around a bit more and have it fine-tuned before I took it home. This is the kind of service you should expect from your LBS, or they aren't worth shelling out your hard-earned money to them. It helps if you are able to develop a good relationship with them--talk to them, pick their brains, ask their advice, etc. A good shop with good service is worth a few extra dollars spent on the bike. You will get it all back in their service and your relationship. I know, not a simple answer to your question, I'm afraid.


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## SkiRacer55 (Apr 29, 2005)

*What he said...*

...(johngfoster). Get the right frame size and take it from there. Trek's generally have a little longer top tube than most manufacturer's, so it's not a good idea to get too big a frame and try to adjust from there. I like a little higher bars and tigher cockpit for the same reason you do. That's something you can fine tune with headset spacers, stem length/height/angle and so forth...but get the basic frame size right, first.


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## olr1 (Apr 2, 2005)

Caution!

Treks have a smaller head tube size than other comparable bikes, and you may find that you end up with a stack of spacers under the stem. Given the current fashion for compact frames, the right size Trek may look old fashioned, with not as much seat tube sticking out. As noted, take your time and try out a couple of sizes before choosing.

Also, I would recommend not having the steerer tube cut until a good 6 months after purchase. Get it with a stack of spacers and adjust to suit.

A look in the Trek-Klein-Lemond forum will turn up many pics of Treks, standard seems to be 2 or 3 cms of spacers under the stem. I think that Texan guy has a similar set up.

...and get a black one; it never goes out of style.


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## acid_rider (Nov 23, 2004)

*yep!*



olr1 said:


> Caution!
> 
> Treks have a smaller head tube size than other comparable bikes, and you may find that you end up with a stack of spacers under the stem. Given the current fashion for compact frames, the right size Trek may look old fashioned, with not as much seat tube sticking out. As noted, take your time and try out a couple of sizes before choosing.
> 
> ...


I agree. I have a 2005 5.9 and have 4cm of spacers on it but hey, if you are faster than anyone else - nobody can see the spacers! Just ask that Texan guy who tours France every year! Or that Italian guy who won this year Giro! 8^)

If you hate spacers - do not buy a Madone.


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## cmatcan (Oct 6, 2005)

one point that i definitely agree with is that on this bike, expect a more old-school look in terms of seat-height, with not showing much seat-post. the 5.5 george hincapie rode on the tour of courage was borrowed from the shop i work at, and, fitted to him perfectly, the size 62 only shows like 7 or 8 inches of post. the madone bikes come with long stems, so theres lots of room to play with there


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