# Anyone have a photo of a 50cm or 52 cm Trek Madone I can see?



## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

Anyone have a 50 cm or 52 cm Trek Madone they post a photo of? I'm thinking of buying a Madone and the 50cm is probably my size, I'm 5'6" with a 77.7 cm inseam, and short arms. I heard the 50cm have a slight slope in the top tube, which if so, I'm not too crazy about. 

I currently ride a size small on a Giant TCR Advanced, and went to a bike fitter, who spent a few hours examining my positioning and riding style using a video. My top tube on the Giant is an effective 53.3 cm and the stem is a 90 mm. He swapped it for an 80 mm stem (which is ridiculously short, but works), and adjusted the stem height, and my upper back pain is gone. He also said that for me to ride with a 100-110 mm stem (which is ideal), the top tube should be around 52 cm for me.

The Trek 52cm Madones have a 53 cm top tube right? 

Thanks all!


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## toyota (Sep 4, 2006)

ping771 said:


> Anyone have a 50 cm or 52 cm Trek Madone they post a photo of? I'm thinking of buying a Madone and the 50cm is probably my size, I'm 5'6" with a 77.7 cm inseam, and short arms. I heard the 50cm have a slight slope in the top tube, which if so, I'm not too crazy about.
> 
> I currently ride a size small on a Giant TCR Advanced, and went to a bike fitter, who spent a few hours examining my positioning and riding style using a video. My top tube on the Giant is an effective 53.3 cm and the stem is a 90 mm. He swapped it for an 80 mm stem (which is ridiculously short, but works), and adjusted the stem height, and my upper back pain is gone. He also said that for me to ride with a 100-110 mm stem (which is ideal), the top tube should be around 52 cm for me.
> 
> ...


 The 50 or 52cm Trek has a 75 seat angle so you will have to slide your seat back around 1cm to get the same position. That will make the 53.1 top on a 52cm Trek feel like a 54cm top tube. Also the head angle on a 52cm Trek is slightly steeper than the Giant so that will add another few mm to the effective top tube. In other words you would need a 65cm stem to maintain the position on a 52cm Trek. The 50cm isnt much smaller in the top tube but in your case would be the only option if you want to use a normal size stem.

I also have the same inseam as you and I am just under 5'7. I ride a 50cm Cannondale with a 90mm stem. I would normally use a 100mm stem for a 50cm Cannondale but the reach is further on the Shimano 10-speed hoods than it was on the 9-speed. This forced me to get a 90mm stem to be comfortable riding the hoods. I would have to use a 80mm stem if I got a 52cm Trek.


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## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

toyota said:


> The 50 or 52cm Trek has a 75 seat angle so you will have to slide your seat back around 1cm to get the same position. That will make the 53.1 top on a 52cm Trek feel like a 54cm top tube. Also the head angle on a 52cm Trek is slightly steeper than the Giant so that will add another few mm to the effective top tube. In other words you would need a 65cm stem to maintain the position on a 52cm Trek. The 50cm isnt much smaller in the top tube but in your case would be the only option if you want to use a normal size stem.
> 
> I also have the same inseam as you and I am just under 5'7. I ride a 50cm Cannondale with a 90mm stem. I would normally use a 100mm stem for a 50cm Cannondale but the reach is further on the Shimano 10-speed hoods than it was on the 9-speed. This forced me to get a 90mm stem to be comfortable riding the hoods. I would have to use a 80mm stem if I got a 52cm Trek.


Thank you Toyota for your advice. I appreciate the numerical data you provided. I too hear that Treks make longish top tubes because of steep head and top tubes, which is unfortunate for me as I have short arms though proportionate torso. With short arms I was told that I don't get enough bend in the elbows in the drops. I also totally agree with your comment about the levers on the new Shimano 10 hoods being further from the bar! But if I could further provide some insight based on my fitter. 1) You can have rubber shims put in the levers to reduce the distance between the bar and levers. Though my fitter is putting them in for free, you can check this link: http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=2005/letters08-08. 2) The right bar can be a tricky thing. Round bars with shallow reaches and small drops are good for people like me. Those ergo bend bar make reaches longer. 3) you can place the brake hoods slightly higher than level on the bar, but no too much otherwise you'll be twisting your wrist up to get to the levers while you're in the drops (that is why my fitter is placing shims for me)


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