# Cyclocross bike sizing



## uzzidh

Looking to buy my first Cyclocross bike and need some input about bike size. I keep reading about how the sizes are different from road bikes. I'm not much into road bikes but have an older Cannondale SR400 that is about a 53cm (I think). I bought it used from someone so it's not fitted for me but it feels like it's in the general ball park. I'm 5'6", 160lbs,with a 30" inseam. The bike I'm looking at buying is a Redline Conquest Disk-R. Please help!

Thanks,


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## hairscrambled

I have two 53cm road bikes and ride a 50cm Conquest Pro.


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## pelikan

I found this article infomative when I had the same question
http://cycle-smart.com/Articles/find.php?search=31


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## rbilson

uzzidh said:


> Looking to buy my first Cyclocross bike and need some input about bike size. I keep reading about how the sizes are different from road bikes. I'm not much into road bikes but have an older Cannondale SR400 that is about a 53cm (I think). I bought it used from someone so it's not fitted for me but it feels like it's in the general ball park. I'm 5'6", 160lbs,with a 30" inseam. The bike I'm looking at buying is a Redline Conquest Disk-R. Please help!
> 
> Thanks,


That seems really big given your height and inseam. I'm 5'6', 158lbs with a 29.5 inseam and I ride a 49cm Bianchi Cross Concept with a 9 cm stem. I was professionally fit for the bike so you may want to check out the specs at BianchiUSA.com and find something in the same ballpark.


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## moschika

that does seem a bit tall. i would have to disagree with the article on frame size being the same as your roadbike. i did that and found my cx bike was too tall when all built. not because of the bb height or saddle height but because, i think, of the taller profile tires. the top tube was raised enough to make it a bit scary. i normally ride a 54 road, picked up a waterford 54 cx - too tall. i just got a 52 waterford and will build it up this week and see if it works out. if so i plan to sell the 54.


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## djg21

moschika said:


> that does seem a bit tall. i would have to disagree with the article on frame size being the same as your roadbike. i did that and found my cx bike was too tall when all built. not because of the bb height or saddle height but because, i think, of the taller profile tires. the top tube was raised enough to make it a bit scary. i normally ride a 54 road, picked up a waterford 54 cx - too tall. i just got a 52 waterford and will build it up this week and see if it works out. if so i plan to sell the 54.



I thought the article a bit misleading too. It presumes that your crossbike and roadbike have relatively the same geometry. Contrary to what Adam says, most new cross frames do have higher BBs than like-sized road frames (i.e., small BB drops). This needs to be taken into account when sizing the frame. I do agree that the toptube and stem, combined, should be 1-2 cm shorter on a cross bike. But I found that in looking for a cross frame, it was better to focus first on toptube length (the same or just shorter than your roadbike), and then on standover height (sleightly shorter or the same!). For instance, I ride a 59 cm litespeed with a 57.5 cm toptube, and a 130 stem. The standover is just shy of 82 cm. My cross bike (specialized m-4) is a 56, with a 57cm Toptube, and a standover just shy of 81cm. I use it with a 120cm stem. Virtual every b ike I looked at in a 58 cm would have been far too tall for me. Standing side-by-side, you'd never know that my lightspeed is nominally a 59 and my specialized is nominally a 56. They look to be the same size!


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## MShaw

I'm amazed at the confusion that surrounds this question...

I ride size X road bike, so I bought size X cross bike and it was too big. 

Ummmmm. Didya measure the TT length first?? 

Its easy: if your road bike fits get the Cross bike with the closest TT length to that regardless of what 'frame size' it was listed as at the manf. To make the bike cross-friendly, simply flip the stem up and there ya go! 

Instant fitting via the internet. Completely for free!

M
oh, yeah, this advice is as good as how much you paid for it!


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## dlongto

*Thank you Moschika*



moschika said:


> that does seem a bit tall. i would have to disagree with the article on frame size being the same as your roadbike. i did that and found my cx bike was too tall when all built. not because of the bb height or saddle height but because, i think, of the taller profile tires. the top tube was raised enough to make it a bit scary. i normally ride a 54 road, picked up a waterford 54 cx - too tall. i just got a 52 waterford and will build it up this week and see if it works out. if so i plan to sell the 54.


I was shopping for a CX bike last month in anticipation of winter commuting. Last year the brakes on my normal commuter (88 Paramount single speed, 54cm) froze up with Ice. So the CX is intended to overcome this problem.

Before shopping, I browsed this forum for advice and saw this post among several that formed my criteria.

Two weeks ago I picked up a 52cm Waterford X-11 off ebay. I normally ride a 54cm road bike but got the nominally smaller frame because of this post. While privatly chatting with Moschika about Waterfords, I suddenly recalled that his post is what saved me from getting too large a frame.

I wanted to thank you as my new CX bike fits perfectly.

bro - Daryl


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## kjmonaco

*Intro...*

Hello all, I've been back and forth here a little over the years.Just reading and researching .Apparently never made any posts.So here I am.Single Dad thinking about getting back into racing.Raced a bit off and on in the 80s 90s and a little in the early 2000's.Hoping on finding a nice 2nd hand bike and igniting that old flame.Looks like some great folks here.Look forward learning.


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## adam_mac84

i ride 64cm cross bike, 60cm road bike. I have to choose based on available head tube lengths... otherwise my saddle/bar drop is way too much for cross


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## AndrwSwitch

Ghost thread! kj, were you asking about sizing?

It looks like people's consensus in this thread was to go with the same reach and run less drop for 'cross. I think I may run about 1cm less reach too, but that's a difference in stem size, not frame size.


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## kjmonaco

Sorry didn't realize what the hell thread I was on.Just trying to do an intro.I'll move it to general discussion.Thanks though !


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