# sizing different for women?



## Christine (Jul 23, 2005)

Apologies in advance, I'm new to anything but mtb :blush2: so I'm not exactly sure what to expect.

Just ordered the Mercier Kilo TT and am eagerly awaiting my first new fixie. According to the chart, I should probably get either a 50cm or a 53cm (I'm 5'6" with a 30" inseam.)

The 50cm would give me zero top tube clearance; the 53 would give me an inch and a half. According to the chart, the 53 is the right size; however, I'm told that top tube length is more important.

So I'm changing my order to the 50, which is 20.6" long instead of the 21.8" or so for the 53. 

Maybe I'm obsessing......oh well, helps with the wait!!


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

Christine said:


> Apologies in advance, I'm new to anything but mtb :blush2: so I'm not exactly sure what to expect.
> 
> Just ordered the Mercier Kilo TT and am eagerly awaiting my first new fixie. According to the chart, I should probably get either a 50cm or a 53cm (I'm 5'6" with a 30" inseam.)
> 
> ...



I am a bit confused......a 50 would give you zero clearance...a 53 would give you 1.5 inches....but...a 53 is bigger than a 50 at least last time I looked......top tube length is important.....I am 5' 6" and ride a 53 on my Bianchi and a 52 on my specialized Langster...(fixed, track geometry.) BUT I am not a female and my stand-over is 31 inches...

my Bianchi is pretty much 53 seat tube ..53 top tube...
a shorter top tube may be able to be compensated by a longer stem...

keeping in mind, a track frame will most likely have a higher bottom bracket and mean more seatpost showing...any way you can try for fit befor buying? I am still confused as to why the 50 is bigger than the 53 in the standover department.....


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## Christine (Jul 23, 2005)

Maybe I mixed 'em up, was going from memory. Lemme go find that chart....

50cm (c-c) is 53cm(c-t) with TT of 523mm and standover of 30 inches
53cm (c-c) is 56cm(c-t) with TT of 548mm and standover of 31.5 inches

It's mail-order so I can't exactly try 'em on for size. Although I did test-ride a Pista at the track which was 53cm and seemed okay....but I don't know what it's *supposed* to feel like.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

since we are close to the same height (I am actually a touch shorter) but I have longer legs and I ride a 52 Langster, I worry about a 50 being a bit on the small side, but I could be wrong, why don't you post this out to the Fixed/SS forum and see what they say....they may know the bike you are ordering better than I do.

I guess it depends on whether they are actual or virtual or TT measurements. I know a buddy of mine who is the same height as I am just got a Salsa Road bike and had to order a 47 because it was an actual TT measurement, the virtual was 53. Good thing he did his research...


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Yep, you got the 50/53 backwards in terms of standover.

But you also probably need to recheck your measurements, too. 5'6" and a 30" CYCLING inseam does not sound right. Maybe a 30" PANTS inseam, but your cycling inseam will be significantly longer than that. You need to get an accurate measurement before you make any decisions. I can't remember all the best fit sites but I'm sure wrenchscience.com or similar can tell you how to measure a cycling inseam. Basically, feet about 12 inches apart, in socks, from floor to VERY firmly snug in crotch. I'd bet you are EASILY a 31" ... I'm 5'6.5" and a 31.75" cycling inseam, and I'm not particularly leggy.


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## Christine (Jul 23, 2005)

Here's the geometry link: http://www.cyclesmercier.com/geometry_tt.html

Thanks for helping make sense of all this! I'm hoping that even if it's not the perfect fit, it'll still be good enough for now.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

The top tube seems a bit long but maybe you'll be able to make up for that by raising the stem. Looks like a cool bike! :thumbsup:


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## Christine (Jul 23, 2005)

In that case, I should go with the 50 then? It's not women's specific, maybe built for those knuckle-dragging male riders?


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*For racing the 50, for recreational riding the 53*

From looking at their picture the bike's geometry produces a big drop from the seat to the bars. With the seat up higher for the smaller size you'd need an after market stem to get the handlebars high enough for leisurely riding. If you're planning on racing the drop to the bars is less likely to be a problem.

I'm with JT that you may have shorted yourself on the inseam measurement, but can't know for certain.


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## Christine (Jul 23, 2005)

Too bad it's not available in a 52!  

Checked the geometry of a Pista (the one I tested), and it says that the 53cm has 535mm/21" top tube. Since the Mercier seems to run slightly larger (53cm = 21.6" top tube) figured it would be safer to go with the 50.

I'll just have to get one in green for touring! :idea:


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Christine said:


> In that case, I should go with the 50 then? It's not women's specific, maybe built for those knuckle-dragging male riders?


I am 5'4" and for me a 50 is a smidge to big. Don't know what my inseam is. My husband keeps volunteering to measure it for me, though.


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## bill (Feb 5, 2004)

Christine said:


> Too bad it's not available in a 52!
> 
> Checked the geometry of a Pista (the one I tested), and it says that the 53cm has 535mm/21" top tube. Since the Mercier seems to run slightly larger (53cm = 21.6" top tube) figured it would be safer to go with the 50.
> 
> I'll just have to get one in green for touring! :idea:


what are you using the bike for?

the Mercier is set up as a track bike, with a steep seat tube angle, a slack head tube angle, and a pretty doggone short wheelbase. They don't say what the headtube dimension itself is, but I would look at that. I'll bet it's small, which may limit how high yu can get the bars. Track bikes are built for aerodynamic speed, not for comfort. You may find the bike harsh and twitchy.

If all you want is a reasonably priced fixie, I think, as they say in Consumer Reports, there are better choices. Surly is always a good one.


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## bill (Feb 5, 2004)

I just looked at the Pista geometry -- if anything, it's even more aggressive in geometry, so, if you liked that one, you might like the Mercier. So, forget me.


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## Christine (Jul 23, 2005)

It's going to be strictly a track bike. BUT, it's drilled for brakes/racks, has a switchable hub, and thus *could* be converted to a touring bike if need be. Since I've always wanted a touring bike these options are nice.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

too hard to know without an accurate inseam measurement, but the 53 could well be a little longer in the top tube than you'd like. As long as you can get the bars high enough, the 50 will probably give you a better reach.


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## bill (Feb 5, 2004)

il sogno said:


> I am 5'4" and for me a 50 is a smidge to big. Don't know what my inseam is. My husband keeps volunteering to measure it for me, though.


so, like, are you waiting for someone else to do it?


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Christine said:


> Maybe I mixed 'em up, was going from memory. Lemme go find that chart....
> 
> 50cm (c-c) is 53cm(c-t) with TT of 523mm and standover of 30 inches
> 53cm (c-c) is 56cm(c-t) with TT of 548mm and standover of 31.5 inches
> ...


for what it's worth, I'm 5'7" with a 31.25 inch cycling inseam and I bought a 50cm Windsor(same company)... The 53 would be too big for me....


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## Christine (Jul 23, 2005)

{{{whew}}} then I'm starting to feel better about the 50cm.


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## bill (Feb 5, 2004)

Christine said:


> {{{whew}}} then I'm starting to feel better about the 50cm.


The conventions of frame sizing are a little perverse. The custom is to identify frames by seat tube length, but that dimension is one of the easiest to change (by raising and lowering the seatpost). In contrast, few ever talk about top tube length and relative angles of the seattube and headtube, which are less easily manipulated and more signficant to the feel and ride of the bike. The 53 has kind of a long top tube. I'm 5'8", with an 81 cm inseam (about 32"), and that Mercier 53 would be long in the top tube for me. Women, generally with shorter arms and torsos in relation to leg length, generally do better with smaller bikes than what would work for the same height man.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

Dave Hickey said:


> for what it's worth, I'm 5'7" with a 31.25 inch cycling inseam and I bought a 50cm Windsor(same company)... The 53 would be too big for me....


Whew, I was hoping you would find this and chime in Dave....I suggested she re-post on single/fixed....


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## Christine (Jul 23, 2005)

I did post over there, then thought maybe I'd check and see if other women have had problems with standard size frames, top tube length etc.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

The summary answer is that yes, many (but not all... perhaps not even most) women have trouble with top tube length. The TT length on the 53 is fairly long on that bike and certain is a possible issue for some folks.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Christine said:


> Here's the geometry link: http://www.cyclesmercier.com/geometry_tt.html
> 
> Thanks for helping make sense of all this! I'm hoping that even if it's not the perfect fit, it'll still be good enough for now.


That chart has different geometry numbers that what you posted above, but these numbers make more sense. For example, it would not make sense that a 53 cm (c-c) would be 56 cm (c-t). The difference between a c-c measurement and a c-t measurement should be .5 cm or less-ish. 

But although this clears up the standover issue, it shows a longer TT on the 53 (a 55.5 cm). That added with the steep seat tube angle (which will force you to slide your saddle a bit back on the rails to find your preferred position in relation to pedal spindles) sounds like potentially a damn long reach.


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