# Ridley Cross bike sizing questions



## Snopro440 (Dec 21, 2006)

I am thinking about a building a cross bike with a Ridley Crosswind or a Crossbow frame. I have a Ridley Excalibur road bike, and it is a medium, with a 56.5 top tube. I am 6 feet 1 inch tall. On my Excalibur I run 50 mm of spacers under the stem to get the saddle to bar drop to an acceptable level. My question is..... How do Ridleys cross bikes fit? I know they come in 54 and 56. My guess is the 56 is the size to get for cross, could any of you offer any insight? 

My potential build would be Campy Veloce 10 speed (new nos pre quick shift) with Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels.

My other choice would be a stock 2009 Redline Conquest Pro. ( I really prefer Campy over Sram though). Thoughts anyone??


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

Ridleys are very tall.

i am 5' 11"

I ride a Bianchi 928SL 57 cm, 120mm stem, 25mm spacers

I ride a Ridley X-Fire 52 cm, 100mm stem 45 mm spacers

both fit me right, the reach on the Ridley is shorter as it should be for a better handling for cross.


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## tetter (Jun 28, 2008)

why the preference for campy? the redline is a GREAT bike tough as nails and the set up is got a lot of bang for the buck.


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## Snopro440 (Dec 21, 2006)

I like Campy because I have used it on my road bikes for a long time, and I really like it. It has been durable and performs well. I had an Orbea Road bike, and it had Sram Force. I tried and tried to like Sram, but it just wasn't as nice Campy TO ME!!! I know Sram is good stuff, and I know 1st hand that they have EXCELLENT customer service. I guess it just comes down to me having used Campy in the past and being satisfied and comfortable with it. I probably could get used to Sram on a cross bike, and the Conquest Pro would be FAR cheaper for me, so I am thinking long and hard about it!!!!!


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

Snopro440 said:


> I am thinking about a building a cross bike with a Ridley Crosswind or a Crossbow frame. I have a Ridley Excalibur road bike, and it is a medium, with a 56.5 top tube. I am 6 feet 1 inch tall. On my Excalibur I run 50 mm of spacers under the stem to get the saddle to bar drop to an acceptable level. My question is..... How do Ridleys cross bikes fit? I know they come in 54 and 56. My guess is the 56 is the size to get for cross, could any of you offer any insight?
> 
> My potential build would be Campy Veloce 10 speed (new nos pre quick shift) with Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels.
> 
> My other choice would be a stock 2009 Redline Conquest Pro. ( I really prefer Campy over Sram though). Thoughts anyone??


I'm 5'10 and went with the 52cm Crosswind. 53.5cm tt. I barely clear the TT when I"m standing over it, but it's not a big deal, mounting is not that hard.
I run about 10mm of spacers over the topcap, and a 110mm stem. It fits me like a glove except for the standover issue.

54Cm might work for you, I would run with 54. Make sure the seat tube isn't ridiculously high for you, and you get standover. most importantly is the top tube, you don't want it to be too short so you have to run an overly long stem, that will mess up handling. I don't think you are tall enough for a 56cm Crosswind. Measure out a 54cm and try to match it on your current bike. 

It's a really nice ride, but my ultegra/105/ksyrium ssc build is nearly 19lbs or so..(not the python fork)


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## eyefloater (Jul 3, 2006)

Interesting. I'm 5'10 as well but I'm considering a "54" Ridley. Granted, I'm all legs (85cm inseam). I'd probably end up with a 100mm stem on the bike for a good fit. Any idea what your inseam is, OneGear?


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## lithuania (Dec 22, 2007)

Im 5'10 and I ride a 56 crosswind with a 120 stem

my road bike is a 57st - 57.5tt

im not sure what my inseam is but id guess somewhere around 80cm


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## fuzz-tone (Sep 29, 2008)

I went crazy over Ridley sizing before buying my Supercross. I'm a shade over six feet tall (can't remember my inseam) and I went with a 54cm Ridley because the C to T measurement is 58. I was concerned about the reach and the amount of seatpost showing, but any worries about running a frame on the small side went away when I started to look at some of the taller riders set their bikes up. 

Vervecken's Ridley X-Fire has a rather high seatpost and a looong stem. Seems like most pros at or over six feet tall run similar setups.

<img src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2352/1894613933_ce8385cce6.jpg">


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## berminator (Jun 15, 2007)

Dont go for a 56. I too and 6-1, but I had to get rid of the 56. 56 c-c, 60 c-t. But the BB is so high, the TT is high, and the HT is real long. The problem with the 54 is that it is too short! I going for a different bike now!


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

eyefloater said:



> Interesting. I'm 5'10 as well but I'm considering a "54" Ridley. Granted, I'm all legs (85cm inseam). I'd probably end up with a 100mm stem on the bike for a good fit. Any idea what your inseam is, OneGear?


Eyefloater, 
I'm the same; all legs, shorter torso. 85cm from heel to crotch. the higher end ridley cx bikes have different geometry but the crosswind and crossbow are the same. If you're about the same as me, you should go 52 or lower, based on standover. To give you an idea, my effective tt+stem measurement is about 645mm.


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## eyefloater (Jul 3, 2006)

OneGear said:


> Eyefloater,
> I'm the same; all legs, shorter torso. 85cm from heel to crotch. the higher end ridley cx bikes have different geometry but the crosswind and crossbow are the same. If you're about the same as me, you should go 52 or lower, based on standover. To give you an idea, my effective tt+stem measurement is about 645mm.


Hmm ... take a look at this: https://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2007/probikes/?id=johnson_bessette_cross07 ... that's what I've been basing my "54cm" decision on. Lyne's bike is set up (fit-wise) almost exactly the same as mine ... my BB-saddle measurement is few mm longer. I think her bike looks pretty well set up and proportioned (FYI, I like my bars up high for CX/minimal saddle-bar drop but I'm not a fan of lots of spacers or +17 degree stems aesthetically).


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## eyefloater (Jul 3, 2006)

Lyne, if you're reading this ... if I could just borrow your bike for a season to test out the fit that would be super helpful.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*most bikes*

I ride are 59-61 (road and cross) my Ridley is a 58
they run high and short


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## lithuania (Dec 22, 2007)

i was really concerned about the weird geometry but i ran into a deal i couldnt pass up. (500 for frame and fork new) I wasnt really concerned with the 60cm c-t st as I was with the short 56TT. So far its worked out great. I need to drop out the spacers and flip the stem though since right now its up pretty high.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

OneGear said:


> Eyefloater,
> I'm the same; all legs, shorter torso. 85cm from heel to crotch. the higher end ridley cx bikes have different geometry but the crosswind and crossbow are the same. If you're about the same as me, you should go 52 or lower, based on standover. To give you an idea, my effective tt+stem measurement is about 645mm.


Same here, again I am 5' 11", ~84 inseam and I ride the 52 and it is perfect sized.

Take into account that the cross wheels add to the height I ride 35c wheels

The bike fits me right, the 54 would be too tall.


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

what model are you looking at? crosswind or xfire? 

check this out
http://www.ridley-bikes.com/geometry.php


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

check these specs out...


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## eyefloater (Jul 3, 2006)

Kind of both, actually. There's a NOS 2007 54 X-Fire (black/grey model) that's available to me or a current Crosswind in "whatever" size. And ya, I've taken a look at the geometry info (waaay too many times).

Looking at everything except for standover height it seems like the 54 X-Fire would fit me like a glove (I'm comparing this against the geometry/set up of my current bike which I won't bore you with). The X-Fire has a lower BB than the Crosswind, btw, which you might already know. Standover would be tight but if there's just barely enough room for the boys I'd be okay with that as long as the bike felt perfect while I was riding it.


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

eyefloater said:


> Kind of both, actually. There's a NOS 2007 54 X-Fire (black/grey model) that's available to me or a current Crosswind in "whatever" size. And ya, I've taken a look at the geometry info (waaay too many times).
> 
> Looking at everything except for standover height it seems like the 54 X-Fire would fit me like a glove (I'm comparing this against the geometry/set up of my current bike which I won't bore you with). The X-Fire has a lower BB than the Crosswind, btw, which you might already know. Standover would be tight but if there's just barely enough room for the boys I'd be okay with that as long as the bike felt perfect while I was riding it.


yeah, that's exactly what mine is.. tight standover but perfect on the bike. 

the xfire would be a sweet ride.


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## fuzz-tone (Sep 29, 2008)

I don't know if it was a typo, but I seem to remember that (at least in the sizes I looked at, 54 and 56) the standover height of the X-Fire was taller than the X-Night/Crosswind/Crossbow/Supercross (which are all the same geometry) even though the BB drop was larger. The standover height isn't on Ridley's site, so I must have found it somewhere else. Can anyone confirm or debunk this?


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## Corndog (Jan 18, 2006)

FYI; 
I'm 6' 1.5" with a cycling inseam of just under 34". I went with a 56 Super Cross last season and really liked it. I basically had no stand over clearance, but stand over is pointless anyhow. The 56cm TT is what I needed. I'm running a setback post and a 120mm stem. One thing I don't like is the head tube is pretty tall. 185mm.... so when you put a cable hanger and such on there, it really starts getting high. 

My carbon La Pierre that I'm using as an A bike this season is great though... it's head tube is 144mm (integrated!).


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## jmoote (Nov 29, 2007)

I've got the "all legs" problem, even more exaggerated: 181cm tall with around 88cm pubic bone height. Most off the shelf cross bikes are the opposite of what I need with a high BB and short headtube.



eyefloater said:


> Looking at everything except for standover height it seems like the 54 X-Fire would fit me like a glove (I'm comparing this against the geometry/set up of my current bike which I won't bore you with).


If the bike fits perfectly _except_ for standover, then really there's nothing to worry about. You will never rack yourself on the toptube, so I wouldn't even consider it. Sounds like the 54 X-Fire is a good fit, with Lyne's bike as a good example. The NOS black/grey model would be sweet - that was my favourite look for that model.

On the topic of Ridley geometry... the X-Fire is a much better geometry than the other Ridley bikes IMO, which are falling out of favour to bikes with lower BB. Even the X-Fire is on the high end for current trends at 61mm BB drop, which is what I would consider perfect if you're going for the Euro/high BB fit. I'm looking at going with 68-70mm BB drop for my next bike, though I may comprimise at 65 if I decide to go with 175mm cranks.


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## CouchingTiger (Mar 5, 2007)

I'm 6'1" and went with a 56cm X-fire. It's a HUGE change over my 59cm Felt which had a 59cm TT. I run the X-fire with a 120mm +6 degree stem and a Thomson layback post and it fits great. I'm actually comfortable on the hoods where as before I was always on the flats using the inline brakes. I'm actually planning to remove the inlines now as I don't use them anymore.

Mike


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## velociped jones (Mar 21, 2005)

am six foot tall with a 33" inseam. raced this past season on a 56cm ridley with a 90cm stem, 175mm crank and about the same amount seatpost showing as the two pictured x-fires. probably should be riding a 54 but am very comfortable on the fifty-six. the top tube is at the high end of acceptable.


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## mike6108 (Jun 12, 2004)

Here's a pic of my 56cm Campy-equipped Crossbow. I'm 6'-1/2" with a 33" inseam and really like the fit. I've got 18mm of spacers underneath the 120mm stem (I believe +/- 6 degrees). This is my first season on the bike and the first few races I ran the stem as shown, but for today's race I flipped it up, which I seem to prefer. Standover clearance is minimal, if any, but that hasn't been a problem.

I've got 2 road bikes, one has a 57cm seat tube and the other 58cm (c-t-c), while both have 57.5 cm top tubes (c-t-c). That said, I'm pleased with the fit of my 56cm Crossbow. FWIW, I like to ride with 2-2.5" of drop between saddle and bars.


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## Guest (Dec 8, 2008)

I sized down from my road bike when I bought my supercross and it has worked out well.


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## cbuchanan (Mar 6, 2006)

I am 6'1", my road bike runs a 57.5cm TT. I went with a 56 cm X-Fire with a 120mm, -8 deg. stem with a 2.5mm spacer and a setback seatpost and although I love how the X-Fire handles, I ended up switching to a different frame with a 57cm TT and a shorter headtube to get a little bit more comfortable with my reach. Even while riding the hoods, the cockpit never quite felt right on the 56 and the 58 would be too big. Still loved the ride of the bike itself though, it was a sad day when I stopped riding it.


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