# Your Frame size v/s your height?



## doah

*tell me your frame size and your height*

I've been doing major frame shopping lately (looking to upgrade) and have noticed that sizes vary not only from manufacturer to manufacturer but in personal taste... so it got me thinking. What are you guys riding? Help me with my research by posting your height, brand, and frame size.
I'll go first...

I'm 5'6" and currently ride a Felt 51cm frame (road frame- not TT).


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## alienator

doah said:


> I've been doing major frame shopping lately (looking to upgrade) and have noticed that sizes vary not only from manufacturer to manufacturer but in personal taste... so it got me thinking. What are you guys riding? Help me with my research by posting your height, brand, and frame size.
> I'll go first...
> 
> I'm 5'6" and currently ride a Felt 51cm frame (road frame- not TT).


I'm 5'2", have a 38" inseam, and ride a 62cm frame.


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## JaeP

*T-Rex*



alienator said:


> I'm 5'2", have a 38" inseam, and ride a 62cm frame.


Do you have teeny, tiny T-Rex arms?

BTW, I'm 6'2" with a 36" inseam. I have a range of bikes from a 58cm to a 61cm.


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## JayTee

JaeP said:


> Do you have teeny, tiny T-Rex arms?
> 
> BTW, I'm 6'2" with a 36" inseam. I have a range of bikes from a 58cm to a 61cm.


I think he was yanking our chains. I'm 5'7" and have ridden both 52cm and 54cm road bikes. My main ride is custom with some slope in the TT but probably the equivalent of a 53-ish virtual standover. I'm often struck by how often folks taller than me are riding bike sizes similar to mine.


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## Wookiebiker

I'm 6 feet tall with a 32.5" inseam and ride a custom Curto.

TT - 58.1 cm (theoretical size of the bike)
ST - 49.8 cm
HTA - 73,5
STA - 74.5

Before the Curtlo I rode mainly 56cm frames with longer stems. 58cm frames generally had too slack of a STA for me to be comfortable on them.


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## univox

5'11" riding a Medium Giant TCR Composite 3 and previously rode a 56cm Trek 1000.

Looks are rather deceptive with the Giant. At a glance the bike looks way too small, but sure enough everything falls into place.


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## Yangpei

I'm 5'10" with a 31 inch inseam. I ride an Orbea Lobular 57 cm (56 cm top tube) with a 100mm stem and a Orbea Aletta 54 cm tri bike.


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## alienator

jtolleson said:


> I think he was yanking our chains. I'm 5'7" and have ridden both 52cm and 54cm road bikes. My main ride is custom with some slope in the TT but probably the equivalent of a 53-ish virtual standover. I'm often struck by how often folks taller than me are riding bike sizes similar to mine.


A chain yanker I yam, I yam. I'm mostly 6' 0.5", and I sit astride a 57.5" compact frame.


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## foz

6' 1", 54cm pinarello paris carbon. don't know my inseam, but BB-saddle is 78cm. saddle tip to bars is 56cm with 10cm drop (12cm stem).

foz


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## Juanmoretime

6'2", 35" inseam and a size 59 Litespeed.


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## vanjr

5'7" on 54 cm trek. very short stem however


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## varoadie

Mine are all over the place size wise but I'm 6'1", 185 and a 34" inseam and usually ride a 57-57.5 TT and ST of about 57-59.


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## jeffreyg

*Fist Full of Seat Post*

I am 5' 7.5" with normal proportions and when I started out in the late 80's, you were still only allowed to have a couple of inches of seat post showing. I believe the correct gauge for making sure a bike fit you was the fist full of seat post method, when you wrapped your hand around the seat post your fist covered it from top to bottom. This being said I started out on a 56cm frame, then during the 90’s sometime I moved down to 55cm frames, but usually ones with longish top tubes. Right now is the first time I am trying out a smallish size frame, a 54cm Pinarello and it felt really small at first. I have to use a 130mm stem to get properly stretched out.


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## uzziefly

*Measure up at the shop for best results*



foz said:


> 6' 1", 54cm pinarello paris carbon. don't know my inseam, but BB-saddle is 78cm. saddle tip to bars is 56cm with 10cm drop (12cm stem).
> 
> foz



Everyone uses a different size based on their comfort of reach, standover height and comfort. Some people who are 6"2 use a 58cm frame or so while others use a 60 or 62 cm even. Lance Armstrong is 5''10 and he uses a 58cm frame. So, you cant judge based on your height alone as arm length and body length are also factors to consider, though you can always alter the length of your stem with the various sizes available. I'm 5"9 and I use a 54 cm Trek Madone SSL 5.9 with a 100mm stem. So, there's no way to really compare a person's height and the frame size. It's not gonna work that way. No formula to compare. Though you could go to http://www.bicyclesource.com/bike/fitting/ for some notes on fitting. Still, the best way to fit a bike is------ to measure up and find the one you are most comortable in. So, go to your local bike shop and ask them to measure you and fit you. Then decide which feels best based on the different stem length combinations, frame sizes and saddle height. Hope that helps anyone thinking there is a formula to base height and bike frame size coz simply, there is none. None that works for everyone. Another 5"9 guy might use a 56cm frame when compared to me. So yeah. Ciaoz


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## SPINDAWG

*I'm 6'2" with 38" inseam*

I'm all legs!! I just finished up another fit process with John cobb and it seems as though I can get away with a 55cm TT but I definately need a 61cm c-t.


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## terry b

doah said:


> I've been doing major frame shopping lately (looking to upgrade) and have noticed that sizes vary not only from manufacturer to manufacturer but in personal taste... so it got me thinking. What are you guys riding? Help me with my research by posting your height, brand, and frame size.
> I'll go first...
> 
> I'm 5'6" and currently ride a Felt 51cm frame (road frame- not TT).


I'm 5'11, 85.725" inseam and I shoot for a 57cm TT and a 15.5-16.0 HT. Seat tube doesn't matter to me as long as it's <58cm.

It's pretty much absurd to talk in terms of brand and sizing, as everyone measures things differently. For example, I ride a 57 or 58 Colnago, but could easily use a 59. I ride a 59 Bianchi, a 57 Orbea, a 57.5 Moots, unless it's their 56.5 cross bike. Each custom I have has a 57 TT, but the STs vary around 53-55. Pinarello - 56. Casati - 58. Pegoretti - 57. It's far more important to concentrate on the individual elements than whatever the maker uses as their "standard" size.


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## cmg

5'-5" with 29" inseam, ride 51 Cinelli super corsa, 52 Colnago MXL, 53 Raleigh international, 51 Lemond Zurich. none are compact frames. Just trying anything that has between a 525-535 top tube. at this size i don't even bother with top tube clearance there isn't any.


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## JaeP

*Correct body proportions*



SPINDAWG said:


> I'm all legs!! I just finished up another fit process with John cobb and it seems as though I can get away with a 55cm TT but I definately need a 61cm c-t.


I must be all arms and torso! I have to use a 13cm stem on my 61cm LeMond Zurich (60cm TT) just to keep from feeling bunched up. I need at least a 58cm TT (c-t-c). Where can I find information on "correct" body proportions? For example, I'd like to know if my torso (and arms) are proportionally longer to the rest of my body?


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## MR_GRUMPY

6' 2-1/2" and I have a 55 (compact), 58, 59, and a 60. All have between a 57-1/2 and a 58 top tube. Stems go from 130 to 135 to 140.


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## mainframe

Terry, an 85" inseam? Finding pants to fit must entail a global search!!!


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## Scuzzo

Height 6,2 or 3 seam 34 in
I have riden bikes as small as 56cm but it was really bad fit and a bad decision
I ride a
1994 60cm Cannondale tt59 150mm stem
1998 60 cm Schwinn Peleton tt61 130mm stem
2005 60 cm Felt F35 tt 60 ( dont know yet. bike should be here this week) but i do wonder about felt geomerty

Cheers,
chris


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## sokyroadie

I am 5'-7" and ride 51cm Litespeed, 52cm Motobecane & 53cm Quintana Roo, all fit equally well.


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## atropos

a hair over 6'0", 58cm frame.


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## santosjep

*6'1'' size 56 frame*

I'm 6'1'' and I normally ride a 56 top tube, 120 stem and 44 c-c handlebars.

Joe


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## WillsDad

*Tall With Long Legs*

I'm 6'5" with a 37.5" inseam. I ride a 64cm.


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## heatstroke

5'10.5" with a 32.5ish" cycling inseam. I ride a 54x54 effective with a setback post and 130 stem. Ridden a 56x56 which was a better fit with a 120 stem. Heading for a Compact 57cm effective tt with a 11 cm stem


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## azdroptop

5'9", 31.5" inseam, 54 soloist team, 110 stem, fits me perfectly.


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## foz

not sure if you're replying to me or to the OP - first of all, two 54cm frames from different manufacturers will not be the same measurement. look for the geo charts and you'll see that your 54cm trek and my 54cm pina are nowhere near close to the same size. your 54cm sized trek has a seattube centre-top measurement of 54cm, headtube 10.4cm, TT 54.5cm and ST angle of 74.0. My pinarello 54cm has a C-C measurement of 54cm, C-T 57.5cm, HT 16.0cm, TT 55.0cm and ST angle 73.5. If what we're comparing here is the height alone, then the two frames, both 54cm spec., have a difference of 3.5cm in the ST and 6cm in the HT (no doubt this is because the trek HT is shorter, being of a traditional headset design. if we take into account the external stack height of the headset, then the difference in HT will also be about 3.5cm). The horizontal sizing of the two frames is similar (the trek has a 54.5cm TT and 74.0 angle, pinarello has a 55.0cm and 73.5 angle).

second - if you were replying to my post - then my bike is perfectly fitted TO ME, thanks very much. 6'1 and a 54cm frame is not a problem. With a frame any larger, I would not be able to have the bars at the height I have them now. I am more legs and less torso and arms, so generally need more height and less length in a frame. And without wanting to make generalisations, I think that here in europe we fit bikes 'smaller' compared to the states. I see many bikes on here that have a frame which would be considered too large for the rider over here - there is a trend to using a large frame with a small amount of seatpost showing and a stem that's on the short side. Obviously, everybody needs their bike to fit them, but here I think the more general rule is to go with the smallest frame and use a longer stem and seatpost. that said, I no longer race but am much more a racer than a tourist, if you understand what I mean. 

foz


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## Howzitbroke

5'9 3/4" tall with monkey arms and a 32.75" inseam. I ride a from 55.5 to a 57 top tube, with stems from 120 to 105. I don't like more than 3 inches saddle to bar drop. So frame sizes are from 51cm (compact design) to 56.


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## remy

5'8" tall riding a 51cm Lemond


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## andre71144

cmg said:


> 5'-5" with 29" inseam, ride 51 Cinelli super corsa, 52 Colnago MXL, 53 Raleigh international, 51 Lemond Zurich. none are compact frames. Just trying anything that has between a 525-535 top tube. at this size i don't even bother with top tube clearance there isn't any.


I feel your pain. 5'8" with a 29" inseam. 50 Madone 12cm stem.


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## 1gunner

I'm 6'-0" with a 33.75" inseam and a 56cm Scott cr1 with a 110 cm stem fits me right.


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## crestlinefarm

*Various bikes are different...yet surprisingly similar*

I'm just over 5'11 (used to be closer to 6' but...whatever)

My first bike was a 59cm Raleigh, with a 9cm stem
Then a 58cm Trek both run with a 10cm stem
Now I race on a 56cm (sloping/virtual) Cervelo with a 12cm stem
And train on a 57cm (sloping/virtual) Abici with an 11cm stem.

All four bikes when you combine the top tube and stem come out to 68cm overall length.


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## Mark McM

doah said:


> I've been doing major frame shopping lately (looking to upgrade) and have noticed that sizes vary not only from manufacturer to manufacturer but in personal taste... so it got me thinking. What are you guys riding? Help me with my research by posting your height, brand, and frame size.
> I'll go first...
> 
> I'm 5'6" and currently ride a Felt 51cm frame (road frame- not TT).



Frame size is only loosely related to rider height. Frame size is usually labeled by seat tube length, but the actual seat height is the most adjustable part of the frame, so there are other frame dimensions that are usually more important. Usually the most important frame dimensions are top tube length and seat tube angle. These can vary quite a bit from one manufacturer to the next for frames which are labeled as the same size (i.e one manufacturer's 53 cm frame might have a 52 cm topt tube and 74 degree seat tube angle, while another manufacturer's 53 cm frame might have a 55 cm top tube and a 73 degree seat tube angle).

That being said, I am and 5' 6.5" and ride a 54 cm (center -center) Ritchey Road Logic. Top tube length - 55 cm, stem length 12 cm. (Many people would see those dimensions and think that I must have a short legs and long torso, but the opposite is actually true - I've got a 32.5" leg length, slightly longer than average for my height, but I have a very flexible back, so I can lean forward a lot and ride in a very low position.)


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## AIE

6'1
59c-c frame
130mm stem.


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## tube_ee

5'11", 33"-ish inseam, I ride between 57 and 60 cm frames depending on the bike and how it's measured. Stems between 100 - 120 mm, mostly around 110. The 60 is the outlier, it's a Cannondale touring bike, and Cannondale measures their frames stupidly (to the top of the seat tube, which sticks up quite a ways). Measured sanely, it's a 58-ish. By modern fitting standards, my bikes are all too big. But those standards changed, and me and the way I like my bikes didn't. Most shops would put me on a 55-56, with some going even down to 54. I ain't going there. I do not care at all for the way small bikes with lots of seatpost and a long-ass stem handle.

Fitting is about more than the body, it affects handling too. I can make almost any bike fit almost any rider, on a trainer, using a tape measure. But out on the road in the real world, they won't be happy. I like a bike to have about a fist and a half of seatpost, a 110 or 120 stem, and about 2" of drop from saddle to bars. In other words, the way racing bikes fit from the 60s through the early 90s. The modern position doesn't work for me, and it didn't work for most of my customers.

--Shannon


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## Archiee Dogg

Two Bikes....Medium (55.5cm TT) Ridley damocles and my new LOOK 585 is a large (56cm TT) approx the same size. I use a 110mm stem. Take a look at different fit calculators. Here are a few that I found to be extremely helpful. Try and get someone to help you take the measurments from www.competitivecyclist.com or try www.wrenchscience.com...depending on the bike, thay will help you find the right fit. Try to get both measurment s and try what fits YOU best.
Good Luck. btw...5' 9" with a 33in inseam....in case youre wondering.


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## Schneiderguy

5.5 with legs so short they barely reach the gound. TT of 53 cm with SA of 74.
factory bike ST of 50-51 CC
custom bike ST of 48 cm with TT of 53 and SA or 74.
I use a 11 mm stem.


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## the embalmer

5'10" and i ride a 58cm


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## Howard3

*60 cm*

Height: 5' 11 1/2 ".
Inseam: 90 cm 
Frame size: 60 cm (C-T)
STA: 73 degrees
HTA: 74 degrees
TT length: 57.5 cm
Stem length: 11 cm


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## AlexCad5

Yangpei said:


> I'm 5'10" with a 31 inch inseam. I ride an Orbea Lobular 57 cm (56 cm top tube) with a 100mm stem and a Orbea Aletta 54 cm tri bike.


 I'm thinking The orbea is too big for you. I have a 32+ inch (riding) inseam, and 5'10" and have found my perfect sizing to be a 54cm TT with a 73.5 dgr STA and a HT of around 140mm-150mm. My Merckx sloping is 53.5 with a 74dgr STA. The Ht is a tough short at 130mm, but not to major of a problem.
The first modern bike I was "Fitted" on (and bought) was a 56cm Cannondale. All wrong! Way too big.:mad2:


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## Einstruzende

5'11", and I have 4 road bikes. Two are 56, a 57, and a sloping 58. They all seem to fit reasonably well.


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## Elfstone

Hight 5-7.5, 
Inseam 31.5 
C'dale caad8 52...


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## cratz2

5'7"
30" Inseam
53cm Giant


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## Kenacycle

5'10 1/4" , 33" inseam, 58cm


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## undies

6' 3"
33" inseam
58cm Nashbar
19" Trek MTB


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## SuperB

5'9", 31 in. inseam, 54 cm (too big), I'm now looking for a 52-53 cm.


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## illnacord

Good thread: I used a couple sites (not a replacement for a "pro" fitting at your LBS fitting) to get a rough estimation - it was indeed rough with a 3cm difference in frame sizing which raised an eyebrow. Results as follows, give 'em a try for your own "bike fitting".

*SOURCE 1 Bike Fit Calculator - Argonaut Cycle Coaching* 

The inputs ask for height, torso, shoulder width, inseam, arm length, seat angle, crank length and gives me a 61.5cm ST and TT with 100mm stem length and 41cm handlebar width

*SOURCE 2 bikefitting.com | made to measure*

The input is only your inner leg measurement and gives me a 55cm frame.

I've actually been roughly fit for a custom frame by my local bike shop in Oakland, California. I was measured at 58cm leg 59cm torso. Meaning a 58cm with long stem and a 59cm with normal stem. So my question is "what is a normal sized stem" when custom frame builders spec a custom frame for ROAD use-- 90 or 100 or 110cm?


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## Wookiebiker

Thread Dredge ... Nothing like pulling up a "7" year old thread


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## mikerp

Wookiebiker said:


> Thread Dredge ... Nothing like pulling up a "7" year old thread


No kidding, brings a new meaning to the 7 year itch.


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## MN_Roadie

5'10''
30'' inseam
Domane 56cm w/90MM stem

Based on my height, I was wavering between 54 & 56cm, and the LBS guys said I should go w/the 56 b/c I had about 1 inch of clearance when standing over the top tube vs 2-3 inches w/the 54. 

Worried I may have gone too big (I have 30 days to exchange for the 54)?


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## mikerp

MN_Roadie said:


> the LBS guys said I should go w/the 56 b/c I had about 1 inch of clearance when standing over the top tube vs 2-3 inches w/the 54.
> 
> Worried I may have gone too big (I have 30 days to exchange for the 54)?


This is how bikes were fit 30+ years ago, not a very good method (I have a steel frame that I can straddle but plank on to reach the bars - at this point I don't ride it in fact I'm looking for a reasonable frame to swap the 80's components over to).
A lot goes into fit, it also depends on how you want to ride. In that model the 54 has 16 mm less stack and 6mm less reach. Personally, I'd be giving the 54 a shot (but I like the Colnago fit).


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## Kumachan

5'10", 56 cm frame. Fits very well.


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## modernworld

I'm 5'10" with about a 30-inch inseam and I ride a 51cm CAAD 8. Fits me perfectly.


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## Maglore

I'm 5'3'' with a relatively long 75cm inseam. I ride a 48cm Cayo Evo and generally fit well to anything with a virtual tt length of around 520mm, which generally means 48 - 50cm frames.


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## Rashadabd

5'6" and ride a 51 in Cervelo and Felt or a 52 in Cannondale, Trek and Specialized. I can also fit some 54s with a shorter stem. I generally ride a slightly longer stem on the 51s. Size 52 is typically the best fit for me. I have a longer torso and shorter legs if that helps (28 or 29 inseam).


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