# mxl sizing discrepency?



## bill61 (Dec 5, 2002)

i have recently built up my mxl which i purchased 3 years ago. With the saddle height 
adjusted properly i have only about a fistfull of seatpost showing. the bike is everything that everyone says it is regarding ride and comfort qualities. The frame i ordered was the same size as my cannondale 58cm. , the low seatpost height was bothering me so i measured the seat tube c-c and the st length was 59.13 . am i measuring the seat tube correctly? Did someone make a mistake ? i am mildly annoyed but i can always sell the frame easily enough if it bothers me that much. The top tube length is perfect as well as the overall fit, although there is not quite as much handlebar drop as my cannondale but 
there is probably enough for my type of riding, and if i ever race i will probably use my cannondale anyway.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*welcome to proper bike fit*

back in the days when frames came in every cm from 47-63 having a handful of post was one of the signs of proper fit.

look at old seat pins, super short because it was all you needed.

build a bridge and get over it. reach is right? check
standover right? check
overall fit? check

your bike actually fits, drink a Leffe and be happy


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

As long as your reach and standover are OK, I don't see that you have a problem. As ATP mentioned, back in the old days a fistfull of seatpost was the rule. It's only been more recently that it became fashionable to ride too-small frames with seatposts a mile long.

BTW, ordering the same size as your Cannondale might no mean a thing if they measure their frames differently than Merckx. Many manufacturers measure their frames center-top, but a properly sized Merckx should be measured center-center. Of course, top tube length is the most critical dimension for most people, so that's what really matters.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*yup*



tarwheel2 said:


> As long as your reach and standover are OK, I don't see that you have a problem. As ATP mentioned, back in the old days a fistfull of seatpost was the rule. It's only been more recently that it became fashionable to ride too-small frames with seatposts a mile long.
> .


it is how most of my bikes fit
cx is fistful and change for extra S/O

his preception is skewed by bikes with as you say 'mile long' posts


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

I owned an older Corda and a fairly newish MXL which were supposed to be the same geometry, but I found the newer bike ended up being quite a lot taler to end up with the same tt length. It works out very nicely and rides well, but the other thing I noticed was the measurments on both bikes were not exactly what the published geometry was--maybe they just sort of cut the tubes "by eye" with a smoke hanging out of their mouth.


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