# Shopping for a new ride after 20 years - 54 or 56 Roubaix



## hdave_CO (Jun 26, 2005)

Hi all,

Ive been gone a while... I am shopping for a Roubaix. my old bike was a custom built frame and I cant find the schematic . 

I am 5.11 with a 32" inseam, my shirts are a 34/35 or 35 arm.

I rode a 54 (2016) and a 56 (2018) Roubaix. they felt very different. the 54 felt more twitchy, but comfortable, the 56 felt more stable am I felt slight more "stretched" out but kinda more like my current ride.

It was a quick ride on both so not the best scenario. the "sales person" was a very young man...like well under 20. the shop was packed. so theres that.

the majority of my reading say a 54 is too small.

I want a new bike to go another many years. any thoughts on the size?


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

I'm 6'0" and 32-in inseam...both bikes I own are 56 x 56 cm w/ 120 mm stems to accommodate my slightly longer-than-normal arms.

a 54 would be too small for me...


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## WRM4865 (Mar 4, 2015)

Actually Specialized has a general sizing chart that should be at your dealer as a guide, nevertheless I'm 5'11" with a 34" inseam and 34/35 arm and 56cm Specialized bikes seem to fit me fine.


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## hdave_CO (Jun 26, 2005)

WRM4865 said:


> Actually Specialized has a general sizing chart that should be at your dealer as a guide, nevertheless I'm 5'11" with a 34" inseam and 34/35 arm and 56cm Specialized bikes seem to fit me fine.


they said 56, but a very young guy there whipped out a 54 on sale and I think he was wanting to make the sale and got me all flustered.

best I can measure my custom frame its much closer to a 56. I need to go ride a couple more.

its hard to assess the new bikes when I have been on my old for 20 years. maybe its jsut me. the old ride is a compact custom frame with all dura ace. I knew the builder and got it all on the cheap (10% over cost on components). so now retail is killing me.


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## Frank-L (May 7, 2009)

Hi
A few questions and a comment;

1) what size have you ridden before (20 yrs ago) ?
2) does that shop offer a professional fitting? Going on the machine will tell you right away if size is ok
3) I am 5’9” and ride 54cm. My friends 5’11” mostly ride 56cm. Ymmv

Happy shopping


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## masont (Feb 6, 2010)

At your height and inseam, you're dead on for who Specialized designs a 56 for. That being said, we don't hold the bike with the top of our head, and there's a lot that goes into a fit like arm length, core strength, flexibility, etc. 

The fitter in a Specialized shop will set the saddle height based on your overall leg length. They'll set the saddle fore/aft based on your femur length. Since Specialized specs the same length crankarm on both sizes, your saddle relative to your bottom bracket will be in the exact same position on both bikes. That is two of the three places you touch the bike. 

The other place is the handlebars. So between those two bikes I'd think of the size as "where the handlebars are in space." The reach between the two bikes is just a few mm off, the main difference is in stack. If you are super flexible and prefer being lower in the front end, you could prefer a 54 even though you're in the recommended height range for a 56. I know a guy who's 5'10'' and rides a 52, and another guy who is 5'11'' and rides a 58. There are definite outliers, but most people aren't outliers. 

I can't fit you on the internet, but I can tell you it's more likely than not a 56 is the proper size.


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## rm -rf (Feb 27, 2006)

I like the *Stack *and *Reach *measurements to compare different bikes. Compare the new bikes to your existing bike to see how close they come.

It's easy to measure your existing bike with just a tape measure. (A level would be helpful, for slightly more accuracy, but it's not required.)

Thread postings:

Measuring stack and reach

Comparing two bikes

And a stem - bar calculator to show the bar position with different stem angles, lengths, and spacers: Stem calculator


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## rockhendrix (May 13, 2018)

I'm really close to the same size as you and my LBS fit me to a 56 Diverge but changed out the stem because of my short arms lol.


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