Bike fitting and used bikes

Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment capability
is in modern road frames? I'm looking at a few used bikes which seem to
be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I don't have a good
feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized frame and then just
crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

On Apr 29, 12:13 am, Ralph Barone wrote:
Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment capability
is in modern road frames? I'm looking at a few used bikes which seem to
be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I don't have a good
feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized frame and then just
crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

There's sizing up a bike that's 2cm too small and there's sizing up a
bike that's 8cm too small. At your measurements, perhaps you're an
optimal 56-58ish. Get the right size, you won't regret it. You'll just
**** away money trying to get it right otherwise.

On Apr 29, 8:25*am, "Bill Sornson" wrote:
Ralph Barone wrote:
Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment
capability is in modern road frames? *I'm looking at a few used bikes
which seem to be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I
don't have a good feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized
frame and then just crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the
steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

The 50 is way too small for you (assuming "normal" geometry); the 54 should
work (again, assuming there's nothing too unusual about it).

Why buy a bike that doesn't fit you?

Bill S.

I agree. Only sombody really short or really tall should have to
consider bikes that don't fit.

As for whether a 54 is ok, that depends on how it is measured.

Joseph

On Apr 29, 6:13*am, Ralph Barone wrote:
Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment capability
is in modern road frames? *I'm looking at a few used bikes which seem to
be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I don't have a good
feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized frame and then just
crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

Even if you could make a 50cm road bike fit without mechanical and
ergonomic problems, possibly even orthopaedic problems, you'd still
look ridiculous on it; you could end up on my cycling humour page.
Even a 54cm bike would have to be generously scaled to be a certain
adaptation. If buying a road bike by mail, with a 32in inseam I'd play
safe and stick to 56 or 58cm.

Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/B...%20HUMOUR.html

On Apr 29, 1:35*pm, Andre Jute wrote:
On Apr 29, 6:13*am, Ralph Barone wrote:

Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment capability
is in modern road frames? *I'm looking at a few used bikes which seem to
be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I don't have a good
feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized frame and then just
crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

Even if you could make a 50cm road bike fit without mechanical and
ergonomic problems, possibly even orthopaedic problems, you'd still
look ridiculous on it; you could end up on my cycling humour page.
Even a 54cm bike would have to be generously scaled to be a certain
adaptation. If buying a road bike by mail, with a 32in inseam I'd play
safe and stick to 56 or 58cm.

Andre Jutehttp://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE%20HUMOUR.html

A 50 might end up looking like this:

http://www.sosenka.cz/archiv/2005/m12.jpg

Joseph

On Apr 29, 1:01*pm, "
wrote:
On Apr 29, 1:35*pm, Andre Jute wrote:



On Apr 29, 6:13*am, Ralph Barone wrote:

Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment capability
is in modern road frames? *I'm looking at a few used bikes which seem to
be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I don't have a good
feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized frame and then just
crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

Even if you could make a 50cm road bike fit without mechanical and
ergonomic problems, possibly even orthopaedic problems, you'd still
look ridiculous on it; you could end up on my cycling humour page.
Even a 54cm bike would have to be generously scaled to be a certain
adaptation. If buying a road bike by mail, with a 32in inseam I'd play
safe and stick to 56 or 58cm.

Andre Jutehttp://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE%20HUMOUR.html

A 50 might end up looking like this:

http://www.sosenka.cz/archiv/2005/m12.jpg

Joseph

Heh-heh. I don't imagine Diane will let Ralph do anything that silly.
But imagine the same bike with a stem extension to match the seat
extension. The diamond would be awfully small in relation, awfully far
away at the end of awfully long levers, and the whole thing, unless
grotesquely overbuilt for a road bike, would flop around like a sheet
of paper in a typhoon.

Is that caricature an actual bike offered for sale? In that case the
maker should learn to spell his own name right, for it is truly a Cafe
Racer!

Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/B...20CYCLING.html

On Apr 28, 11:13*pm, Ralph Barone wrote:
Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment capability
is in modern road frames? *I'm looking at a few used bikes which seem to
be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I don't have a good
feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized frame and then just
crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

The 50 is definitely too small. The 54 might work. If it is measured
center to center, it may be ok. If it is measured center to top, it
might be too small. It sounds like you have a long torso and shortish
legs. You may need a long top tube. or a long stem. If you have a
flexible lower back and you intend on using it for racing in a flat
back kind of position, it may work.

Andres

"Ralph Barone" wrote in message
news:invalid-81DF99.22134328042008@shawnews...
Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment capability
is in modern road frames? I'm looking at a few used bikes which seem to
be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I don't have a good
feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized frame and then just
crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

For a man of your size, a safe bet would be to look for a bike with about a
55cm effective top tube. That is still the best way to measure a bike. Look
for how to measure the frame for effective top tube and go from there.
Unless you have unusually long legs and a very short torso, or vice versa,
the 55cm top tube should get you reasonably close to a proper fitting frame.

The 50cm, as others have noted will be too small to work. Depending upon the
manufacturer and their respective geometry, the 54 may work well. I have
seen what were called 54cm frames go from a 53 top tube all the way to 57.
Therefore, measure the top tube and forget what size the manufacturer
describes the frame as. With the advent of compact geometry bikes, the
effective top tube measurement has become increasingly important.

I hope this helps,

Bruce

On Apr 29, 2:55*pm, Andre Jute wrote:
On Apr 29, 1:01*pm, "



wrote:
On Apr 29, 1:35*pm, Andre Jute wrote:

On Apr 29, 6:13*am, Ralph Barone wrote:

Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment capability
is in modern road frames? *I'm looking at a few used bikes which seem to
be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I don't have a good
feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized frame and then just
crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

Even if you could make a 50cm road bike fit without mechanical and
ergonomic problems, possibly even orthopaedic problems, you'd still
look ridiculous on it; you could end up on my cycling humour page.
Even a 54cm bike would have to be generously scaled to be a certain
adaptation. If buying a road bike by mail, with a 32in inseam I'd play
safe and stick to 56 or 58cm.

Andre Jutehttp://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE%20HUMOUR.html

A 50 might end up looking like this:

http://www.sosenka.cz/archiv/2005/m12.jpg

Joseph

Heh-heh. I don't imagine Diane will let Ralph do anything that silly.
But imagine the same bike with a stem extension to match the seat
extension. The diamond would be awfully small in relation, awfully far
away at the end of awfully long levers, and the whole thing, unless
grotesquely overbuilt for a road bike, would flop around like a sheet
of paper in a typhoon.

Is that caricature an actual bike offered for sale? In that case the
maker should learn to spell his own name right, for it is truly a Cafe
Racer!

Andre Jutehttp://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE%20%26%20CYCLING.html

That is the bike Ondrej Sosenka used to set the hour record. He is 2m
tall and the rules are very specific. Thus the extreme bike.

More pics here with rider that somehow doesn't' look ridiculous:

http://www.wolfgang-menn.de/sosenka.htm

Joseph

On Apr 29, 3:01*pm, " wrote:
On Apr 28, 11:13*pm, Ralph Barone wrote:

Can anybody offer up some suggestions on how much adjustment capability
is in modern road frames? *I'm looking at a few used bikes which seem to
be smaller than what I think I should be buying, but I don't have a good
feel for how bad it would be to buy an undersized frame and then just
crank up the seatpost and maybe lengthen the steerer tube.

PS: I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the two bikes I was looking at were 50
cm and 54 cm frames.

The 50 is definitely too small. The 54 might work. If it is measured
center to center, it may be ok. If it is measured center to top, it
might be too small. It sounds like you have a long torso and shortish
legs. You may need a long top tube. or a long stem. If you have a
flexible lower back and you intend on using it for racing in a flat
back kind of position, it may work.

Andres

The 32" inseam is a suspect measurement. Inseam is moderately
difficult to measure accurately , and many people have different ideas
about what the term actually means, making it subject to even more
imprecision. IOW, maybe he doesn't have a long torso.

Joseph