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#11
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Bike fitting and used bikes
On Apr 29, 3:50*pm, "
wrote: 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 Thanks for the reference, Joseph. Ondrej's back isn't even flat yet! The reference to Chris Boardman reminded me that one of the most thrilling events I have ever seen was Boardman at the Olympics overtaking his opponent before that poor man reached the halfway mark. Can't remember the year or the opponent's name, only that Boardman rode a bike designed for him by the Lotus car company. No Eddie the Eagle jokes from my couch that day! For me that ranks right up there with the time Frankie Chili, nearly forty years old, came from the back of the field in the World Superbikes -- I can't even remember if he won, or if he merely got a podium, but the ride was so fabulous that when one of my literary protege based a scene in one of her novels on that event I recognized her source immediately -- she thought it another example of me reading her mind. I reckon I could do 50 klicks in an hour, easily. Now where's the phone number of my steady truck driver... Andre Jute http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/B...20CYCLING.html |
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#12
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Bike fitting and used bikes
"Andre Jute" wrote in message
... Boardman rode a bike designed for him by the Lotus car company. Sort of. Mike Burrows actually did the design. The lotus people did the building, but Mike was there all the way through. |
#13
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Bike fitting and used bikes
In article invalid-81DF99.22134328042008@shawnews,
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. Both are too small. I have a 30 inch inseam and a 55 cm frame is great. Get yourself a 58 cm frame. It will feel very different at first but take a long test ride with a proper saddle adjustment and modest stem. Remember that cockpit length is critical also. -- Michael Press |
#14
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Bike fitting and used bikes
On Apr 29, 5:50*pm, Andre Jute wrote:
On Apr 29, 3:50*pm, " wrote: 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 Thanks for the reference, Joseph. Ondrej's back isn't even flat yet! The reference to Chris Boardman reminded me that one of the most thrilling events I have ever seen was Boardman at the Olympics overtaking his opponent before that poor man reached the halfway mark. Can't remember the year or the opponent's name, only that Boardman rode a bike designed for him by the Lotus car company. No Eddie the Eagle jokes from my couch that day! For me that ranks right up there with the time Frankie Chili, nearly forty years old, came from the back of the field in the World Superbikes -- I can't even remember if he won, or if he merely got a podium, but the ride was so fabulous that when one of my literary protege based a scene in one of her novels on that event I recognized her source immediately -- she thought it another example of me reading her mind. I reckon I could do 50 klicks in an hour, easily. Now where's the phone number of my steady truck driver... Andre Jutehttp://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE%20%26%20CYCLING.html Funny how certain sporting performances stand out like that. For me, it is Thor Hushovd winning the final stage in Paris of the 2006 TdF (book ends by the way!). They had a camera mounted on a rail of some sort along the finish so they could film the action up close. The camera was zooming along next to Robbie McEwan who was kicking ass and taking names. It was an awseome sprint and people were being punished. Very exciting. And then McEwan does a double take with an astonished look on his face. And the camera pans up a bit and Thor just rockets past and stomps everyone by 4 lengths or so. Joseph |
#15
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Bike fitting and used bikes
In article ,
"Bruce Gilbert" wrote: "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 Thanks to all. No time to post more now, but I will digest and follow up later. |
#16
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Bike fitting and used bikes
Ralph Barone wrote:
Thanks to all. No time to post more now, but I will digest and follow up later. I rode a too small bike for several hundred miles, by jacking up the seat to get any kind of reasonable leg distances. Besides the too small one looking quite strange with such a long seatpost, when I finally got a bike that was closer, I realized that the too small bike didn't feel as stable to me. The second bike was a shade too big, but the price was right. I had no trouble at all with it and really could be riding it now, if I hadn't found one that was the right size and was on sale. I am 3 inches taller than you, but have about the same leg length and ride a 58cm frame, which is dead on for me. |
#17
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Bike fitting and used bikes
On 29 Apr, 06:13, 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. Are you sure your inseam is 32"? When measuring it, you have to hold a rluer or spirit level *firmly* under your nuts as if you're sitting on it. Have a look at the frame size calculator I posted here a few weeks back which gave a frame size of 56cm for someone around 5-10 |
#18
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Bike fitting and used bikes
In article
, blackhead wrote: On 29 Apr, 06:13, 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. Are you sure your inseam is 32"? When measuring it, you have to hold a rluer or spirit level *firmly* under your nuts as if you're sitting on it. Have a look at the frame size calculator I posted here a few weeks back which gave a frame size of 56cm for someone around 5-10 Well, that's just a little embarrassing... I went downstairs and remeasured, and it turns out I got both measurements wrong. 33" inseam and 5' 9 1/2" tall. I guess that brings me a little closer to 'normal'. I found the fit calculator link that you posted and will check it out. Thanks. |
#19
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Bike fitting and used bikes
On May 1, 5:58*am, Ralph Barone wrote:
In article , *blackhead wrote: On 29 Apr, 06:13, 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. Are you sure your inseam is 32"? When measuring it, you have to hold a rluer or spirit level *firmly* under your nuts as if you're sitting on it. Have a look at the frame size calculator I posted here a few weeks back which gave a frame size of 56cm for someone around 5-10 Well, that's just a little embarrassing... I went downstairs and remeasured, and it turns out I got both measurements wrong. *33" inseam and 5' 9 1/2" tall. *I guess that brings me a little closer to 'normal'. * I found the fit calculator link that you posted and will check it out. * Thanks. Hold a not too thick hardcover coffee table book between your thighs, opening end up, shove it up hard, stand up straight and get someone else to measure from the upper edge of the book to the floor. If you handle the tape yourself, you're not standing straight. The book is good because it is obvious when something that big is not level. HTH. -- Andre Jute |
#20
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Bike fitting and used bikes
I have about the same measurements. You need a 56-58cm to fit
properly. Avoid thecompact frames with sloping toptubes as you will have a hard time gettinga good fit. For a quick fit tip you need to adjust the saddle so your knee is slightly bent when pedal is lowest. If you cannot get handlebars near level with the seat you will be spending much $$$$$ trying to get comfortable. If the bars are near or above seat some fine tuning will allow for comfort. DO NOT BUY AN UNDERSIZE BIKE!!! One slightly large is okay but you need a bike in the 56cm size range. On Apr 29, 1:13*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. |
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