sloar 

Reason I ask is I just finished with this Colnago Super to sell for a friend. It’s a 59cm frame c-t and it feels pretty comfortable. I’m 5’9” and 56 is usually my max when buying. I was a little confused after riding it and double checked my measuring. Anyone else run into this?

Polaris OBark

I'm your height, but my legs have 30" inseam. Just looking at the head tube, I can tell you I would never be able to ride that bike.

I am guessing your legs might be longer. Older bikes had shorter reach.

sloar 

I have the same inseam, I did lower the seat a little bit after the pic was taken but not much.

jdawginsc 

Yes. And the reverse. I think it all is a secret sauce type of thing. And really, the way seatposts can be so flexible, perhaps riding a larger size lets you get some relief on the stem height. Merziac can weigh in since he rides a much larger size than you'd expect at his height (or at least I did).

Reynolds 

Yes, but not by much. My 'normal' size would be a 53, but my most comfortable bike is a 55.

ascherer 

I'm in that camp. 6' 3", 34+ inseam, 95 PBH. I rode 62cm frames for decades. Then I got some larger ones and found that I liked the feel & fit better.

nlerner

This is one reason why I find stack and reach are better measurements to use for fitting than length of tubes:

https://road.cc/content/feature/what...portant-266968

SurferRosa

I only rode 56-57 until I found this '91 Bottecchia, stamped 59.



Its comfort made me realize I needed taller, longer frames under me to absorb more of the road for aging bones. I'm just tall enough -- the aero part of the seatpost barely clears the frame.

Loganiscool

Im wondering if I should do this myself. I have a 63cm. I’m 6’4 with a 34 inch inseam. The leg room is fine but my upper body is a little cramped. There’s a 65cm trek up the road from me. Hmmm

madpogue 

I'm 5'8" with a 33" inseam. Looking at the subject bike, I'd fit it fine vertically, but I'd be waaaay stretched over the top tube.

merziac

Yep, I'm only 6' 0" but have a 38in inseam and can ride some 60cm up to 66cm, my custom Strawberry is about 64.5 and was made to still fit when I get older and shrink, become more decrepit, etc.

The big silver Merz was the aha bike at 66, got it all dialed in, rode it awhile then "oh crap, I have to quit buying 58, 60, 62 unless something really special. "

Then bought a 26.5in Paramount to verify and sure enough both bikes rode far better than any of my other jacked up abominations.

The Strawberry was built and fitted from the big Merz and a should be too small BG that is about 61cm but rides fantastic under me for the geometry, Koolaid or whatever.

This brings up the key thing for me that Dave Levy at TiCycles brought it all together building the Strawberry, it rides better than any other by quite a bit which I would have thought impossible since the big Merz and Paramount rode so much better than the rest for being right sized.

It was imperative to me to have builder do the fitting as they are literally "joined at the hip" in my mind and it was a great experience well worth the POA.

I know most of us here have/had a lot of bikes and are pretty good at this but encourage anyone with an urge and the means to build a custom frame especially if you have a local builder that does the fitting and is proactive in the process as I think they should be.

Mr. 66

I have a few that are large for me, most have worked out very well. Like the Nishiki
Haven’t had the chance to really launch on this Viner. My first impression is the cockpit may be long for my ergonomic.

Difficult to say on the Viner, my test ride was cut short from debris and goathead thorn. Frosted my cookies.

The Serotta, even set as it is I’m just a hanging in full ape.

It has a toptube of 61cm plus.

merziac

Get to it, make it so.

merziac

Yes, see long winded post above.

If you can ride this you need to sell it to yourself.

Kabuki12

I am 6' plus a little bit , my inseam is 35" . Therefore I usually ride a 63cm bike. My Colnago Super is 62 and fits like a glove! I sold my 60cm bikes that were too small and one 63cm bike only because the top tube was longer than I like. Agree with merziac KEEP IT!!! Italian goodness.

1975 Super

steelbikeguy

It's not bad to try out different sized bikes to see what you might like. Ideally, you just borrow a buddy's bike for a ride.
My nominal ideal size is the 24 1/2" c-t Raleigh from the 70's. I first rode this when I bought my '76 Raleigh Gran Sport brand new! Rode it for about 14 years, and then had a custom bike built with roughly similar dimensions.
I was able to pick up a nice shiny '74 Raleigh International about 24 years ago in the same 24 1/2" size, and I still think that it fits very nicely. You can see that the seat post and stem are somewhere about the middle of their range.



Not too long afterwards, I was able to pick up a 60cm c-t Raleigh Team frame. It's a bit small, but the top tube is about the same as the International. The seat looks kinda high, and the stem is at its max height. This does force me into a more aero position, which isn't really a problem, and does help me be a bit faster on a bike that was supposed to be ridden fast!



The last British bike that I've bought is a somewhat large Hetchins. It's about 25" c-t, but seems larger due to the higher bottom bracket, which is between 10 3/4" and 11". The seat is fairly low, and the stem is near the bottom of its range. The top tube is similar to the other bikes, and the bike is comfortable. It is a bit more difficult to get low and aero, though.



It's helpful to compare the length of the head tubes, as it seems to be a easily visible measure of how the seat tube fits me.


Steve in Peoria

jPrichard10 

I rode many 60-57cm frames despite being 6'3" with 34"+ inseam.

Found a 25.5" Trek 910 for a screamin' deal and thought "damn, that's gonna be too large."

Once I mounted it though, I knew I had to sell everything else.

Haven't ridden any larger frames than that, but it really sealed the deal for me.
​​​​​​
​​​​The other shame is I'm a noodle of a person and don't need as stout a tubeset as other people my height. Columbus SP is overkill for me; currently scouring for a 710 (or 720!) in my size.
​​​​

Loganiscool

I have the same inseam and I’m 6’4. There is a 730 25.5 up the road from me. The only problem is someone replaced the 700c rear wheel with a 27” 😕 My regular 24.5 frame needs more top tube. This might be what I needed to just buy it lol.

RustyJames 

I’m 5’9 3/4” with a 30” inseam and believed stuff I read that said a 54cm bike was my size. I always felt cramped but thought I just needed to tweak a few settings for proper fit. I hopped on a 56cm bike and all I could think was “This is what I should be riding!” The seat and bars sit a bit low but the rest is fabulous.
merziac were discussing stuff and I saw the light that stand over is BS. Traditional thought says if you are on the border between sizes get the smaller. That doesn’t work for me but that’s why there are a bazillion kinds of beer.

redshift1

I don't say this about many bikes, but that is beautiful !

steelbikeguy

I'm 6' tall and 155 pounds, and I've realized that the frames that fit me were built for people who weighed a bit more. When I picked up a Raleigh Team made of Reynolds 753, I realized that I was happier with a more flexible frame. This extra requirement does make it harder to find the right frame, but it can be worthwhile.

Steve in Peoria

daverup 

I usually ride a 58cm, but I do have one a bit larger. My 82 Araya Road 821 is a 25", but it is measured CTT. It is comfortable with the seat low since the top tube is only 22" CTC.

Desert Ryder

I'm 6' with a 32" inseam. I ride a Raleigh Grand Prix that is slightly too large but I'm comfortable riding it. The seat is bottomed out but at least it isn't stuck. I do have to stand on my toes to straddle it and the top tube does contact the jewels.I've gotten used to leaning to one side when straddling the bike. I ride flat pedals with no clips.
A quick measurment (+- 1/8"); Top tube 22.5" ,seat tube is 25.5" , head tube 8.5"

merziac

Dave wanted to use an oversize DT AND TT on the Strawberry, we had discussed it already, "no Dave, you said it would be ok, skinny tubes only", "It's gonna be noodley" he says, "exactly", I said.