OCRider2000

Been riding a 55 CC frame with 55.5TT and 12cm stem for a long time. Recently realized I'm way long in the top tube. When on the hoods very stretched out. Anyways I need help with my fit. Here are my stats:
Trunk 67cm, forearm 34, thigh 62, lower leg 56, sternal notch 147.4, inseam 85.9, arm 62, height 179. Here is my dilema according to all the fit programs, (competitivecyclist.com, wrenchscience.com etc) they have me on a CC frame approx 55.5 to 56 with a top tube of 53.6 to 54 cm. Right now I'm on a Colnago c50 57CM CT (73 degree ST with a 55.6 TT and 12 CM stem. I feel really long plus with the seat almost all the way forward I'm still 1.75CM behind the spindles. The only way to get a 54cm top tube in a Colnago is to go with a 55CT (53CC)74 degree ST frame. Is that too small for me? Any sizing experts on here have any ideas for me?

It seems like Top tube length is more important to good fit than ST length.

Any help much appreciated.

mayukawa

Shorter stem?

briscoelab

If your set is forward and you are behind KOPS by a lot... look into a zero setback seat post. That will move you forward quite a bit. Then, see if you need a slightly shorter stem (110mm or 105mm). Effective top tube length is the most critical length in fit. Well, more accuratly; reach is the most critical dimension. But, reach is difficult to measure, as it is constrained by head tube length and angle, as well as seat tube angle and the height of your bars and seat. But, for a similar model bike ETT length is a good starting point.

OCRider2000

thanks for the reply. Ya I could go with a shorter stem but of course that will change the handling, etc, etc. I would prefer to be on the correct size frame and then make changes only after I'm on the correct frame size\geometry.

DocRay

Move the seat back to 4cm, get a shorter stem.

OCRider2000

Anybody familar with Colnago sizing. Given my stats do you think a 55 Center to top would be too small?

Thanks

alanbikehouston

Raise your bars so that the highest part of the bars (next to the stem) is as high as the top of the saddle. That will eliminate the "stretched" out feeling, and shift weight off your hands and wrists. Any neck or back pain you experience while riding will be gone.

Raising the bars two inches will reduce the distance from the back edge of the saddle to the front of the stem by about 2 1/2 inches, a far more dramatic decrease in "reach" than obtained from buying a bike that is one size smaller.

If your bike was built before around 1995, raising the stem will be a 30 second job. If you have a "modern" stem, you must likely will need to replace it with a taller stem...modern stems are designed to save the factory money, not to allow precisely fitting the rider.

DocRay

This is basically converting a Colnago into a hybrid, he might get less hand, wrist pain (which he doesn't indicate), but he will then get saddle sore from too much weight on the ass. He has a stretched out feeling from being stretched out.

There is a good reason why they make 90mm stems.

OCRider2000

Thanks for the reply. I could go with a shorter stem but I'm concerned that the real problem here is that I'm on the wrong size frame. I'm confident I could go with a 56CM C to Top Colnago but not sure about going to a 55 C to top. With 1.75cm in spacers and a 10 degree riser stem my bars should be about 9 or 10cm below the seat which is acceptable. Right now I'm at 8cm and the discomfort is in shoulders stretching out to get to the brake hoods.

alanbikehouston

If you read the Schwinn Paramount owner's manual printed between around 1960 and 1980, THIS was exactly how Schwinn suggested Paramount owners set up their bikes. And, if you look at photos from the Tour de France in the 1970's, you will notice many of the riders had the top of the stems almost as high as the top of their saddles, bringing the hooks almost as high as the top tube of their bikes.

This position provides perfect balance between the saddle, pedals, and bars. It also makes it comfortable to ride down on the hooks for hours at a time, if you are riding on one of those days where it seems you are always riding directly into the wind.

When Greg LeMond won the Tour de France on the last's days time trial, it started the trend for everday cyclists to set their bikes up as if they were riding in a time trial. But, if the stats from USCF can be trusted, far, far less than 1% of America's cyclists entered a time trial last year. Why pretend to be riding a time trial, if you aren't?

I've seen a number of everyday roadies (guys with no intention of obtaining a racing license) switch from the "bars three inches lower than the saddle" position to the "bars level with the saddle position". Not one ever was tempted to switch back. Try it for a week...you will be surprised how comfortable a road bike can be.

OCRider2000

Good point but my body and riding style are used to my bars being low. I did experiment with rasing my bars by 1cm and It felt way high. Plus when climbinging I didn't feel as in control as when they are lower.

mayukawa

Another option you can try is to rotate the bars/hoods closer toward you.

OCRider2000

Ya I could do that but any change I make to the front I'm not going to like when I get out of the saddle. In addition to being too long this frame just feels big. Any sizing experts on here. Would I be nuts to go with a 55 C to Top C50?

mayukawa

5cm change is a big change. Maybe if you post a picture of you on the bike, maybe we can better assess the fit than just going by numbers.

zimbo

I think you're just looking for an excuse to buy a new bike. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

--Steve

OCRider2000

No C50 is the model of Colnago. I would be going from a 57cm Center to top down to a 55cm center to top. 1.7 cm shorter head tube and shorten my top tube from 55.6 down to 54.3. Seat tube angle from 73 to 74. I like being pretty far behind the spindle.

cyclezen

as comparo, I'm almost same height 179.5, shorter in the inseam by 1 cm, 84.9 and I would call myself short torso and long leg. You're even more so. Always a bit of an issue.
Normally I always suggest starting from the seat/hip/butt position and working from there.
I'm not sure what the 1.75 cm, on seat position you mention, is refering to...
For example if I measure my seatnose behind the BB spindle, itz 6.5 cm. And thats with KOPS. Longer leg structure does that... Yours would prolly also fall somewhere in that area. In fact UCI regs for road race bikes says somehting like a min of 5 cm (or there abouts) setback for saddle nose, to be race legal. Course it doesn;t seem to be a rule anyone follows considerin all the really small pro roders, but it does show common setback ranges.
I'd set the seatheight real close for proper extension, then do KOPS, then start working on stem extension for what you're lookin to achieve.
Stems are cheap and switchin them out is so easy. Just get a set from 90 out to 130 and experiment. Additionally not all stems are equal in actual extension measurement. Depending on the angle and how you install (up or 'flipped') the actual extension realized could vary greatly...
Its also an easy way to see how a 'shorter' frame might feel - shorten the stem...
A lot depends on what ridin you do. Allround medium pace ridin, mostly on the tops, often a short reach seems more comfortable. But if you find yourself in high stress ridin of 1/2 hr+, a short reach will eventually feel constrictive and you'll be wantin to 'stretch out' to keep the torso from gettin tight and also open your breathing. A long, hard session of 40,50+ miles will prolly be lookin to be comfortably loose and stretched.
Again, just as comparo and not sayin this is right for you, I prefer no steeper seattube than 73 deg (72.5 better), 55.5 cm TT seems almost a min, coupled with a stem that gives me a span of 55 to 55.5 cm from seatnose to center bar (thats with seatnose setback of 6.5cm). These numbers are pretty average for someone in the 5'10"ish range and avg to longer legs. Given those numbers above, my current stem on my 55.5cm TT frame is a 135mm.
Anyway, I don;t think your current frame size is outta range, more like right-on. A stem change of 1 to 2 cm will make a huge difference in ridin feel, and a 100mm stem is still right there in the handlin ball park.
best of luck, lettuce know how it goes...

OCRider2000

thanks for the feedback. prior to getting the Colnago I was riding an older Giordana 55 C to C with a 55.5 Seat tube, 12cm stem, 73 degree Seat post. DuraAce seat post and flite saddle and it was pretty much all the way back on the rails. I never really gave a whole lot of thought to my position. I was probaby kops minus like 4 or 5 cm. I rode that way for a long time (10 years). Then I got the 55 C to C colnago based on the assuption that my previous bike was the correct size. Then I started thinking about how I had been riding the past 10 years and realized that the only time I was on the hoods was when I was really riding hard in a fast paceline. When solo I was never on the hoods it was just too far to reach. I rode mostly on the bend in the bar. With the seat that far back my reach was like 75CM. Funny thing is I think I am most powerfull amd most comfortable as far as my legs way rear of KOPS, it just feels better. Of course this plays havoc with my reach. According to all the fit calculators my reach should be around 65.6. right now with the seat all the way forward I'm still at 71.8 and 1.75 rear of KOPS and 5.5 cm of setback. I want to move my seat back further rear of KOPS than I am now . I'm gonna go see if I can find a built up 55 C to top Colnago and see how it feels. Given that with the seat all the way forward and I'm still 1.75cm rear of KOPS that tells me a 73 degree seat post is to shallow for me. My present Colnago is a 73 degree SP. The 55 C to top is 74. My seat nose to bar is presently 54.5. 55.5 made me too long.

jtree

1. your body can adapt to just about any position over time. so why not start over instead of with a screwed up position?

2. every person's body and flexibility is different so a fit calculator shouldn't be the last word. probably not even the first word.

3. go see a good fitter. and quit asking if a bike with a certain measurment center to top is going to fit you. the seat tube measurement is irrelevant.

4. proper fit is achieved through trial and error. a good fitter can shorten the trial.