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bike fit arrrggghhh!!!

After numerous bike fits I'm still unsure what size would suit me best before purchasing my next "dream" bike. I currently ride a scott cr1 in a 54cm medium frame size, stock setup.

my measurements are: from competitive cyclist.
actual inseam 84cm
trunk 61cm
forearm 34.5cm
arm 68cm
thigh 60.5cm
lower leg 56cm
sternal notch 144cm
total height 178cm

I'm really thick and don't fully understand the numbers when looking on various websites at different bike geometries.

what size would suit me best in the izalco max for example http://www.focus-bikes.com/gb/en/bikes/2014/road/izalco-max.html#chapter-3

or the bianchi infinito cv http://www.bianchi.com/global/bikes/bikes_detail.aspx?ProductIDMaster=12...

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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7 comments

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Binky | 9 years ago
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The stats said that i should be on a 54 frame, but riding i found out that a 52 frame is better for me and i am 5'7 with a inside leg of 30cm.

Try before you buy

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Nixster | 9 years ago
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Riding it is undoubtedly your best bet.

But just sitting on different bikes a reasonable space of time apart it's very difficult I think to carry the impression of a bike's fit in your head from one to the next. So unless they're in the same shop at the same time and properly adjusted for you (not just setting the seat height) it can be a bit of a lottery.

I'd suggest looking at the reach and stack figures and comparing those to your current bike or one you know the fit of to give you a point of reference e.g. I could do with another 25mm or so of stack on my current bike but the reach is good so Canyon's Ultimate CF SLX is just the job in a 53 - apart from the small matter of the money  20

You still have to be careful though - bikes with similar reach but different horizontal top tube lengths will need the fore/aft position of the saddle adjusting which may get you into in-line seat post territory on some configurations.

Oh, and whether a manufacturer calls their 52.5cm htt frame a 52, a 53 or a 50 is completely random and best ignored I think.

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glynr36 | 9 years ago
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glynr36 | 9 years ago
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I know 3 guys with canyons and for bike sizing were bang on using their calculator.

The two bikes you show have slightly different purposes.
The Focus is an out and out race bike, the Bianchi is a little more comfort orientated (only a bit though, by no means is it a sit up and beg bike).

There's a good guide on Cyclingtips.com.au on understanding geo sheets, might be worth a read which can help you get your head around what things mean and the impact of longer/shorter/steeper etc.

You also need to look at the CR1 you have, is there anything you really like or dislike, they could be pointers of things to have or avoid on the next one.

Also a bike fit (I'm assuming you mean something like Retul or a BG one?) is quite useless till you have a bike in mind, a proper bike fit just gives you a load of numbers to set up the contact points, you could apply those numbers across a range of sizes of the same/different bikes and get the same result of fit but the bikes handle in a different way.

You need to maybe have a think what you want out of the bike.

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dazzle | 9 years ago
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just entered my details into the canyon website and it suggests medium which they class as a 56cm which is actually more like a 54cm???  14

when I say "dream" bike I just mean expensive, I'd never bother having a custom built/sized bike.

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unclebadger | 9 years ago
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All manufacturers are marginally different. There is no substitute for actually sitting on the bike.

Canyon have an excellent bike size configurator on their website but of course that is for their bikes.

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Gkam84 | 9 years ago
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If you are going for a "dream" bike, it should be custom build to suit you, from a British frame builder and nothing off the self that anyone can own  26

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