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6ft 5 and new to modern frames

by john kirk
Thu, Apr 09, 2015 20:12
14

1

Hi everyone.

25 year ago I rode a Peugeot bike... very much an entry bike
very heavy and very tall frame ....

Me and the good lady have decided to invest in 2 Merida bikes to keep fit.

Im going for a Merida Ride 100 (As I think I will probably work my way up to some pacy rides and want to use the upper body using the race bars, once said upper body is significantly less fat)
The good lady is very much a novice rider looking for health rides on cycle tracks hence a light hybrid the Merida Speeder 100 V

We went with this brand due to the excellent service/advice from a local Merida stockist and service deal.
I would personally be considering the B-Twin option had it not been for the good service at the Merida dealer..

anyway...
The frame on these bikes (especially the Ride 100) look very different to the frame I used to 20 year ago.

At 6ft 5 what size frame should I be looking at ?
Instinctively I assumed the largest frame size but the shop said it would be too big for me ?! Odd as I used to be the biggest man in the world 20 years ago... lol ... I guess generations are getting bigger. 39
I was recommended a 56 frame size... but their are 2 bigger frames available 59 & 62 ????

I know nothing about these bike types (although significantly more than I did a week ago)

Would a 56cm frame for this type of bike still be suitable for someone 6ft5 ?
I just need that feedback prior to placing the order.... its a lot of money (in my world it is anyway 1 )

thanks

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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14 comments

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john kirk | 9 years ago
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Thanks for all the replies...

Got back to the Merida dealer and after some more jostling we settled on a 59 frame.
Seems I had mistaken another type of frame I sampled in the Merida range as typical of any other in the Merida range.

Thanks for all the comments.
A combination of all the advice plus a video I found online pointing out the 'look at the wheel hub' test all came together to make my decision more confident at the shop, especially when the salesman started to fit us to frames using (in part) the 'look at the hub' rule of thumb calibration.

Additionally after viewing a you tube video made by a woman from a womens specific bespoke cycle company regarding road bars my other half became more interested in road bar bikes... and true enough, once in the shop trying road bars vs straight bar hybrids, we both ended up with Merida Ride 100's ... My better half the Juliet model.

So.. thanks once more for replying to the questions 1
Probably such a common line of questions, but the answers have got us onto two wheels 1

now for the big decisions...
Spiderman or Batman Lycra 4 105

39

Avatar
CygnusX1 replied to john kirk | 9 years ago
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john kirk wrote:

now for the big decisions...
Spiderman or Batman Lycra 4 105
39

Batman. Every time. Can't go wrong with black lycra, and the tool belt is good for spare inner tubes, allen keys etc. 21

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gonedownhill | 9 years ago
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I'm 6'6" with a 95cm inseam and I have a Canyon Roadlite in size 3XL which is a 64.5cm, I think the Merida looks significantly too small in a 56cm.

When I was shopping for a new bike last year I would go into shops who only had frames that went up to a 60cm and if I asked them if it was big enough they would say "of course - you can just have lots of seatpost showing". You could do that on the 56cm Merida but the stack may not be big enough, so your handlebars could be way below your saddle even with spacers, meaning you'd be quite bent over and in quite an aggressive, racy position. I think they were just making do and trying to sell me the closest thing they had.

Having had a professional fit from a very experienced fitter he advised me that getting a bike with a big head tube and stack was paramount to getting a comfortable position. The head tube on the Merida 59cm (they don't list the frame measurements for a 62cm on their website) looks more like it to me. Not sure just who the 62cm is designed for if it's too sizes too big for you. In my experience the problem was that most manufacturers don't cater for blokes our size. That said, it is easier to make a small bike bigger than a big bike smaller.

For comparison (and I realise we could be completely different shapes, I'm more legs than arms) my bike measurements are (in mm): Seat-tube 645, top tube 603, head tube 250, stack 656, reach 409 and I swapped the supplied 120mm stem for a 100mm due to slightly short arms for my height.

Even if you are only interested in the Merida, if possible go to some other shops and see what they recommend as a comparison. Also bear in mind that a bike might feel fine in the space of a few minutes but may turn out to be a completely different story in practice.

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Meonshore | 9 years ago
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In your post you state that you are looking at the Merida bikes in the main due to the excellent advice and service from the Merida stockist.

Given that they are, I would assume, with you when recommending the size of the frame, it would seem at odds with your previous comment that you are not taking on board their advice ?

Do they offer a bike fit service ? Even if not included with your new bikes this investment would make sure that you get the right size frame, and adjustments, to fit your personal geometry and flexibility.

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CockersLurch | 9 years ago
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Sit on one won't tell you how it rides, I'm 6'5" and my 58cm is too small. You can get the seat post high enough to get the right distance to pedal but you won't be able to get comfy as the bars will be too close. You won't notice it in the shop but on the road you will.

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john kirk | 9 years ago
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Thanks for all the feedback 1

I just don't want to happily accept a suggestion blindly from the salesman, then regret it later.

The more I know the better 1

I guess I want something more on the comfortable bias.
So... would that mean a larger frame with a lower seat height ? or the opposite ?

I note talk of 'stretching out' ? ... I presume thats the reach to the handlebars... less stretch = more comfort ? but... would that be achieved by a larger or smaller frame in general for any given height of rider ?

thanks for sticking with my line of questions

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twowheeltoys replied to john kirk | 9 years ago
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john kirk wrote:

I note talk of 'stretching out' ? ... I presume thats the reach to the handlebars... less stretch = more comfort ? but... would that be achieved by a larger or smaller frame in general for any given height of rider ?

The smaller frame would have less ‘reach’ but go too small and you would be sat bolt upright and this would negate the main reason for a drop bar road bike as you would have all the aero-dynamic qualities of a fridge-freezer. The ‘Ride’ range is Meridas more comfort orientated range anyway (shorter top-tube, higher headtube) so should not cause any problems.

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HalfWheeler | 9 years ago
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Don't want to muddy the waters unnecessarily but top tube length is also important. I have a comparatively long body. Trying to get bikes (and shirts!) to fit is a bit of a bugger. I'm 5'11 and have a 54cm (centre to top) but a fairly big stem because of my long torso.

56cm seems small for someone half a foot taller than me. Awfully small to be honest but stranger things have happened.

This website might give you a step for a hint;

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp#me...

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twowheeltoys | 9 years ago
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As above again, you need to sit on one, the shop must have a similar model to give an idea of sizing.
Although not on Merida UK site, if you go to the international one there is a rough sizing chart and ideas on measurement. The chart suggests a larger size.
FWIW I had a Merida Scultura a few years ago (a racier geometry) at a ML size (54) and I am 5'10" (may not have had the pro-looking amount of seatpost showing but was not too stretched out as I have an arm span of about 6'4").

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Toro Toro | 9 years ago
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If the 56cm is c-to-c, that seems very much on the small side; I'm a good seven or eight inches shorter than you, and usually ride about a 54 equivalent. As noted, a lot will depend on the geometry, and upon the particularities of your physique. But even with all that, it seems at the absolute minimum of the likely appropriate range. Assuming the number is centre-to-centre, which it may well not be. It might be a very appropriate stack height for your body.

In short, the first comment was right; sit on one.

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Man of Lard | 9 years ago
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Depends on the frame geometry - I'm 6'5" too and mine is a 53cm 'compact' frame...

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john kirk | 9 years ago
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Good to know it 'could' be suitable. 1
Encouraging that you didn't reply something like..
"My god man, that frame is tiny for someone your size" 13

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glynr36 | 9 years ago
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Sit on one.
No amount of feedback from a forum is going to help you get the right fit.

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Das replied to glynr36 | 9 years ago
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glynr36 wrote:

Sit on one.
No amount of feedback from a forum is going to help you get the right fit.

Advice dont get better than that. I have a 58cm Ribble and a 58cm Trek and the Trek is smaller than the Ribble, more like a 56. Im 6 2 and both fit fine but I do find the Trek is just a bit short in the frame length as sometimes I do catch the front of my shoe on the mudgaurd when track standing at traffic lights.

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