Scott Bike Sizing

[smeier]

Hello - need some prelim sizing info: I'm 5'8"

I've drank the "Scott Koolaid" I like to call it. I own 2 Scott bikes already:

- Scott Speedster S40 in a 52 cm frame

- Scott Sportser P3 (hybrid) in a Small (52 cm frame) for leisure rides with my husband

These are both men's bikes.

I'm looking to get into triathlons and looking for a starter bike. I've found a second-hand Scott Contessa CR1 Pro for sale in a City 8 hours away from me (I live in a remote Canadian city where we don't have a lot of bike shops).

The Contessa has a frame size 54 cm.

I've been trying to research the Scott men's vs women's sizing and if this women's 54 cm frame will work for me, but I'm getting nowhere.

Can anyone offer some insight on the sizing?

Like I said, its a beginner bike so if I'm looking to upgrade in a few years, I'll have no trouble re-selling it in my home city. We don't have a lot of bikes here, and second-hand Scott's get snapped up as soon as they go up for sale!

Thanks for your help!

[Ambikes]

I had a 2009 Scott Contessa Speedster that had a frame defect (cracked head tube) and had to be warrantied. The replacement frame is a Scott Speedster Limited, which is a 'men's' frame. According to my LBS, there is absolutely no difference in the two frames besides the paint job. They said that Scott doesn't use a women's specific geometry for their frames - the WSD is all in the paint and components.

If you do end up buying the Contessa or any other Speedster bike, make sure you check the head tube really well. Depending on the year of the frame, there were whole production runs that had the frame defect that mine had.

[m.eliza]

I'm 5'4" and I ride a 52cm frame, but I have longer legs for my height - more like someone who is 5'6". Since you can't go try this bike out before buying it, the only thing I know of that you can do is to measure your inseam and figure out frame size from that. I used the equation inseam (in cm) x .65 = road bike frame size. I ended up with exactly the frame size that the guy at the bike shop recommended after having me try out a few different sizes.

[Byke]

I had a 2009 Scott Contessa Speedster that had a frame defect (cracked head tube) and had to be warrantied. The replacement frame is a Scott Speedster Limited, which is a 'men's' frame. According to my LBS, there is absolutely no difference in the two frames besides the paint job. They said that Scott doesn't use a women's specific geometry for their frames - the WSD is all in the paint and components.

If you do end up buying the Contessa or any other Speedster bike, make sure you check the head tube really well. Depending on the year of the frame, there were whole production runs that had the frame defect that mine had.

I've just discovered a cracked head tube (sounds similar to above problem) and the frame has gone off under warranty. I am yet to see what comes back in return.

[Ambikes]

I forgot to add that I'm 5'2" and ride a 49 cm (XS) frame.

Byke: I found the crack in my frame before I ever rode the bike, so it was definitely still under warranty. That said, the guys at the LBS obviously missed it while they were assembling the bike. My LBS is awesome - great customer service and great mechanics. The crack just wasn't that noticeable. I would see what Scott says first, but I would definitely push them for a new frame if they try to tell you no luck because your warranty expired (especially if the crack is characteristic of the head tube defects they've had problems with in the past).

[VeloVT]

I have a 2007 Contessa CR1 pro. At the time, the only differences between the Contessa CR1 Pro and the "men's" CR1 Pro were a) pink details and b) shorter cranks and a women's saddle (both of which I replaced, actually). The frame geometry/measurements were identical. My bike also came with 40 cm handlebars on a size XS frame, which you don't usually see in a "real" WSD bike.

The Scott website used to have the tech specs/geometry/sizing for all of the models -- that would be a good place to look.

[VeloVT]

You can find geometry for the Speedster you have here:
http://www.scott-sports.com/us_en/product/10052/55736/218120

You can find the geometry for the Contessa CR1 Pro here:
http://www.scott-sports.com/us_en/product/10254/55941/218001

At a quick glance:

Top tube length:
Contessa CR1 pro in size 54: 54.5 cm
Speedster S40 in Size 52: 53 cm

Seat tube angle:
Contessa CR1 pro, size 54: 74 deg
Speedster S40, size 52: 74.5 deg

Seat tube length (c-c):
Contessa CR1 pro, 54: 48 cm
Speedster S40, 52: 46 cm

Standover height:
Contessa CR1 pro, 54: 77.5
Speedster S40, 52: 75.3 cm


The Contessa CR1 Pro in 54 **is** a bigger bike than the Speedster you have. I didn't compare the 52 to the 52 directly, but it looks like the sizing between the two models is actually pretty similar.