I think I have the wrong size frame...

Hey everyone,

I bought my road bike (Felt F4C) four months ago (the end of April) to use for triathlons, charity rides, and group rides. Although I was fit at a very reputable LBS, I'm beginning to wonder if the frame size is a tad too big for me! Its a 54cm frame, 100mm stem-- I am 5'7" inches, 32.5 inseam with a longer torso. The seat is moved quite forward, and the top tube measures 54, which I think is longer than comparable bikes.

My question is... I wanted this bike to be flexible enough for me to use in triathlons (I want to put on a shorty aero bar for next season's HIM)... and being right on the border between a 52/54, if a 52 would ultimately work better for my purposes?? (this was what another LBS told me....).

I havent had a ton of time in the saddle--about 700 miles so far--since Ive been training for my first oly tri and a marathon in early October. Although Im still getting used to the geometry, I think the fit is decent IF I were only using this bike for road rides.

Would it be totally out of the question to go back to the LBS and suggest a 52 would be better??? Does anyone have experience dealing with something like this? Or do you think I'll be stuck having to buy a different frame/fork and moving over all the components...? The guys at the shop have been great, so helpful, so I feel a little guilty to question the fit and I dont want to offend them.

Thanks for any suggestions/advice!!

Jen

ok, we are pondering this at our shop... We are guessing not actually having all the measurements in front of us that a 52 would be better.
This is just going from experience- being a felt dealer ourselves- and from fitting tri bikes. While yours isn't a tri bike per se, you will be using it like one, so usually you will want to size down.
There are many many variables from manu to manu, and getting a solid set of measurements is the first place to start. Measurements of you, and then comparing them to the frame spec measurements.
As for returning it? You've had it for four months, so that's going to be a hard one. Esp. if you've been riding it.
I guess it doesn't hurt to try tho??
Good Luck!
Denise : )

Oh- and another issue may come into play. Felt is basically out of road bikes till the end of September, so unless they have a 52 in stock you may be stuck.

I have the same dimensions that you listed for height and inseam, and I ride a 53 Bianchi Veloce. My top tube length is 52, but the tube is slightly sloped and the effective length is 53.5 (Is your 54 top tube actual or effective?). This length feels good for me, but I would definitely be stretched if I put on aero bars. I would think you might be better off on the 52 also.

I have almost the same stats as you, and I ride a 54cm Specialized, which has a 54.8cm top tube length. It is great for regular road riding, but it is too big for me to get the right fit with clip on aerobars for TTs. I'd definitely need to go down a size for aerobars, even if I got a TT-specific frame (which are often built with shorter top tubes for the size). If I could get my saddle far enough forward, I'd be positioned with my knees too far in front of the pedal axle. I do run a 110mm stem, but I wouldn't want to change stems just for TTs either. Plus, moving down to a 90mm stem would change the handling of the bike.

Yeah, it is common to move to a no-setback post when you put on aerobars. You should watch your knee over pedal spindle position. While you want to be farther forward in the tuck position, if you are too far forward, you could stress your knees and/or get to a point where you start to lose power (instead of gain it by moving forward, which is usually the case). I'm already about as far forward as I can go, so with the way I'm built, I wouldn't be comfortable putting aerobars on my bike even though I could make the reach more comfortable and aero for my upper body with a no-setback post. Also, I have to worry about UCI regulations for TTs, where the nose of my saddle can't be too far forward relative to the bottom bracket. You don't have that in triathlon, so I wouldn't worry about that unless you also want to enter some USCF TTs.

Also keep in mind that if you have to make significant changes to this bike to get into a tri position that you will have to keep making those adjustments each time you want to move from road setup to tri setup and vice versa. You might be pretty uncomfortable with it set for tris when you just want to ride around without aerobars (re: knees and maybe your back/shoulders too because of the change in reach). That may be especially true for long charity rides, where you'd want a more relaxed road setup, maybe. Is this something you want to do? How seriously do you want to get into triathlon?

It may be true that a 52 could be more versatile to go back and forth between a tri fit and a road fit, but if they won't help you out, then see if all the modifications would work and if so, if they're worth the hassle. For a couple tris a year, I think you could make it work. If you pick some hilly road courses, then you may not even want clip-on aerobars.

Soo... you have all of that to weigh against buying a tri-specific bike if you really want to get serious about doing triathlon.

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Originally Posted by Syndirelah

OK, I went back to the LBS today for a bike check before my oly tri this coming weekend. I mentioned some of the fit problems I was having-- and that I felt I might have been better off on a 52, explaining how I felt my reach was a bit long, sliding fwd. on the saddle and that I was concerned the top tube was too long for short aerobar next season...

well, it didn't seem like they were very receptive to that complaint! One suggestion for fitting an aerobar was putting on a different seat post to offer a more aggressive riding position... (I guess they do that a lot). Also offered a re-fit tomorrow with the owner, which Im going to do. The owner is a bit abrupt, so Im worried that he'll brush off my concerns.

Any suggestions or does it sound like Im SOL on this one?? Also, is it common to swap out the seat post for adding an aerobar??

Thanks for your help ladies!!

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For a road bike, you don't want the saddle too far forward. It's a more powerful position to be a bit lower and further back. Now a tri bike is different and adapting a road bike for tris is a bit different still.

But--I would encourage you to get the shop to help you out. You should NOT have to have your saddle in a far forward position to reach your bars. You're going to end up with too much weight on your arms.

Things you can try are a shorter stem and shorter reach handlebars. The shop should do a stem swap for free and offer you some sort of trade for your bars. You bought an expensive item & trusted them to fit you properly, not just sell you what was available on the floor. Make them make it right.

What is the best position for the saddle? Is mid-way on the rails too far forward? I'm been contemplating my saddle placement/stem length for a long time. I love my bike but feel I might be able to get more power out of it if I were seated a little further back.

Currently, I have a zero setback seatpost, and a 70mm stem.

I'm 5'3"-ish with a slightly longer torso and a top tube of 510.

I'm not a very aggressive rider and desire to enjoy my rides but the saddle position/bike fit issues keep recurring in my mind!

A rule of thumb is to have your knees over the pedal spindle (when tested with a plumb bob) when the pedal is at 3 o'clock. From there, you might want to go either way a little bit, depending on your comfort and feel: how smoothly you can pedal, your power output, etc. Another rule of thumb is that you know you are too far forward if you feel like you're going to fall on your face if it isn't for your bars. That means that you need your hands for support--do not test this sitting upright. It should take minimal effort on your core to hold yourself in position while pedaling on a trainer when you remove your hands from the bars.

Where it is on the rails really doesn't matter. To get KOPS, the position on the rails depends on your build, your cleat position, and your saddle height.

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

Where it is on the rails really doesn't matter. To get KOPS, the position on the rails depends on your build, your cleat position, and your saddle height.

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And whether you have a setback or no-setback seatpost!