Need help on bike size!!!

[mountainpics]

I'm getting my girlfriend an Orbea Diva (I think)...She has an inseam of 33.5 - is 5'9" and has a short torso. According to Competitive Cyclist's fit calculator, she needs about a 515-520mm top tube and a longish seat tube (56 or so). I want to get her a size 53 Diva (good top tube length for her at 525mm), but I'm concerned that her seat will be high in relation to the top of the bars with her longish legs (she's not a racer and doesn't necessarily wanna ride with a flat back). I am buying the frame and a Campy Chorus Carbon group, so I can leave the steerer tube kinda long and use a stem that rises, but I don't know - seems my only other option for a longer seat tube would be the 54 Orca, but that has a 550mm top tube - too long. Any advice??? Is there a company who makes WOMEN's frames who DON'T assume that WOMAN = SHORT?? Isn't it kinda common for women to have long legs and a shorter torso...Where is a frame that has a short top tube and longer seat tube?

[VeloVT]

Hmmm... are you sure you got the measurements right for the calculator? I'm 5'6", 31.5" inseam, and my bike, which is a very comfortable fit right now, has a 51.5 cm tt -- but I'm running a 120mm stem (-6 deg rise) and maybe could go a bit longer still... I'd be surprised if someone 5'9", even with a short torso, would fit on a bike this size...

Oh, that's the bike in question in my avatar, by the way... you can see even in such a small picture that it's quite compact and, well, small...

[ilima]

First off--you rock. Second, an Orbea may just not be the right bike for her. The 53cm Diva sounds a bit short for her height, although even people of the same dimensions may prefer different positions.

I think the 54cm Orca would be too big. One mitigating factor of the Diva is that the steeper seat tube angle will have the result of her needing to place her saddle further back to get the same seat position relative to the bottom bracket than a bike with a slacker STA (e.g., Orca).

One effect of having a 'smaller' bike is that there is more saddle to bar drop than with a bigger one. You can stack a bunch of spacers under the bars, but too many looks ugly.

For the kind of money you're going to spend, you really need to have your GF ride some bikes & get fit first. That would be my advice; try the Diva and have her try a Madone WSD in a 54cm (53cm TT).

Also, don't forget looks ARE important. We like to ride purty bikes & your and her definition of purty may be different.

[mountainpics]

First off--you rock. Second, an Orbea may just not be the right bike for her. The 53cm Diva sounds a bit short for her height, although even people of the same dimensions may prefer different positions.

I think the 54cm Orca would be too big. One mitigating factor of the Diva is that the steeper seat tube angle will have the result of her needing to place her saddle further back to get the same seat position relative to the bottom bracket than a bike with a slacker STA (e.g., Orca).

One effect of having a 'smaller' bike is that there is more saddle to bar drop than with a bigger one. You can stack a bunch of spacers under the bars, but too many looks ugly.

For the kind of money you're going to spend, you really need to have your GF ride some bikes & get fit first. That would be my advice; try the Diva and have her try a Madone WSD in a 54cm (53cm TT).

Also, don't forget looks ARE important. We like to ride purty bikes & your and her definition of purty may be different.

Thanks for all of the comments....her definition of purty happens to be the same as mine - she loves my Orange Orca and WANTS a blue Diva....I WISH I could have her sit on (and ride) a 53 Diva to see how it fits for her, but my LBS Orbea dealer doesn't carry any higher end stuff and certainly no women's models. I think the steeper seat tube (than the Orca) will work in her favor with her short torso...guess there's no real answer, then, except getting her on a Diva OR finding a bike the LBS DOES have that is the same geometry. Thanks again (and come to think of it...I DO ROCK!)

[aicabsolut]

I think the CC calculator can be a bit off. It's just guidelines. The best thing would be to have her sit on some bikes. She sounds like she's probably a good candidate for WSD geometry, but you do have to take into consideration her reach and flexibility too. She may do just fine on anywhere between 52-57cm frames, depending on the overall geometry for the specific model and manufacturer (head tube length and angle, seat tube angle and virtual top tube length). Why not have her sit on an Orca or Onix? That will at least put you in a ballpark for frame size. She can tell you what she likes or dislikes about the fit. Who knows, she may not need WSD geometry. Then you might have to use a longer stem or something if she really really wants the Diva.

[mountainpics]

I think the CC calculator can be a bit off. It's just guidelines. The best thing would be to have her sit on some bikes. She sounds like she's probably a good candidate for WSD geometry, but you do have to take into consideration her reach and flexibility too. She may do just fine on anywhere between 52-57cm frames, depending on the overall geometry for the specific model and manufacturer (head tube length and angle, seat tube angle and virtual top tube length). Why not have her sit on an Orca or Onix? That will at least put you in a ballpark for frame size. She can tell you what she likes or dislikes about the fit. Who knows, she may not need WSD geometry. Then you might have to use a longer stem or something if she really really wants the Diva.

I would absolutely LOVE to have her sit on an Orca or Onic or Diva, but no one is 200 miles from me has one (except me - my 51 Orca), which I'm raising the saddle on and having her sit on this afternoon. If anything, she'll need a short stem with her short torso. Just called Orbea and they steered me away from the Diva because they said the seat angle would be too steep for her long legs unless I moved the seat all the way back (which I could see doing and then compensating with a shorter stem). Anyone out there who has similar measurements (33.5 " inseam, short torso)? What are YOU riding?

[TxDoc]

she loves my Orange Orca and WANTS a blue Diva

From your description of her measurements - I would suggest the Orca, maybe with a shorter stem (90 or even 80) rather than the Diva. Is there a special reason why she want a women specific bicycle?
If your Orca is a size 51, try to sit her on yours and see if that can be a good fit. My guess is that she may need the 54. If 51 is too small and 54 is too big - then you may want to have her sit on some bikes other than Orbea.
Is any of the bike shops in your area a BMC dealer? Their bicycles are custom made in Switzerland. Great carbon fiber bikes, and great custom fitting program. you can take a look at their models on http://www.bmc-racing.com
Best of luck!

[Grasshoppergirl]

What a lucky GF you have! I just got a Diva with Campy Chorus and I love it! Mine is the pistachio green thus they named me Grasshopper as I'm hopping to the front of the pack. My LBS gave me a great fit with choosing the frame and then once it came in adjusting seat, pedals, stem, etc.
The numbers on the Diva can't really be compared to others, LBS said they measure the Diva differently. I was riding my husband's hand me down Orca(a 53? he's 5' 9") for the past two years and had it professionally fit by changing handlebars, stem, gearing, etc. I'm 5'6", 30" inseam and I have a 49 for the Diva. I was skeptical, but the shop had a 49 in for maintenance that I was able to try. Very light and I got a compact 50/34, 13/29 just like I had with the Orca only better!
Hope you can figure it out. She'll love you both .

[mountainpics]

What a lucky GF you have! I just got a Diva with Campy Chorus and I love it! Mine is the pistachio green thus they named me Grasshopper as I'm hopping to the front of the pack. My LBS gave me a great fit with choosing the frame and then once it came in adjusting seat, pedals, stem, etc.
The numbers on the Diva can't really be compared to others, LBS said they measure the Diva differently. I was riding my husband's hand me down Orca(a 53? he's 5' 9") for the past two years and had it professionally fit by changing handlebars, stem, gearing, etc. I'm 5'6", 30" inseam and I have a 49 for the Diva. I was skeptical, but the shop had a 49 in for maintenance that I was able to try. Very light and I got a compact 50/34, 13/29 just like I had with the Orca only better!
Hope you can figure it out. She'll love you both .

Thanks for the kind words. If you're 5'6" with a 30 inseam and ride a 49 Diva, seems like a 53 diva would work for someone who is 5'9" and 33.5 inseam (but a 55 would probably work even better - her inseam is 3.5 inches or 8.89 cm longer) I am going to take her to the LBS and have her ride/sit on as many bikes as possible, but I have been looking at other big manufacturer's geometries (the stuff I'm likely to find at my LBS) and it's hard to compare them to the Diva's geometry....