cyclocross frame size?

[papaver]

Yesterday, when I was watching cyclocross on TV they were talking about framesizes. And they say you always have to look for a cross frame that is one size smaller than your racingbike...

[radicalrye]

For the Cross Check riders out there what size do you ride and what are your measurements?

I'm 5' 4" and have longer legs than torso. Right now I ride a mixte style road bike so I'm not really sure how long my TT should be. My partner has a 50cm road bike that I sometimes ride on which is fine if just cruising around town, but I want to eventually race cross so I'm thinking I'll need a smaller size. To make it easier to dismount.

I tried a 46cm Long Haul Trucker when I was shopping around one day and felt a bit cramped on it, but the cross check is a whole different bike.

I was thinking I'd like the smaller size and if I feel cramped I could always switch to a longer stem to compensate.

Any advice would be awesome!

I've also been looking at the Kona Jake which has IMO a better variety of sizes, but I want to be able to use the bike for all things. Road riding, light trails, cyclocross, and light touring.

[bboston88]

For the Cross Check riders out there what size do you ride and what are your measurements?

I'm 5' 4" and have longer legs than torso. Right now I ride a mixte style road bike so I'm not really sure how long my TT should be. My partner has a 50cm road bike that I sometimes ride on which is fine if just cruising around town, but I want to eventually race cross so I'm thinking I'll need a smaller size. To make it easier to dismount.

I tried a 46cm Long Haul Trucker when I was shopping around one day and felt a bit cramped on it, but the cross check is a whole different bike.

I was thinking I'd like the smaller size and if I feel cramped I could always switch to a longer stem to compensate.

Any advice would be awesome!


I've also been looking at the Kona Jake which has IMO a better variety of sizes, but I want to be able to use the bike for all things. Road riding, light trails, cyclocross, and light touring.

I just switched from a cross bike with a 50.5 TT to one that is 51.5. I think my road bike is 50.5 but on the cross bike I felt cramped. I do think I might shorten my stem but it feels good. I'm nearly 5' 4" but pretty even torso/leg wise.

[spokewench]

The problem with finding a cyclocross bike (at least in my experience) is that if you are 5'4", somewhere around a 30- 31 inch inseam, like I am, if you downsize to a smaller than race bike bike, you may very easily have toe overlap. If you make the triangle smaller (i.e. with a more dropped top tube, you decrease the size of the triangle and that makes it hard to get your arm easily through the triangle when carrying and sometimes you need to modify your carrying style to hold onto the bottom of the downtube, etc.

I did not really find as much problem with less top tube clearance like I do with a mountain bike, because when I am dismounting off my cyclocross I am swinging my leg off the bike and not coming down directly onto the top tube before dismounting, thus less need for top tube clearance.

I just sold my cyclocross bike to my sister in law, but I rode a 50 Redline frame. It had toe overlap at a 50; so I can't imagine what the 48 Redlines are like?

[wavedancer]

The problem with finding a cyclocross bike (at least in my experience) is that if you are 5'4", somewhere around a 30- 31 inch inseam, like I am, if you downsize to a smaller than race bike bike, you may very easily have toe overlap. If you make the triangle smaller (i.e. with a more dropped top tube, you decrease the size of the triangle and that makes it hard to get your arm easily through the triangle when carrying and sometimes you need to modify your carrying style to hold onto the bottom of the downtube, etc.

I had the same problem, but have found the answer in getting a bike with an appropriately small frame and 26-inch wheels. The Terry Valkyrie uses 26-inch wheels on the smaller frame sizes and keeps an open triangle in all but the very smallest size. I am loving it! No toe overlap, super responsive, and I feel more like I'm wearing it than riding on top of it.

[bboston88]

I am now riding an XS Blue and am 5' 3" 3/4! I have size 6.5 feet. I know some people have complained about toe overlap on the Blue but I have not had an issue. My prior bike had a 26" front wheel to eliminate this problem. I think that any bike can have toe overlap and sometimes it can be unmanageable but a lot of times it's seen as more of an issue than it really is. We're typically leaning into a turn with our bodies, hopefully not doing too much steering with the wheel. I know there are some situations where this is necessary though. I've done hairpin turns on my Blue at nearly no speed..not a problem. So, a little toe overlap in my experience is not a big deal because it doesn't mean I'm actually hitting the tire.. but that's just been my experience.