time for a carbon upgrade - HELP

[pinsonp2]

I am 5'5" on a good day. I have a Specialized Dolce Sport in a 54 cm and it fits great. However, my two Treks, a 2.1 WSD and a Madone 5.2 WSD, fitted by different shops, both are 52 cm. So, as stated above, there are differences in brands. Go with what feels/fits best and makes you smile and want to ride more.

P2

[Catrin]

I am 5'3 and ride either a 46cm or 48cm, it very much has to do with reach as much as inseam. If we just went by my inseam I would ride a 51cm, but I would be stretched out far too much, assuming I could even reach the bars For me it is also about back flexibility and arthritic hands that can't bear much weight - so I've other things going on.

+1,000 on going with what feels the best and makes you smile the most

[Hi Ho Silver]

I'm 5'5" with a 30" inseam and a relatively short torso. The Specialized carbon fiber bikes that I looked at were the Ruby Apex (size 51cm) and the Roubaix Apex (size 49cm). The dimensions of these two bikes are nearly identical. The Ruby has a slightly shorter top tube, a slightly longer stem, and a slightly taller head tube.

I chose the Ruby version mainly for the color scheme and the women's saddle. The 51cm size fits me perfectly.

[Veronica]

5'5" and I ride a 51 Cervelo and 53 Rivendell. I had to put a shorter stem on the Cervelo.

Veronica

[Roadtrip]

Another similar rider here and I ride a 51CM Ruby. Fitter said ideally I'd be on a 50CM bike, but the Ruby comes in a 44/48/51/54/57CM frames. I have short legs and 5'5" with an inseam of around 27" or there about. I forget the exact measurement.

Shannon

[Becky]

I looked at a geometry chart for a Ruby. There is no size on the chart that corresponds to any measurements for that size frame. It's a virtual size, as near as I can tell. I would call their 51cm a 44cm, using the "old rules". (Not picking on Specialized...just an example.)

Historically, bikes were sized by measuring the seat tube (either center of BB to center of top tube, or center of BB to top of seat tube- depends on brand) and using that number. With the advent of much more compact frames, it sure seems like manufacturers are attempting to correlate size to the old way of measuring, and coming up with these confusing "virtual sizes"...

I subscribe to the old method, and when I say that I ride a 50 cm frame, I'm referring to that seat tube meansurement (C-T). (Don't get me started on S/M/L designations like Fuji uses...)

And this is why bike sizing and fitting make me crazy. (Sorry if that sounded a little too much like a rant....I'm just excited.)

[macski]

I'm 5'5" and I ride a Specialized Amira in a 51 and a Cannondale Synapse in a 48. I feel more comfortable on the Synapse but I'm not stretched out at all on the Amira. Put them side by side and they are almost identical.

This is why having a good bike fitter is essential because there is such variation between manufacturers.

[Cynedra]

This is not regarding the bike size, but more about spots where you can get a little bit of hill training. San Antonio Cycle in East Pasco County has good maps of roads with hills you can ride in East Pasco County. The Suncoast Parkway north of State Road 50 in Brooksville/Spring Hill area has some nice hills (south of that is very flat), and if you ever drive over to Clermont, there are some nice hilly roads and Lake Mineola trail is pretty hilly - not like mountainous places, but pretty good for Florida.

[GLC1968]

Another data point for you...

I'm 5'4" and when I walk into bike shops, they want to put me on 51-52cm bikes. Then I can't even straddle them! I ride a 48cm WSD bike with a longer stem to accommodate my longer torso. If they made more men's bikes in a 48cm, I'd probably be on a men's specific frame (like my tri bike).

My husband is 5'10" and rides a 54 in some frames, so it really, really varies by individual!