Rivendell Sizing...

[Blueberry]

So I have major bike lust I've finally figured out what matters to me in a bike, and what doesn't. I have a Bike Friday on the way which I am absolutely *thrilled* about. However, I still have in the back of my mind that I want a Rambouillet too....Different purposes, ya know Plus, I'm trying to thin the herd of bikes that don't quite fit or I don't quite ride, and have only bikes I love around

I've read Riv's sizing philosophy (most bikes are too small, go by your pubic bone height) - the site doesn't seem too concerned about top tube length (I haven't read everything they say about sizing - just what I could easily find - and I haven't called yet). So...according to their charts, I think I would be on a 54cm frame. I'm 5'4" with a 29" inseam - does that sound in the correct realm? I'm asking now, in part, since I've heard that they're discontinuing some of the smaller frame sizes (not sure which ones), but if I needed a smaller one, wanted to make sure that I had an opportunity to get one before they're gone... Can anyone verify??

Thanks for any insight you care to offer (including *why* are you thinking of another bike ).

Carrie Anne

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Carrie Anne!

I don't know a thing about Riv bikes, but I sure hope you can try one - somehow - before choosing a size. 54 cm sounds a bit large to me for someone 5'4" unless Rivs are sized quite differently from other bikes I'm familiar with. What size are your current road bikes? Do they fit you well?

Just for comparison, my road bikes have been 44.5 cm (Terry Isis, recently sold) and 46 cm (Aegis Swift), and I am 5'2.5" with a 28.5" inseam. I think both these bikes fit me well. Barry rides a 54 cm Trek 5200 and I could no more fit on that then ride a unicycle!! I can't even stand over the top tube, and my inseam is only a bit shorter than yours. I also test rode a 47 cm Trek 5200 WSD a couple of summers ago, and even that felt a little long in the top tube. Now, I might have been able to ride it fine once I got used to it, but the handlebars were lower than the saddle, so I just wasn't comfortable on the test ride (and the horrible Bontrager saddle didn't help, either!)

Anywho, just make sure you get sized correctly so you'll be comfy. You and I both know how important that is!!!

Emily

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Carrie Anne,

First of all- forget about other brand bike sizes, Riv sizing is totally DIFFERENT from other bikes. Others will say both a 54 and a 52 are too big for your height. NOT true with Rivendell frames.
That said....
Rivendell Rambouillets can come in 52c, 54, and 56cm sizes.

When I used the Rivendell sizing chart for myself, it indicated I generally needed a 55cm Rivendell size bike. Thus, I fell right in between their 54 and their 56 size rambouillet sizes. On their site, they say when you fall between 2 sizes, they recommend to get the larger one. Glad I didn't, here's why:

I am 5'5" tall, 140 pounds, and my inseam was exactly 30" wedged up right against my pubic bone, barefoot, feet 10" apart as they recommend.
I got the 54cm rambouillet, and it fits me perfectly, with about 1 1/4 inch clearance as I stand over the top tube with my feet on the ground (not sitting inthe saddle of course). Mind you, my "girly bits" do TOUCH the top tube, but there is still 1 1/4 inch clearance between the tube and my pubic bone.
If I had gotten the 56, my girl parts would have rested more on the top tube. I **could** have ridden the 56, though, just with less comfort to spare. Note however, that I am using larger/fatter 700c X 37c tires. If I put 700 x 28 tires on my bike, I would probably have another 1/4" clearance in addition to what I have now.

Now the issue is a bit complicated by TWO things here:
1) Rivendell is going to stop making Rambs in less than 54cm sizes. Here is what they say about the frames they still have left in the sizes they are going to discontinue:
<<When we sell through our current inventory, we will not be reordering
Rambouillets in the follow sizes- 50, 52, 64, 66, or 68.
Current inventory is-
50- 8
52- 11
64- 11
66- 8
68- 0
Like the man says on late night TV, &#179;When they&#185;re gone, they&#185;re gone.&#178;>>

and
2) Rambouillets in sizes 54 and larger come with size 700c wheels (regular road bike wheels) In sizes 52 and smaller, they come strictly with 650B sized wheels (this helps prevent toe clip overlap on the smaller frames) Now mind you, 650B wheels are great, I almost got them myself. And they look nicely balanced on a smaller frame. 650B's are getting more popular and are no longer hard to get anymore. They were very popular for touring in Europe for generations. They just fit the smaller Rivendell bike frame dimensions better than 700c wheels.

My first thought is that you probably would be ok on a 54, especially if you put less fat tires than I put on! Remember, 2 cm difference between a 52 and a 54 is not very big a dfifference at all, and I have 1 1/4" to spare even with my fat tires. But a 56 would definitely be too tall to stand over comfortably for you.

Of course the BEST thing would be for you to test ride a 54 and a 52. Is there any Riv dealer near you at all, or somehow to test ride even just one of those 2 sizes?

Hope this is helpful, glad to help with further questions if you need.

I absolutely LOVE my Rambouillet, which is only about a month old now. What a great bike. (Go to my signature link to see pictures of it if you like.)

[jobob]

2) Rambouillets in sizes 54 and larger come with size 700c wheels (regular road bike wheels) In sizes 52 and smaller, they come strictly with 650B sized wheels (this helps prevent toe clip overlap on the smaller frames) Now mind you, 650B wheels are great, I almost got them myself. And they look nicely balanced on a smaller frame. 650B's are getting more popular and are no longer hard to get anymore. They were very popular for touring in Europe for generations. They just fit the smaller Rivendell bike frame dimensions better than 700c wheels.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that's not correct. As I understand it, in sizes 52 and smaller, the Rambouillets come with 26 inch wheels, not 650B wheels. 26 inch tires are quite common and easy to obtain.

A friend bought a Rambouillet (don't remember if it's a 50 or a 52) about a year ago and it came with 26 inch wheels, and that's what's specified on the website.

Now mind you, they could have changed the specs recently so I could be wrong.

My first thought is that you probably would be ok on a 54, especially if you put less fat tires than I put on! Remember, 2 cm difference between a 52 and a 54 is not very big a dfifference at all, and I have 1 1/4" to spare even with my fat tires. But a 56 would definitely be too tall to stand over comfortably for you.

If you're between sizes I personally think you would be better off going with the smaller size. I was measured by Grant and he told me I'd be fine with either a 57 or a 55 Romulus (another Riv model), and I ended up getting the 57, but sometimes I wish I had gotten the 55 instead. The Romulus fits me fine when I use tires up to 27 mm, with very little top tube clearance. If I use tires much larger than 27 mm I'm practically hitting the top tube when I straddle the bike. Plus, women generally have proportionately shorter toros, so for a frame size according to your pubic bone height, the top tube might be a little on the long side. I was able to make this work for me by using a shorter stem.

But I usually tell people, especially women (owing to our shorter torsos), that when in doubt, go for the smaller size.

Of course the BEST thing would be for you to test ride a 54 and a 52. Is there any Riv dealer near you at all, or somehow to test ride even just one of those 2 sizes?

What Lisa said !

[Blueberry]

Lisa-

That is very helpful - I'd already looked at pictures of your bike - it's lovely! I need to *ahem* find a friend to help measure the pubic bone height - what I listed as my inseam is truly that, and I know it will be little higher. I'll try to do so tonight.

Jobob and Emily-

My road bike is actually a 52, and I probably could have ridden a 54 (bought it used, and it was the right bike at the right time, so I didn't go there), so the idea of a 54 doesn't scare me. I was, however, worried about top tube issues. The last thing I want is to be too stretched out!

What I want to do *now* is make sure I don't need a 52 - if not, then I can sit back a little while and not have to deal with my dh's reaction to 2 new bikes at one time

Carrie Anne

[Veronica]

My Riv is a 54 and I have discovered that my back problems on LONG rides are caused by stretching out to ride in the hoods. They magically go away when I ride in the drops. I am nearly 5'5", 30 inch inseam.

My new Riv is a 53. I wish it was done NOW!

V.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Carrie,
Might I also suggest that you look over some of Rivendell's other bikes?
They have the Glorius and the Wilbury now, which are great bikes, plus the slightly less expensive Bleriot is now IN STOCK, and the Canti-Rom might be nice too!
They just got the new Hilsen made, but only will come in larger sizes than we average women could ride
http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/bikes.html
You can always just call them and see what's in stock and talk to them about your needs.

[jobob]

{various stuff, but all Riv-related ...}

Riv just launched a website for the A. Homer Hilsen, which is new model basically identical to the Saluki, but instead of 650B wheels as is on the Saluki (and it's lower-priced version, the Bleriot), the Hilsen has 700c wheels. The Hilsen comes in larger sizes (57 and up), the logic being that the 650B wheels can look a bit out of proportion on the larger frames. Although the Hilsen is a larger frame, there's still interesting reading on that site.
http://www.ahomerhilsen.com

For what it's worth, my other Rivendell, a 10 year old pre-owned semi-custom road bike, has about a 54 cm frame (54.5, actually). That might be considered small for me, since I'm 5'7" with a 81-82 cm pbh depending on who measures it, but the top tube on this frame is quite long, proportionately, compared to the more recent stock models. This bike fits me just fine.


So V., do you know when your Legolas will be ready? and did you believe them when they said 3 weeks?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

JoBob,
Yes you are right about the 52cm and smaller Rambouillets coming with 26" wheels, not with 650B wheels as I stated. I guess I just meant that they come with smaller wheels than the 700c's on the 54cm's and larger. Thanks for the correction.

Lisa (glad I can fit the 54's!)

[Petra]

well, you are both correct:
650 cm is 25.6 " (rounded makes 26" ) and the 700 cm is the usual 28" wheel.

[SadieKate]

http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

[Blueberry]

I'm not so much concerned about tire size (at least from an availability standpoint) - I just ordered a Bike Friday I just wanted to make sure I would need a size that's still in production (the bike, not the tires).

I really like the Rambouillet - Riv has other beautiful frames, but based on the descriptions I think the Rambouillet best fits my needs. I want something that's comfortable for (eventual) all day rides, yet reasonably performant. And I want to be able to take wider tires/fenders. I don't want to go with the Atlantis (though it is a lovely bike) because it's overkill for me

Thanks for all of the input!!

Carrie Anne

[Veronica]

So V., do you know when your Legolas will be ready? and did you believe them when they said 3 weeks?

I wanted to believe them. But now I think the end of September is more likely.

V.

[Blueberry]

So I talked to Riv. Super nice folks (for anyone who, like me, was looking at them, and lives far away from any dealers). We ascertained that I do ride a 54 which is NOT being discontinued. I actually have a shorter inseam than V - mine is about 29, so hopefully I won't have the problems with the top tube length. Bad news is they're out of them (54's), and they haven't yet placed the next order, so > 6 months for one to come in. Good news: they're still making the 54. They mentioned a TN dealer has one (but it isn't the color I want - it's green and I wanted a blue one...)

Ah well....

[jobob]

The green is very nice if that helps any