56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"?

Dec 21, 17 9:50

Post #1 of 17 (3912 views)

I'm interested in finally diving into the world of TTs (and maybe Tri further down the road). I have never owned or even ridden on a TT bike. I'm currently not able to make it to a shop to get an idea of how the different sizes feel so I'm trying to do a bit of desk research first. What size bikes should I be looking at? 56-60 cm? I have heard of people sizing down for TT. The Scott Plasma 3 in 56 cm apparently fits a range of 5'11" to 6'5"!?

I'm 6'3" and have a 35" inseam. I ride a Giant Defy 1 in "Large" with a stack and reach of 604 mm and 390 mm respectively. I have clip on bars with a pad X and Y of about 465 mm and 690 mm (very high and short simply because (a) the Defy has a very tall head tube and I can't get the pads any lower, and (b) I didn't want to mess with fore/aft of the saddle constantly because I use the bike for road racing...hence why I want to get a bike that I set up purely for TTs.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Last edited by: BikedPotato: Dec 21, 17 9:51

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 9:59

Post #2 of 17 (3901 views)

BikedPotato wrote:

I'm interested in finally diving into the world of TTs (and maybe Tri further down the road). I have never owned or even ridden on a TT bike. I'm currently not able to make it to a shop to get an idea of how the different sizes feel so I'm trying to do a bit of desk research first. What size bikes should I be looking at? 56-60 cm? I have heard of people sizing down for TT. The Scott Plasma 3 in 56 cm apparently fits a range of 5'11" to 6'5"!?

I'm 6'3" and have a 35" inseam. I ride a Giant Defy 1 in "Large" with a stack and reach of 604 mm and 390 mm respectively. I have clip on bars with a pad X and Y of about 465 mm and 690 mm (very high and short simply because (a) the Defy has a very tall head tube and I can't get the pads any lower, and (b) I didn't want to mess with fore/aft of the saddle constantly because I use the bike for road racing...hence why I want to get a bike that I set up purely for TTs.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Fit will vary rider to rider ... with that said, I'm 6'3" and ride a Felt DA in a 56.

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 10:01

Post #3 of 17 (3894 views)

that's a very short reach... you'll be able to get much longer and lower on a TT bike. I often recommend a TT bike one size larger than one's road bike.

BikedPotato wrote:

I'm interested in finally diving into the world of TTs (and maybe Tri further down the road). I have never owned or even ridden on a TT bike. I'm currently not able to make it to a shop to get an idea of how the different sizes feel so I'm trying to do a bit of desk research first. What size bikes should I be looking at? 56-60 cm? I have heard of people sizing down for TT. The Scott Plasma 3 in 56 cm apparently fits a range of 5'11" to 6'5"!?

I'm 6'3" and have a 35" inseam. I ride a Giant Defy 1 in "Large" with a stack and reach of 604 mm and 390 mm respectively. I have clip on bars with a pad X and Y of about 465 mm and 690 mm (very high and short simply because (a) the Defy has a very tall head tube and I can't get the pads any lower, and (b) I didn't want to mess with fore/aft of the saddle constantly because I use the bike for road racing...hence why I want to get a bike that I set up purely for TTs.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 10:18

Post #4 of 17 (3874 views)

You are going to get a bike fit done. Do it right off the bat. Just do it and you will get a fit sheet and a list of bikes that work and how they would work.

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 10:19

Post #5 of 17 (3869 views)

I'm also 6'3" with a 35" inseam and I ride a 61cm p3c. That is mostly self fit and I got the bike at an absurd price but I would be pretty surprised if a 56 wasn't too small for you. Might be able to make it work but I think you'd end up with a lot of spacers. Just a guess.

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Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 10:59

Post #6 of 17 (3841 views)

I'm 6'2 and have ridden everything from a 56 to a 61. I have had the best fit on a 58. So you could probably make it work. You might have a large drop to your bars depending on which bars u have and if they can pedestal up.

NCCP certified Comp coach

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [DBF] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 11:30

Post #7 of 17 (3800 views)

DBF wrote:

You are going to get a bike fit done. Do it right off the bat. Just do it and you will get a fit sheet and a list of bikes that work and how they would work.

This +1

2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [ericMPro] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 12:01

Post #8 of 17 (3768 views)

One size larger? I’ve never gone larger on the tri bike. Did this change at some point I never remember hearing it as this way.

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [Grant.Reuter] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 12:21

Post #9 of 17 (3748 views)

Grant.Reuter wrote:

One size larger? I’ve never gone larger on the tri bike. Did this change at some point I never remember hearing it as this way.

basically I'm saying that some people I see are on bikes one size too small depending on their riding style.
if tall people are upright on a 56 road frame with spacers and a long ish stem they're probably not going to do well on a 56 tri frame after a good aero fit....

Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 12:48

Post #10 of 17 (3707 views)

If you look at the Stack/Reach database there are no bikes size 56 with a stack that high. Highest you'll see is around 550 mm maybe, most are under 550 mm for a size 56. For a stack of 600 mm you're looking at L/XL or sizes in the 59-61 range.

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 14:38

Post #11 of 17 (3644 views)

I'm 6'5" and ride a 58 FELT IA. So it might work...it really depends on what your specific measurements are.

Get a fit (pay for a good one) and get a fit chart and you'll know the bikes you can buy. That's what I did.

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 14:45

Post #12 of 17 (3635 views)

BikedPotato wrote:

The Scott Plasma 3 in 56 cm apparently fits a range of 5'11" to 6'5"!?

The Plasma3? Not a chance. The Plasma5, maybe.

Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 15:53

Post #13 of 17 (3600 views)

Part of the problem is that a "56cm" doesn't mean anything... there's no such thing as a standard as to the size denomination. A 56 from one might fit you, a 60 in another brand/model can be extremely close in terms of size, and so on...

And that's before you take the rider in consideration...

"Suddenly the thought struck me. My floor is someone elses ceiling"-Nils Ferlin

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [audiojan] [ In reply to ]

Dec 21, 17 16:26

Post #14 of 17 (3584 views)

audiojan wrote:

Part of the problem is that a "56cm" doesn't mean anything... there's no such thing as a standard as to the size denomination. A 56 from one might fit you, a 60 in another brand/model can be extremely close in terms of size, and so on...

And that's before you take the rider in consideration...

THIS. Buy based on the actual dimensions of the bike, not the arbitrary frame size number...

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [MattyK] [ In reply to ]

Dec 22, 17 14:49

Post #15 of 17 (3402 views)

Thanks for all the input everyone! I'll be trying to get a fit done first and will go from there.

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 22, 17 15:12

Post #16 of 17 (3388 views)

I am 6'1, also 35" inseam. I used to ride a 56cm P3SL, a 60cm Felt b-series, and am now on a 58cm NP3. So depending on the brand/model a 56cm is a possibility.

Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Re: 56 cm TT/Tri bikes OK at 6'3"? [BikedPotato] [ In reply to ]

Dec 22, 17 17:31

Post #17 of 17 (3354 views)

Just for the sake of muddying the waters I'm 5-11 on a 56 with 130 millimeter stem. Really need a 58 in something like a DA or p3c.

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