Which frame and does it fit you well?

Long/short?
Tall/low?

jaretj

Not scientific, but last couple of bikes I have sized based on the top tube length rather than the nominal frame height. My past 3 bikes have had standard geometry (not sloping top tubes etc) and I have had a 55cm alloy Bianchi road bike, 54cm Kuota road bike and a 54cm P2 tri bike which all have the same top tube lengths.

What frame are you looking at? Seems odd to have 2 frame sizes only 1cm different.

 


Long/short?
Tall/low?

jaretj[/quote]
..
i have long legs were i can ride a 54 or even some 56 cm frames with ease.
but my upper body / arm or combination of the two is short.
where i have to run a short stem on my 52cm
60mm stem with shallow drop bars 42 wide x 120 mm drop
.. bikes with low head tubes are very uncomfortable.

Go to a respected bike shop and have a knowledgeable person help you select a proper-sized frame.

 
i am unable to see the frame i want in a local shop.

Are you currently riding something that fits?

What are you riding now?

jaretj

Are you looking at a road bike or tri bike? Reason I ask is there are stack/reach tables here on the tech pages in ST that show the stack/reach tables for tri bikes, this will guide you to a frame that is short/high which seems to be what you are after.

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this is for a road bike.
i just wanted to try a new frame.
my current bike works great.
it just looks funny because short stem.

OK, now we are getting somewhere...

Get yourself a level or a plumb bob,
Mark the frame directly above the bottom bracket

From that mark make the stack and reach measurements like is this photo:


Use those measurements to find a similar frame as yours or one that suits your needs better

More info on stack and reach:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/...s/techctr/stack.html

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why do some frame builders
say there is a variances of +or - so many mm
from what they quote is the frame geometry .
.

I've never seen that for road bikes. Link?

If you're talking about tri/tt bikes, that's the adjustability with an adjustable cockpit, I expect.

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here is another frame i am looking at
which offers a frame geometry above and below my optimum size.

that is why there are spacers, stems and different "drop" bars

my question is. which frame do i pick ?
the one shorter than what i have now ?

or the one longer than i have now ?

one thing i don't like is toe overlap. which makes me want to pick the larger frame.

but these smaller frames all seem to have some degree of toe overlap
until you get up to around 54cm.
.

What frame are you on now? To compare it to the Cervelo you just need the stack and reach info measurements from your current frame as illustrated/spelled out by Jaret above.

but these smaller frames all seem to have some degree of toe overlap

Toe overlap is an unfortunate result of having a standard wheel size that doesn't work well with smaller frames. Usually a manufacturer will slacken the head angle and increase fork rake in an attempt to minimize it, but that screws up the steering a little too.

If you really want to avoid toe overlap, then get a big frame or short cranks, or adjust your cleats farther forward. If you are serious about riding though, you'll learn to deal with it. I'm 6' and have toe overlap on a 54cm. You said you already have a "too short" stem, so it sounds like your current frame is already too big.

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. You said you already have a "too short" stem, so it sounds like your current frame is already too big.

[/quote]
my body is.. long leg... too short of upper body & too short of arms
and not quite as flexible as i was 30 + years ago.

you really need to say what you are trying to compare this too, ie current ride.

if it is the fm086 as it appears to be in your other post and you are complaining about a short stem, then the 51 r5 has both more stack and less reach than your fm086(if that is what you have, but hard to say as you refuse to say in either post for some reason) sothis would mean less spacers under stem and allow a longer stem(15mm +/- depending on how many spacers you used/will use)

none of this means it will fit right, for all we know you ride it like a hybrid touring bike

flexibility......likely the correct saddle for you and correct saddle height will change you perception of your reduced flexibility

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the current frame i have is a fm098
and i am looking at china carbon frames on fleebay .
which have geometry graph within the ad .

The stack and reach of your current bike is 384, 525.

what are you currently running for spacers, stem length, stem angle? And to be clear you are ordering a cervelo r5?

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i am looking at frame called vb055 that sort of resemble the r5
. i am also looking at the f8 style frame .
.
.

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i took some pix
and will have them posted shortly.
so you can see how many spacers i have
stem is 60mm
flipped up

here are some pix.

 if i picked a frame with a top tube of 52.3 cm
a new frame with less drop.
compared to this 51.8cm

will i experience the same bent over / stretched too much feel
like i do with this frame which is dropped too much requiring spacers ?