I am just curious and wondering if there are viable 700c options out there for someone of this dimension?
Some toe overlap does not bother me so much, but a bad fit or the inability to get into a good, aero position would be a deal breaker.
I realize most of them are 650c but just wanted to see what collective experiences are out there for folks in this size?
I am definitely 700c in my road bike, and would just like to explore if it’s possible to have both road bike and tri bike 700c for purposes of sharing wheels, tubes, etc.
I’m 5’6" 31 inseam. I’ve been on the following bike:
51 cm soloist 53 P3SL Small Lucero Small Kuota kalibur 52 kestrel Airfoil Pro SL
Since you are 3 inches shorter, I think the 51 soloist and Lucero small could work as they all have short reach (you have a short torso). Perhaps the smallest Trek TTX would work as they have short reach and high stack. You’re going to want short reach and high stack bike to get on a 700 c tri bike.
But I think you really want to go with the sub 50cm size bikes. In which case the Kestrel Talon 48 might just work as it is 700. There is also the 50 cm Kestrel 4000 which is high stack, short reach if you want to spend $$$.
For 700c, your best bet might be the Kestrel or Cannondale. The small Trek TTX (Carbon) has a 52cm top tube so you might be too stretched out. If the XS Trex TTX is 700c, that could work too.
you’ll have to watch out on the Kestrel with the seat post. it bulges out close to the top so you cant move it down completely (had an ex who bought a 09’ talon and had issues–think she was about 5’1ish)
I ride a Cervelo P2C 51. In addition to the others mentioned you can look at the C’Dale Slice 51 or a Scott Plasma in XS. I’m jumping ship to the C’Dale 51 due to the shorter reach and taller stack (compared to to my Cervelo). Plasma is awesome but the cost factor made me look at the C’Dale.
For some reason TTX did not feel “right” (one of those comfort things)for me, but others have had good success in our size range w/ the TTX. I don’t have any LBS that sell the Kestrel but if you test one let me know as I’m interested in the fit.
Good Luck.
PS. My P2C is awesome. Love the bike but I’m looking for more comfort.
i note you’re casting about for some answers, and i did all this analysis for you. but, you don’t read the articles here, do you? so, let’s see if we can get to the bottom of this.
there’s an article right on the front page, published about a month ago, called Small bike sizing comparison. it’s covering just what you’re asking about. before you can sufficiently absorb this, you need to know what we mean by stack and reach. go back and put “stack and reach” into the slowtwitch search engine, and read those articles. in this article referenced above (which i recommend you read) you’ll find this chart.
because you’re very leggy, you’ll ride a taller bike than would a 5’3" rider who’s not so leggy. and, because you’re leggy, you’ll need a narrower bike. so, you might be fine with a bike with 700c, as long as its reach is sufficiently short.
if you look at that chart above, you see two or three bikes in 700c that would fit the bill. the lowest, narrowest of the lot is the specialized transition in XS. next is the slice in 51cm, then the orbea ordu in 48cm.
now, you might ask how it is that the ordu is actually both taller and longer than the slice, if the ordu is a 48cm and the slice is 51cm. well, that’s why we refer to stack and reach!
i think you see that these two bikes, the transition and the slice, are probably your best bet among those i list in this chart.
I used Slowman’s write-ups and I ended up picking the C’Dale 51 (Thank you Slowman). Great articles and will give you a ton of great info. In addition a good fitter would be great.
I learned the hard way and had a LBS sell me a bike that is not the best fit for me. Lesson learned and I should be on my new ride next week.
Thanks, Slowman. And thanks to all of your feedback in the posts to this thread.
Duly noted. I have some homework reading to do on Slowtwitch. I’d read several articles such as the recent one on charting geometries, but you’re right, I don’t quite grasp the ins and outs of Stack & Reach and totally missed your piece on small bikes. I’ve already read Primer 1 and 2.
I’d been looking at the XS Blue Triad and XXS Contessa Plasma. I’ll take a look now at the bikes you’ve recommended. My arms are long as well. Not sure if that makes a difference for reach.
I’m currently on a Felt B12 650c. The Stack is 48.5 & Reach is 39.0. The seat angle is 82 degrees. There are 5mm of spacers.
I’m also curious as to what variables make a bike twitchy? Mine seems very twitchy, but I don’t have any points of comparison.
Okay, thanks! I just wanted to double check since the top tube on the Small is 52. You may have long arms, too, like I do, which probably helps on the longer top tube?
Are there others you looked at or tried out and also considered good options?
The TTX in XS is very close to the Stack, Reach & Top Tube of the Cannondale Slice that Slowman recommended along with the Transition. Thx for recommending it!
I do have relatively long arms. I have tried a few different bikes including Cervelo (which I didn’t really like as well as other brands), and the other one I enjoyed was the Scott Plasma (I forget what size it was) but my last tri bike was a Trek with the same length top tube and I got a wicked deal on it so my decision was pretty easy. I might switch out the aero bars for a different design, but overall, I really like the geometry and have been able to adjust my arm position to make it comfy for me. Good luck with your search!
I’d disagree on the Soloist. I am taller but similar inseam, have a 51cm SLC and it’s too big just by a snudge in aero position (fine as in slack set-up). My most comfy rides are on 49s (Olmo’s - I have two) running 700s.
To the OP, good luck, it can always be hard to find what feels best…
Okay, thanks! I just wanted to double check since the top tube on the Small is 52. You may have long arms, too, like I do, which probably helps on the longer top tube?
Enjoy your TTX!
If you have long legs and arms, with a shorter torso, you’ll want to go shorter on the reach. Ideally when in the aero bars, you want your shoulders above your elbows so that you’re using less muscular strength and more skeletal support to hold up your upper body.
So, I’ve been reading more of your articles. Very helpful and informative!
But I’m a little confused, in that in your reply to my original post, you noted the 2010 XS Transition as a possible option for me, given my dimensions, but in the detailed review of the bike, if I am reading it correctly, you recommended against the XS size in the 2010 Transition :: Excerpt below the link…
“The size XS? Forget about it altogether. With 69.5° of head angle and a 49mm fork, what you’ve got there is a chopper. If that’s what you want, I suggest a bike like the one adjacent. Don’t misunderstand: I recognize the need Specialized either has—or perceives it has—to provide its smallest UCI rule encumbered Pro Tour and Continental team riders with small bikes built with 700c wheels. Nevertheless, even if Specialized desires to service these riders, I don’t care about them. I care about the provision of proper product for triathletes, and, if you need a bike in a size below 50cm (if you’re shorter than 5’6”), run from the Transition at top speed, heading instead for the 650c models sold by QR, Cervelo, Felt, Kestrel and others."
If you assume that your current position/fit is optimal and you want to duplicate it on a different bike then you would have to consider what changes you would have to make to the cockpit ie aerobar and stem and if they are functionally appropriate. For example if you go for the Slice you have to add 2cm of stem length and cut out 1cm of height. You stated you have 5mm of spacers on the Felt. To bring the pads down you might go to more of a negative angle stem. If you have the stock Felt aerobar its low profile so you dont have a lot of room to drop down on that front.
If you take the Blue Triad for example in small you have an extra 3.5cm of stack to allow for, depending on your current stem it might be hard to bring the bars down by that amount.
Hmmm…thanks so much for your reply. I’m afraid I didn’t follow all of that, as I’m still learning about stack, reach, etc.
I’m riding a Felt 50cm with 650c right now, so I’m fairly sure the set up can actually go further down bc of the wheel size. But the Felt is super twitchy to ride! That’s one big reason for wanting to swap bikes, whether to another 650c or to a 700c. A 700c would be more stable if I can find one that works for me, so I am told, and easier of course to swap tubes, get tires, swap wheels, etc.
Since I am on the edge, only certain bikes fit me in 700c, and I want to be careful I make a wise choice and not compromise a good fit if I go that way.
On the Blue Triad, I would be on an XS size. Stack is 50.1, Reach is 36.2. It is another one of those bikes, like the Scott Plasma, which has an integrated seat tube. I am hoping to get to ride a Blue demo bike which has a special adjustable seat post for demo rides.
I was just curious - not understanding why exactly - that Slowman suggested the 2010 XS Transition for me but then in the review, noted specifically that the XS was not recommended. Am I missing something there?
I cant answer for Dan, but the issue with the Specialized in XS is that its got one of the shortest reaches, but in order to avoid toe overlap its a quite slack head angle with quite a bit of trail. It certainly wont be twitchy, but you might find it handles a little too slow, you might like it as well so definately test ride that one. The S is closer to your Felt in reach, but now you have an extra 2cm of stack.
Having said that the key problem with small bikes in 700c is stack, or headtube height. Simply put your aerobar pads end up higher relative to the saddle and if you want to ride with some drop it can be tough to do. If you were simply to take the stem and aerobars off your Felt and slap them on a Blue Triad you would end up with the pads 3.5cm higher up than they are now. Thats a big difference. If you decide you like the Blue and you want the same position that you have on your Felt you have to figure how you are going to drop the bars down that 3.5cm. The Slice gives you an extra 1cm of stack, but its also 2cm shorter so your current stem length and position may determine if that works.
If you can I feel the ideal would be to have a fitting done on an X-Y adustable fit cycle like the Exit, come up with some stack/reach measurements and work back from there to get frames in an acceptable range.
Good luck with your search!