Excuse my ignorance on this question. What is the difference in a 56 cm road bike and a 56 cm tri bike? I am assuming the top tube would be shorter in the tri bike regardless of whether the bike was 56 cm or not, correct?
I am 6-0, long torso, short legs, and am told I need to look at a road bike moreso than a tri bike since the top tube would be longer on the road bike. Am I heading in the right direction here?
Thanks!
Mark, you would be surprised how smart this question actually is.
Here’s why:
Bike manufacturers name theri sizes different things- 52cm, 55cm, Small, Medium, Large, etc.
Now, You and I being reasonable men assume that, when a bike size **name **depicts some dimensional representation, i.e. “55cm”, that something on the bike should measure 55cm.
It usually does too. But just exactly what measures 55cm is a matter for the bike company to decide, and they all decide a little differently.
For example: The older Cannondale Multisport frames were great bikes, I owned two. But they gave some people sizing fits becasue the size 52cm actually measured about 59cm from the center of the bottom bracket to the absolute top of the seat tube. Hmmmm.
So, when you put the tape measure on the frame and look at where the tape says “52cm” that point is about half way up the seat tube extension, arbitrarily about 1/2 way up it.
So- here’s my point. They all measure differently.
It would be nice if there were some standard, but there isn’t yet. We like to actually measure the bikes when we get them so we know the actual dimensions. That seems to help a lot in our understanding of just exactly what fits whom.
I hope that helps. Good luck.
Tom, thank you. As I suspected, it all comes down to how it fits, just like a suit.
Mark