Recently bought a look 566 road bike in a size large frame which I was told was a 57cm I was coming off a 58 tarmac. The bike has always felt small to me and after looking at look’s website it
says that the large frame is a 55cm. Called the lbs and they said that it is a 57 in reference to us sizing like specialized and that euro sizing is different is this true?
Not real sure on the road bikes, but I ride a large Look 596 and its the biggest one they make. I would not normally ride only a large as I’m 6-3 with very long legs and would normally ride an XL. Looks sizing is a tad weird.
All that said my road bike is a 58 Tarmac. Unless you are tall like me, riding the 58 Tarmac, the smaller TT frame should fit.
Maybe best to look at your height, reach and inseam and determine if the size is appropriate. Look 566 Large is a 55cm (according to Look) and has a 55.8cm virtual top tube. I normally sell this size to riders around 6’
At 5’10" I ride the 566 in a medium but this has the post pretty far out. I use a 110mm stem and it’s a pretty good fit otherwise.
I’m not sure that I can help you much beyond the advice from the guys above but here’s a couple of points anyway:
I’m 6"2 (187cm) and I ride a LOOK 555 roadie in XL. I could probably ride a size smaller too - and I know some of the better riders around are going for smaller frames to improve handling/weight but I’m happy with the XL
LOOK’s sizing does appear to be pretty idiosyncratic - annd probably different to other companie - especially US ones. You sound like you’ve done your homework but if not - just spend some time on their site and talking to the shop. They are a very design/function driven company and but also very French so they have their own way of doing things.
Most importantly ; how does it feel to ride?
I would pull up Look’s geometry specs and measure the frame dimensions yourself and compare to the chart and see what size you really have. Personally, for your shop to say there is a difference between a US 55cm frame and a Euro 55cm frame is a bit concerning. As long as you’re measuring the same points on the frame, there should be no difference.