Hey all,
I’m in the market for a tri bike. I currently ride a Specialized Roubaix 56cm. I went to a local shop who is running a special on their 2007 bikes. They had one 54cm P2C left, and while it felt pretty good, I’m hesitant to pull the trigger on it without riding a 56cm. The salesman told me that he usually sizes down on a tri bike. Does this sound cool, or is he just trying to make a sale? FWIW: I’m average build and about 5’11".
Any thoughts?
I’m 5’9 and ride a 54cm p2c, but if I had to do it again I’d probably go down to a 51cm frame. I remember several people around 5’11" have reported they fit well on a 54cm p2c. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it fit you well.
Either way you’re probably better off getting a good fit before dropping the cash though.
Well, the key is going to be how low you ride (and your body proportions, etc), because you do not want to be THAT guy with a pile of spacers and upturned stem because the frame is too small (head tube too short). I am 5-10, I ride my road bike w/ a 180 head tube with zero spacers and a -17* stem (flat). On my 56cm P2C, I have the Zipp bar, slightly upturned stem, and 1cm of spacers. A 54cm would look cool because I’d have more seatpost showing, but I’d have to find a way to raise those bars 2cm because of the shorter head tube. And I’m no high-position rider – I have 13cm of drop and am pretty low by most standards.
A 56 would probably be too big. I’m only an inch shorter than you and I’m on a 51cm P2SL.
I’m 6’1" and my 56cm fits me perfectly, if that’s any help.
I’m 5’11.5" and fit perfectly on a 56 cm P2C. I use the 90 mm stem w/ the saddle in the rear position and 100 mm w/ it in the fwd position…you could probably ride a 54 and if need be use a slightly longer stem and it would be a good fit.
Stopgo,
I’m presuming the Roubaix is your road bike.
Usually, the top tube lenth on your tri or TT frame will be shorter (usually about 2 cm) than the top tube length on your road bike.
The majority of cyclists who purchase a tri or TT frame with a top tube the same length as their road bike ultimately concede that they are too “stretched” out on their tri bike and they should have gone with a smaller frame.
But you could be in that small minority. Do you have an unusually long torso and arms compared to your leg length?
Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like I’ll be heading back to my LBS!
I’m 5"10" with around a 32 in inseam and ride a 54 cm P2C. I tried the 56 cm and couldn’t get the fit just right.
Jeff