Alrighty, real quick and simple: How does teh sizing varience usually trend between being sized for a Road bike towards a Tri bike?
I currently have a Scott Speedster, Large (54 cm). I’ve look through the classifieds and drool over getting a Tri bike (can financially do it…just explaining it to the wife might be an issue). I live FAR away from any bike shops. Thought about going to get a “fit/measurement” to see which bike “fits best” while down in Vegas…but it isn’t like I’d have the bike to get it set up, nor would I be down in Vegas any time soon to get the full fit done… So… Yeah…
I’m in the same position. Shopping for a used tri bike but want to make sure I buy something that will fit. Currently have my 56 Venge with clip on bars dialed in pretty close and taking measurements to transfer to a tri. Been researching stack and reach, seat tube angles, etc. It can be confusing and I’m finding some bikes just don’t look like they’d fit me very well. I think I’m looking for a medium Shiv which should also be very adjustable. After I get a bike I’ll travel to have it fit properly, but still shopping for now.
There is no consistent rule of thumb you can use here.
Alrighty, real quick and simple: How does teh sizing varience usually trend between being sized for a Road bike towards a Tri bike?
I currently have a Scott Speedster, Large (54 cm). I’ve look through the classifieds and drool over getting a Tri bike (can financially do it…just explaining it to the wife might be an issue). I live FAR away from any bike shops. Thought about going to get a “fit/measurement” to see which bike “fits best” while down in Vegas…but it isn’t like I’d have the bike to get it set up, nor would I be down in Vegas any time soon to get the full fit done… So… Yeah…
I’m in the same position. Shopping for a used tri bike but want to make sure I buy something that will fit. Currently have my 56 Venge with clip on bars dialed in pretty close and taking measurements to transfer to a tri. Been researching stack and reach, seat tube angles, etc. It can be confusing and I’m finding some bikes just don’t look like they’d fit me very well. I think I’m looking for a medium Shiv which should also be very adjustable. After I get a bike I’ll travel to have it fit properly, but still shopping for now.
Yup, that was my plan. Get a bike that will fit, and then travel to go dial it in for a perfect fit. Hate to travel, get measurements (the bike fit in Vegas is $500…granted that would probably include dialing my bike in…but I won’t have a bike…just getting measured…) and then have to fly all the way back to get it fit right again…hoped to just do it all in one trip. But…maybe not.
Thanks for the help.
I think i’ll have to fork over the money, get measured, and then do the long drawn out process…
I’m in the same position. Shopping for a used tri bike but want to make sure I buy something that will fit. Currently have my 56 Venge with clip on bars dialed in pretty close and taking measurements to transfer to a tri. Been researching stack and reach, seat tube angles, etc. It can be confusing and I’m finding some bikes just don’t look like they’d fit me very well. I think I’m looking for a medium Shiv which should also be very adjustable. After I get a bike I’ll travel to have it fit properly, but still shopping for now.
Seat tube angle will be less important. Stick with stack and reach (or whatever is popular for tri fits these days).
As mentioned earlier, there is much rhyme or reason to TT/Tri fits. I have ridden a 54 cm road frame for ever, but I fall right between the XS and S on my Shiv TT.
If you are buying off of something like Ebay and won’t have a chance to test ride, I would suggest something with a conventional stem. This will give you more flexibility in fit than you would get with some of the integrated front ends.
How does the sizing variance usually trend between being sized for a Road bike towards a Tri bike?
The trend is exactly the same. If you like a low front end (or think you will in the future), then possibly get a smaller size (M), or a low stack L. If you like a typical tri amount of drop, get a L. This assumes that your current road bike is correct for you. The new Scott Speedsters list the 54 as a M. Are you sure yours is a L? How tall are you? Crotch to floor measurement?
Don’t sweat the sizing and fit too much. There is a huge range of adjustability to dial in fit, and your position will typically evolve over time.
Don’t spend a lot on your first bike. No more than a P2 for instance, which is a great bike and easy to live with.
I have a Scott Speedster (58 cm) that I raced with for a few years and recently purchased a used P2 online, also size 58 cm, without ever riding a tri bike. After using a shorter stem than my road bike and making a few other adjustments, the bike fits great.
I was told by the dealer I bought it from that it is a 54 (this year’s model) and the sticker on it is an “L”.
I am just shy of 6’ (5’ 11.75"), inseam measurement was 33.5".
I see that you can adjust quite a bit with components, and I figured I’d have to make some adjustments for my fit. Just wanted to get it close. Or buy a frameset (saw teh Plasma 10 for sale recently)…
I appreciate all of the help!! I’m barely getting the lingo down, and researching more and more. Just figured it would be good to tap the ST braintrust on the general stuff. Thanks!
Depends on the tri bike. the Brand. and if they use a extended steerer tube system like Felt and their bayonette.
a 54 road could be a 51 Tri because of extended Stem systems.
on some Tri’s you are supposed to buy a size up because the geometry is different.
A lot of places have the Retul system/DFU guru or other mechanical systems to test your range of motions and can capture your fitting data to tell you which size Tri bike you are supposed to be on and if you can use certain Aero bars.
If you are someone like me with terrible REACH but long torso. a size 51 Cervelo tri bike and most Road bikes 51 Size work great. But on Tri bikes that are LONGER a 51 was not a good fit.
Rainstar, when you write longer do you mean with a longer top tube? My research indicated that the Cervelo had the longest top tube on a mass produced bike. Please clarify.
To the OP. I am a difficult size and found that tri bike sizes are not standardized. After much thought a fitting and searches I bought a 2013 Cervelo P2 in 2014. The newer P2s have shorter top tubes and are less likely to fit me.
Though I can be frugal I think the fitting I did was the best use of my money. My thought was that a discounted bike that does not fit me is really not a discount.
A 500 pre-fit sounds like a lot of money. Is there anyway you can get a better deal? A pre-fit can be as simple as measurements of your body, research on stack and reach, and an understanding of what bikes can be modified to fit you.
I would look closely to the reach/stack of your current bike. Take in account your cockpit setup (stem length, bar reach) with this you can semi translate to tri fit.
It will most certainly not be an exact fit, but you will get in a close ball park.
Saddle height and position is mostly easy to accomplish if the frame is the right sizing.
I am just shy of 6’ (5’ 11.75"), inseam measurement was 33.5".
Same as me. Which doesn’t mean a lot, but helps for ballparking sizes.
I like a lot of drop (saddle to bars) to get the torso horizontal. My road bike is a small with a 140mm -17 deg slammed stem. My TT bike is a medium (but small for a M), and I have a stem that points below horizontal. Neither is ideal, but I can’t get what I want with stock geometries. Handling is fine, no worries there. Both have a good deal of toe overlap on the front wheel, which is something a lot of people run into with small sizes.
So like I said earlier, frame size depends on where you think you will eventually land as far as front end drop. Usually getting low there is faster once you adapt. But I don’t do tris, only TTs. Tri fits tend to be higher in the front particularly on long courses.
If you get a M or L size frame with a normal stem (not proprietary) and highly adjustable bars, you’ll be in good shape. You can swap out the stem or get an adjustable stem to easily adjust you bar height. They are cheap.
I will only speak for myself but I find that the expense is too high to buy a bike does not fit.
I spoke to a fitter and negotiated a great price my pre- fit. If you call up most bike stores they can probably recommend a fitter that may live closer to you,
As I understand it most good fitters are willing to do more than one meeting with their clients. The first fitting because of my difficult size was to measure me for the bike. The second fitting with the bike was to measure angles, swap out parts, and configure things to fit based upon these measurements. The third meeting was to make sure everything that worked in theory works in practice after I had been riding the bike awhile. I did all of these with the same fitter and paid one agreed upon price for the second and third fitting. The first was free as it did not take much time and it benefited the store because I planned on buying a bike through them. Since, this was my first tri bike it took some time for me to have an opinion worth anything. Good luck with whatever you decide.