I’ve been competing in local Triathlons for the last three years with my road bike and I’m ready to get my first Tri bike. I’m looking for a used Ti frame and most of the ones I’ve seen come in either 55cm or 57cm (Litespeed Saber, Quintana Roo Ti-Phoon). I’m 5’11” with a 32-33 inseam and I’m currently riding a 56cm Specialized Roubaix. My question is with a proper bike fit would I be OK on a 57cm frame? I sat on a 56.5 at the local bike shop but many of the new bikes require you to cut the stem during the fitting so I couldn’t get a great feel for the bike, but I thought it was OK. As far as my riding style I’m a weekend warrior who likes to train hard but has no aspirations of gaining sponsors and quitting my day job. The kid at the local shop knew less about Tri bikes than I do so I thought I’d ask here.
Thank you for your help and opinions!
**UPDATE: **I went for a fit and they recommended the smaller 55cm frame. Below is the bike I picked up yesterday. I’m happy with the price, but the previous owner had never changed the cables since purchasing the bike in 2003! After a tune up I should be in good shape. Thanks again for everyone’s input.
I’ve been competing in local Triathlons for the last three years with my road bike and I’m ready to get my first Tri bike. I’m looking for a used Ti frame and most of the ones I’ve seen come in either 55cm or 57cm (Litespeed Saber, Quintana Roo Ti-Phoon). I’m 5’11” with a 32-33 inseam and I’m currently riding a 56cm Specialized Roubaix. My question is with a proper bike fit would I be OK on a 57cm frame? I sat on a 56.5 at the local bike shop but many of the new bikes require you to cut the stem during the fitting so I couldn’t get a great feel for the bike, but I thought it was OK. As far as my riding style I’m a weekend warrior who likes to train hard but has no aspirations of gaining sponsors and quitting my day job. The kid at the local shop knew less about Tri bikes than I do so I thought I’d ask here.
Thank you for your help and opinions!
Who put you on a 56? I’m 5’11 with a 32ish inseam and ride a 54 for a roadie. Every 56 I’ve been on has been uncomfortably big.
As far as a “fitting requiring a stem cutting”, a proper tri frame fitting doesn’t even need a bike, just the fit equipment. Read dan’s articles on the subject.
I am 5’11" with a 33-34 inseam and I ride a Cervelo P2. My frame is a 54 cm and I came from riding a Trek Road bike with a 56 cm frame. I would say stay away from the 57 cm frame, that sounds way too big for you. Another thing to keep in mind on tri bikes is your range of motion aka flexibility. I had my heart set on a Cervelo P3 and my LBS steered me toward the P2 due to the slightly shorter top tube length. It’s all about comfort with a tri bike and fit is critical! Good luck with your purchase man!
That’s not true at all…a lot of it has to do with the datums that the manufacturers use to measure their frames, and weather it’s traditional vs. compact geometry. Case in point, I’m 5’10" with a 32.5" inseam and in Trek I was a 58cm, In Klein I was a 55, and they were even the same company at the time (Trek was a generation 1 Madone (more traditional geometry), Klein was a Q Carbon Race (compact geometry)).
I�ve been competing in local Triathlons for the last three years with my road bike and I�m ready to get my first Tri bike. I�m looking for a used Ti frame and most of the ones I�ve seen come in either 55cm or 57cm (Litespeed Saber, Quintana Roo Ti-Phoon). I�m 5�11� with a 32-33 inseam and I�m currently riding a 56cm Specialized Roubaix. My question is with a proper bike fit would I be OK on a 57cm frame? I sat on a 56.5 at the local bike shop but many of the new bikes require you to cut the stem during the fitting so I couldn�t get a great feel for the bike, but I thought it was OK. As far as my riding style I�m a weekend warrior who likes to train hard but has no aspirations of gaining sponsors and quitting my day job. The kid at the local shop knew less about Tri bikes than I do so I thought I�d ask here.
Thank you for your help and opinions!
Who put you on a 56? I’m 5’11 with a 32ish inseam and ride a 54 for a roadie. Every 56 I’ve been on has been uncomfortably big.
As far as a “fitting requiring a stem cutting”, a proper tri frame fitting doesn’t even need a bike, just the fit equipment. Read dan’s articles on the subject.
John
Thanks for the input John. I bought my road bike from Wheat Ridge Cyclery which is held in very high regard in Colorado. 56cm seems to match the charts and size guides I found online, and most importantly I’m happy with the fit, but I don’t have any experience with Tri bikes.
To clarify I should have said seat post not stem. The shop I was at last weekend only had 6-8 tri bikes, mainly Specialized Shivs and Transitions and the saddles didn’t lower very much. The kid helping me said it was common to cut the bottom of the carbon seat post to get the right fit because the curve in the seat tube doesn’t allow the seat post to go down very far.
That’s not true at all…a lot of it has to do with the datums that the manufacturers use to measure their frames, and weather it’s traditional vs. compact geometry. Case in point, I’m 5’10" with a 32.5" inseam and in Trek I was a 58cm, In Klein I was a 55, and they were even the same company at the time (Trek was a generation 1 Madone (more traditional geometry), Klein was a Q Carbon Race (compact geometry)).
Just a general observation from seeing all the bike pics posted here on ST over a few years time… See an awful lot of bikes with a lot of seatpost extension and hi-rise stems, which would appear to have been better off with a larger frame rather than trying to “fit up” a small frame. I think aesthetically a lot of it is carryover from the smaller MTB frames that dominated the market over the previous generation or so, whereas if you look back at old roadie photos from the 70s & 80s they tended to ride proportionally larger frames with shorter stems & seatposts. People have gotten used to the look of smaller frames with bigger saddle/bar drop when that isn’t necessarily optimal for many.
That said, 57 does seem slightly big from your description, but it can still vary a lot from one build to another.
Here’s is what I tell my friends…go get fit, and have the fitter tell you what frame is ideal for you. When I did this, they was 4 frames that were a match. I picked the one that was in my price range and have been happy ever since.
Thank you everyone for your thoughts and opinions. I think I’ll track down a more Tri focused bike shop or bike fitter so I can get some personalized help.
Who put you on a 56? I’m 5’11 with a 32ish inseam and ride a 54 for a roadie. Every 56 I’ve been on has been uncomfortably big.
John
I’m 5’11" with a 32-33 inch inseam and I’m not sure I can think of a single person my height that rides a 54. Is your seatpost all the way up with a 140-150mm stem?
I’ve ridden 56cm bikes (with 56cm top tubes) in several brands with a perfect fit. What 56 bikes have you ridden that felt big? We’re talking road frames right?
I agree with Joe I’m 5’11 with a 32 inseam and have been on a 56 since I started. I have only had Felt F series frames but I tried a 54 at the urging of a friend and I would of had to had that thing streeetched way out to make it fit me. I also tried a SL4 54 of my buddies and was super cramped. John maybe you should be asking the question of who put you on a 54 ! ! I would go with the 55 cm tri frame, but any LBS worth a Sh*& should be able to really help you out.
Who put you on a 56? I’m 5’11 with a 32ish inseam and ride a 54 for a roadie. Every 56 I’ve been on has been uncomfortably big.
As far as a “fitting requiring a stem cutting”, a proper tri frame fitting doesn’t even need a bike, just the fit equipment. Read dan’s articles on the subject.
John
I’m 5’11" and around a 32" inseam and ride a 58 road bike. It’s comfortable in all dimensions stock except the handlebars are a size too wide (need 42cm instead of 44cm). Brands measure vastly differently, so you can’t go thinking one 56 is equal to another.
I’ve been competing in local Triathlons for the last three years with my road bike and I’m ready to get my first Tri bike. I’m looking for a used Ti frame and most of the ones I’ve seen come in either 55cm or 57cm (Litespeed Saber, Quintana Roo Ti-Phoon). I’m 5’11” with a 32-33 inseam and I’m currently riding a 56cm Specialized Roubaix. My question is with a proper bike fit would I be OK on a 57cm frame? I sat on a 56.5 at the local bike shop but many of the new bikes require you to cut the stem during the fitting so I couldn’t get a great feel for the bike, but I thought it was OK. As far as my riding style I’m a weekend warrior who likes to train hard but has no aspirations of gaining sponsors and quitting my day job. The kid at the local shop knew less about Tri bikes than I do so I thought I’d ask here.
Thank you for your help and opinions!
I’m almost 5’11 with a 33 inch inseam. Roadie is a 56cm Cannondale and Tri is a 56cm Felt B12. For the Felt I had independent fit done. Good Luck
I’m with most of the group, 57 is probably too big. I’m 6’0" with 33" inseam and I ride a 56. But my point is when you get your bike, get it fit at a F.I.S.T. fitter if at all possible.
When I got my tri bike fit at my LBS, is was ok. long rides gave me discomfort. I was thinking I need more time to get used to the bike. My LBS doesn’t sell/stock much in the way of tri bikes so I’m thinking they don’t specialize in fitting them either. So after a while I said forget about it and spent the $200 on a fist fitter, best money I’ve spent in my tri time. Better FTP and no discomfort. You can find FIST fitter registry here on ST. Good luck.
Probably too big. But. We can’t tell you anything for sure. DO NOT buy a frame without first getting your fit coordinates at a proper tri bike fitter. Preferably someone who’s F.I.S.T. certified. If you buy a frame blind, there’s a chance you’ll put up with a poor bike fit and the associated issues for one season, then post the bike on craigslist and buy another one. Waste of money. Save money and pay for a proper presale fitting.
Who put you on a 56? I’m 5’11 with a 32ish inseam and ride a 54 for a roadie. Every 56 I’ve been on has been uncomfortably big.
As far as a “fitting requiring a stem cutting”, a proper tri frame fitting doesn’t even need a bike, just the fit equipment. Read dan’s articles on the subject.
John
I’m 5’11" and around a 32" inseam and ride a 58 road bike. It’s comfortable in all dimensions stock except the handlebars are a size too wide (need 42cm instead of 44cm). Brands measure vastly differently, so you can’t go thinking one 56 is equal to another.
Guess that’s probably true, I’ve only ridden a limited few brands. I knew that TT bikes differed vastly in measurements, I thought road bikes were more standard. Live and learn.
