🚀 go-pugleaf

seanodon@gn.ecn.purdue.edu (Aragorn) writes:

>In article <1992Oct27.192922.950@altair.selu.edu> zba@altair.selu.edu (Brian Acosta) writes:
>>
>>
>>Ok guys, keep all of your "damn this guy is dumb" comments to yourselves when
>>you read my question.  

>We all start sometime.

>>I am 5'7", what range of frame sizes would be
>>comfortable for me?
>>
>>Brian Acosta

>Depends, I am 5'9" and according to the fit kit I should ride a 49 to 52
>cm frame.  Due to long arms I ride a 54.  What size frame you ride
>usually depends on your inseam (mine is 30"), but can be modified based
>on other body demensions.  There are formulas for figuring what frame
>you should ride, but I don't have any with me.  I think the book by
>Lemond has a whole section on proper bicycle fit (that is, if you want
>to sit on your bike like a racer).  Some other people can probably give
>you one of the standard formulas.

>Aragorn
>-- 
>***seanodon@ecn.purdue.edu***********************************************
>*  Man-in-Black: "You mean you'll put down your rock and I'll put 	*
>*		  down my sword, and we'll try to kill each other 	*
>*		  like civilized people."	_The Princess Bride_	*

The answer to your question is going to depend on a number of things.

1.  What are you proposing to do with your bike? Race it? Go touring? ???
	
	For racing use you want the smallest fram you can get away with. The
	reason for this that that smaller the fram, the stiffer, and hence thhe
	faster you can ride it for a given level of effort. However, the
	downside is the stiffer the frame, the less comfortable it is. For
	racing this is Ok. but for tourin use it wouldn't be.

	For touring use a slightly bigger frame might be better for you. It
	wouldn't be as fast, but it would be moe comfortable. 

	For touring you would probably get a fram with 72 or 73 degree angles.
	For racing 74 or even steeper. The reason is again performance vs
	comfort - steeper is faster, but less flexible (steeper is faster
	becase you then push on the pedal from a better angle. The limit is
	allowing room for the wheel to fit in the frame).

2.	There are two ways of measuring frame sizes. The French and the English
    measure the length of the seat tube fron the centre of the bottom
	bracket to the centre of the top tube. The Italians measure from the top
	of the bottom bracket to the bottom of the top tube. This makes a
	difference of about 2cm in nominal size for the same physical
	dimensions of the frame. So, a French-made 59cm frame is about the same
	size as an Italian-made 57 cm frame. What this means in practice for
	you is that you need to be careful about sizing. Check where the frame
	was made, and maybe take your own tape with you.

In your country you may be able to get a frame made to order. In Europe and
Australia this is fairly commonly available. Once Bike frames get to a
certain level of construction they are all hand-made anyway, so there isn't
a ;ot of additional expense. Remember that the frame is the most important
part of any bike. If it isn't right for you the rest of the money you spend
has been wasted. Ask around about good suppliers, and establish what other
knowledgeable riders in your area think is good value. For the record I am
183 cm tall, and I ride a Colnago 57 cm frame, which I like very much.


Good luck.

John Reid
-- 

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John Reid