Last year we read that Philippe Gilbert is riding a 50cm (top tube of 535mm) BMC frame and he is 1.79m (5’10”) tall. Now it’s reported in Cyclingnews that Ritchie Porte’s Pinarello is a 46.5cm frame (top tube of 515mm) and Porte is 1.72m (5’8″) tall. He is no Nairo Quintana but somehow he is on Quintana’s old bike. Porte is just one inch shorter than the average Australian male, he is not short. And I used to think Sean Kelly’s bike was a tiny bit small for him.
Taylor Phinney was moved down from a 60cm to a 58cm frame when he joined BMC. He is 1.96m (6’5″) so it’s not a radical move, I can understand a very tall person wanting a less whippy frame, not that a BMC 60cm carbon frame is in any way loose. And they are getting the advice of people who know what they are doing, so there are some solid ideas here just ones I haven’t thought of.
What are the advantages of riding such small frames? Really, I don’t know and would like to understand. Ritchie Porte is 1.72m, rides a kid’s bike and has a 120mm stem on it, how is that a good bike fit? Has everything we learned about bike fitting been with a huge caveat: after many measurements and calculations, here is what frame you should ride but if you want to throw all that out the window and go down six centimeters, that works too. And yet, Mr Porte looks pretty good on it so tell me, oh wise ones, what am I missing?
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/j.andrews3@comcast.net/frame job/”/]
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@frank
Stem compliance is negated by sock length.
Can't say I find the humor too funny - and I have a pretty big tolerance for that kind of stuff. Also, is it just me, or does RdV look uncannily like Museeuw in that pic?
All my internet formulas and LBS formulas point to a 56cm effective top tube frame.
My current steed is a 54cm as I felt my old 56 was too big.
Recently had a full fit by http://www.elbowsakimbo.com.au/ and apart from seat height adjustment ( went way up) and some shims in right shoe, frame size is perfect.
So much for formulas, however i guess the formulas are a starting point and one needs to then tinker to ones own body measurements.
I've been a bit lax in my lately in my reading, but I was riding the trainer last night, watching a race from last year on the laptop where Ryder Hesjedal was in a break, and when thinking to myself, "...man, that guy has some long ass arms...." I was immediately reminded of this article, so I thought I'd share a couple pix... What drew my attention was the long, negative sloping stem, and high saddle position, that at time it appeared as though Ryder might fall off the front of the bike... (or maybe that was me in post interval red zone delirium)
@Mikael Liddy
That's awesome! "Here! Make this!"
@frank, that's a great photo of a young Der Kaiser.
@Barracuda
So much for formulas, however i guess the formulas are a starting point and one needs to then tinker to ones own body measurements.
Yup. A nice place to start, but then it is all input/output from the rider
@VeloSix Straight elbows -- the drops are too low for him.
I'm 6'2" and ride a 54cm C40 with a 110mm stem. Weirdly it works. That stem is actually shorter than what I started out with too.
@lucky
A) This post is entirely useless without pics. B) That is odd, my C40 is a 59 with a 120mm stem. Specs out exactly the same as my 57 TeamMachine with a 120 stem. I too am 6'2". We're all snowflakes I guess.
@Marko
Ditto! pix plz!
@VeloSix Touché
[dmalbum: path="/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/Marko/2014.01.30.17.37.48/1//"/]
@Marko Having gotten the behind the seens sneak peek at that thing, Its a work of art!