Scott in Houston, Texas has been riding a bike that he thinks is too big for him, he is looking at buying a Specialized Roubaix and want some advice on sizing on the Specialized. Can he go down a size or two?
Question:
I am 5’11 inches tall. I rode a trek 2300 at 58 cm for many years. It gave me severe shoulder pain and I had to shorten and raise the stem. I am interested in a specialized Roubaix comp and heard sizing is different on a specialized. I believe I should have been on a 56cm trek and wonder if I should go to a 54 or 56 in the specialized? My torso and legs are would fit into the average category. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Your opinion would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Scott.
Trek 2300
The Trek 2300 was of a more “normal” design, or non-sloping like most frames these days. The level top tube made it more difficult to get the exact size frame for your dimensions. People would quibble over 1mm or a quarter of an inch difference in frame size, when maybe they should have been looking at the differences in tube angles and top tube lengths.
Take a good look at your top tube length, or more importantly the distance from the tip of the saddle to the handle bars and how far behind the bottom bracket that the tip of the saddle is. These measurements should give you the same position for your upper body on the bike.
Now to the seat tube length, obviously this is of utmost importance to get the correct frame size. Some of the problem has been removed by the invention of the compact frame design or the sloping top tube.
The 56 cm has an actual length from the centre of the bottom bracket to top of the tube of 51.5 cm and the 54cm is 49.5cm, which is not a great difference. You could look at the advised stand over height which is 801mm for the 56cm and 780mm for the 54, this should be taken from where the horizontal top tube would be, so this is an inside leg measurement, but this is only a rough guide.
So to sum up; check your top tube length and if you can go for the smaller (54cm), more rigid frame then that is the one to go for. With the compact design there are more options to adjust the bike to fit you with seat pin and stem length as opposed to the older horizontal top tube design.
If you can fit the 54cm, then get it!
Specialized Roubaix
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