Considering buying a bike...

[Pulpstar]

Hey folks,

Was wondering if I could get opinions,

Haven't ridden a bike of any sort in ages, and was thinking of getting a road bike... because well running is so bloody slow..

Anyway my boss' friend has a Tristina Willier he wants to sell for £250 which seems a very fair price from what I can work out. Question is, just wondering if the frame is the right size. I have little legs for my height (31.5"/6'1) !

Frame is a 54 cm...

Will test it over the weekend, it seems a great price and a nice bike, precisely what I'm looking for - is it too small though, or will it not be such an issue ?
It feels OK - but I've only ridden it round work car park

http://s248.photobucket.com/user/Pulpstar/media/IMG_20140516_132858.jpg.html

http://s248.photobucket.com/user/Pulpstar/media/IMG_20140516_133413.jpg.html

 

[stutue]

Possibly a bit small.

You can put a longer stem on it though. Try it out. Its the only way.

 

[King Boonen]

Longer stem, move the saddle up, it could work, worth trying it out.


Does look a bit cramped for longer rides though.

 

[JayKosta]

It looks too small.

The position shown in the photos with your hands on the brake hoods is what should happen with your hands on the bar near the stem - with a proper size frame & stem.

A 'rough' guide is to place your elbow on the front of the saddle, your fingers should then reach the bar near the stem.

If you install a longer stem it will change the weight distribution and put much more weight on the front wheel, and also change the 'feel' of the steering.

I don't think you would be happy with that size frame .....

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[Pulpstar]

It looks too small.


A 'rough' guide is to place your elbow on the front of the saddle, your fingers should then reach the bar near the stem.



Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

My fingers reach to about the 'C' on Ritchey, do you mean they shd reach to the bars or the start of the stem ?

 

[JayKosta]

I meant that your fingers should reach the bar.
But if you are comfortable using various positions of your hands on the bars, then the fit might be ok for you.

Try - hands on bar near the stem for an easy upright posiion, hands on the top curve of the bars for a little lower position, hands on brake hoods, hands on the 'drop' section of the bars.

The fit in the various positions should feel comfortable - so that you are not too stretched-out, bending too low, or schrunched-up.

Also keep in mind that you might want to change the saddle.

The bike looks nice and price seems reasonable. It could probably be resold without losing any money....

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Hey folks,

Was wondering if I could get opinions,

Haven't ridden a bike of any sort in ages, and was thinking of getting a road bike... because well running is so bloody slow..

Anyway my boss' friend has a Tristina Willier he wants to sell for £250 which seems a very fair price from what I can work out. Question is, just wondering if the frame is the right size. I have little legs for my height (31.5"/6'1) !

Frame is a 54 cm...

Will test it over the weekend, it seems a great price and a nice bike, precisely what I'm looking for - is it too small though, or will it not be such an issue ?
It feels OK - but I've only ridden it round work car park

http://s248.photobucket.com/user/Pulpstar/media/IMG_20140516_132858.jpg.html

http://s248.photobucket.com/user/Pulpstar/media/IMG_20140516_133413.jpg.html

I think the biggest 'issue' is that with smallish frames come short headtubes. The drop from saddle to handlebars 'may' be excessive for you. If you can deal with that and corresponding short-ish top tube..with a stem with sufficient ride, it 'may' work.

Looked at the pix..it looks to low, too short for you. I think you would be better off with a larger frame and shorter stem rather than a small frame(top tube/head tube) and huge risey stem.

 

[twothirds]

You need a frame that's 56cm, one with a top tube a little longer than normal. Your head tube is too low, the top tube too short, and your front wheel is too close/underneath you. You could try the longer stem, but it will still be too low/too stretched out, and the front wheel will be further underneath you. This will screw up the handling quite a bit.

 

[Master50]

Agree with most. the frame is my size and I am 5'10" 54 c-c or 56 c-t. 55 cm Top Tube. At my age and flexibility I need a lot of stack too. My stem has gotten higher and shorter. A frame that size for a rider your height can only work if you are very flexible. A very long stem and seat post too. these changes will change the bike's handling too. While a lot of Pros seem to ride small frames to get the seat to bar drop they like I think it is just reaction to the diminishing customization of frames to a racers need. Bikes are made more for we middle class guys that imagine we are racing against the pros but can't touch our toes

 

[hfer07]

At first glance is too small. The question is- have you ever had a bike fitting before? Do you know first hand which frame size is appropriate for your body frame? Usually you have 3 size options to work with-all depending on your fitness & flexibility- because as one of the folks mentioned- If the frame is small BUT is in within your body frame size- it could be fixed by adjusting the saddle setback & the stem length.

 

[Pulpstar]

Thanks for all the replies.

My boss (A keen cyclist) agreed that it was a touch too short. Apparently the top tube is only 52.5 on that model !

But I found a 56.5 top tube/56 Specialized Allez on ebay which I've picked up instead. It fits alot better ^_~

Thanks for all the input guys, appreciated.

 

[winkybiker]

Thanks for all the replies.

My boss (A keen cyclist) agreed that it was a touch too short. Apparently the top tube is only 52.5 on that model !

But I found a 56.5 top tube/56 Specialized Allez on ebay which I've picked up instead. It fits alot better ^_~

Thanks for all the input guys, appreciated.

Sounds good. That's a solid ride.