I know someone who is offering me a beautiful bianchi that i would jump in in an instant, though i need to go ride it, i think it's too small :mad2: i have about a 29, 30 inch inseam, but the bike is listed as 53 cm, and I'm fearing it's going to be on the small side. Is it even feasible? should I go out and take a look at the thing?

Also, does anyone ride smaller frames like this on purpose, can the seat be scooted back a bit and maybe a longer stem fitted? Help would be really appreciated!

Check whether the frame size is expressed in center-center or center-top form. 53 C-C may not be too small for you. Your inseam seems short given your height. What is a comfortable stand-over height for you?

Ken

The dimensions that are truly important in fit, is the top tube length, head tube length, and seat tube angle. A 53 could fit you depending on your reach and how much drop your neck and back can tolerate.

As noted above the bike may fit depending on STL and TT length - you may want to consider a long stem 120mm 0r 130mm to make it work.

God luck

It's too small.

I am 5' 10" with a 29" inseam and I ride a 52. It just depends on the measurements and the best way to tell is to give it a ride.

I ride a 53cm compact frame that has a virtual top tube length of 53.5 cm and I run an 11cm stem on it. I'm between 5' 8" and 5' 9" and I have a 31" inseam. The bike fits me pretty well. My reach is 65 cm based upon the Wrench Science and Competitive Cyclist fit calculators. The bars are almost at the top of the fork and the seat is somewhat forward, but that is what has been working for me for almost 20 years now so I still go with it. I could probably move the seat back 1 cm if I used a 10 cm stem, but that isn't the way my old racing bike is set up. Here is a pic:

Warning....threadrift
Fabsroman:
How does that Bianchi ride? Is that a Bianchi fork?

That is a Bianchi fork, but it is the fork from the Ducati bike. I picked it up on ebay. It has a 45mm rake instead of the original 43mm. This bike handles a lot quicker than my Cristallo which will probably be good for the crits. The quicker handling is probably a result of the increased fork rake. However, the Cristallo just seems a lot smoother. With that said, I only have 3 rides on this bike so far. The first one was a hill climbing ride with my teammates and I was terribly out of shape. This was back in February and the trees and the road had ice on them. I think I would have been scared of the descents no matter what bike I was riding. The third ride was in 20 mph winds and the cross winds had me a little bit off my line, and I am usually pretty good at holding a straight line. All in all, I like the bike a lot, but I haven't been able to really put the hammer down on it in a sprint yet. Arter my first couple of sprints, I'll let you know a little more. Set up the way it is, it weighs 14.5 pounds. With the 404's on it, it comes close to 15 pounds.

Fabsroman, I am a similair size as you but run a 54cm tt IF with a 110cm stem.

I know someone who is offering me a beautiful bianchi that i would jump in in an instant, though i need to go ride it, i think it's too small :mad2: i have about a 29, 30 inch inseam, but the bike is listed as 53 cm, and I'm fearing it's going to be on the small side. Is it even feasible? should I go out and take a look at the thing?

Also, does anyone ride smaller frames like this on purpose, can the seat be scooted back a bit and maybe a longer stem fitted? Help would be really appreciated!
It might not be too small as long as the top tube is long enough.
I'm 6' tall but my inseam is only 32.5.
I ride a custom Serotta 53 (c to c) with 57 top tube with 110 stem and a medium Time (51 c to c with 56 top tube and 120mm stem).
I did this so that don't have to use 130 or 140 stem.
The most important thing is the position of your body above the bottom bracket without having too short/long reach...

Most people out there say that top tube is the most important, but head tube length is also crucial because you could only stack 40mm of spacers under the stem. If your bars are too low it could get uncomfortable for you and you may not be able to breathe as well, compared to being more upright.

You can kind of fix the stack height issue with an inverted stem that has rise to it instead of drop. Obviously, this doesn't work for the one piece stem/bar setups like the Cinelli Rams that I use.

Corky,

I ride 50 sloping Colnagos that have an effective top tube length of 54cm and I use a 110 stem on them. I'm going to buy a C50 this winter and I'll get it with a 53.5 cm top tube in 53cm c-t traditional. The 1/2 inch difference in the TT doesn't really bother me that much.

You can get away with a smaller frame by increasing stem length and using a longer layback seatpost but the stem will sit lower than a properly fit frame. This is even more true today with non-quill stems as it is not fashionably acceptable to place a stack of stem spacers underneath your stem while a quill stem can be raised to its minimum insert line if you need some additional height.

Is the frame a compact? A 53cm compact would probably fit you just right but a 53cm traditional would be too small. Also, is the frame measured C-T (the correct way) or C-C (which yields a measurement that is about 2cm smaller than it should and is not exactly correct)? If it was measured C-C and it is a traditional frame it would probably fit you.

How tall is your friend? If he is shorter than you then the frame is probably too small for you. If he is approximately your height there is a much better chance that it will fit you.

I am 5'10" and ride a 53 Lemond Zurich. As others have said it's the top tube that makes the size. My other rides have been 54s. I do have a short torso, so the reach is perfect for me on that frame.

These guys think so:

It will all depend on the OP's flexibility. The smaller frames require the riders to be able to deal with a lot of drop from saddle to bars. Another thing that matters is the OP's femur length. If he has long femurs, he can move the saddle pretty far back and increase the reach to the bars, which would allow him to use a shorter stem.

That DeRosa is at least one size too small for that rider, and I like a small frame. I guess they lost his bike at the airport:D

That DeRosa is at least one size too small for that rider, and I like a small frame. I guess they lost his bike at the airport:D

Yeah, what does Bettini know about bike fit.

I bet if he rode the right size frame he could be a half decent rider.

Is that really Paolo Bettini riding that DeRosa? If I had to guess, I would have guessed Danilo DiLuca, but DiLuca has been riding for Liquigas for the past couple of years.

I think its DiLuca....... doubt he knows anything about bike fit either. That said, it really does look small, but who's going to argue when you can ride like those guys?

I would be more concerned about 53 c-c frame being too tall for a 29-30 inseam.

My inseam is 29 3/4" and I ride a 53 c-c, standover height is tight on both my bikes, but I have a long torso and wanted the longer TT lenght.

If I were you I'd try it, nothing lost that way. I am 5' 5" and ride a 53 cm Bianchi (2002 steel frame) and it fits me perfectly. I have a bit more than a 31 stand over, long femurs, shorter torso and long arms. That is one of the reasons I went with the Bianchi, they seemed to have a shorter top tube than the LeMonde. I am built more like an Italian than an American I guess.....

I'm about fabrosman's size and have found generally that bikes with a 55 top tube, bars about 2" below the saddle and a 100mm stem work for me. Dave Moulton's blog has a formula for bike fit that's seems to jibe with my measurements.

I have a bianchi 53cm and I am 5-10. It fits me like a glove. I have a 12cm stem and am pretty flexible. I would second the reply about making sure that the headtube is going to be up high enough. I would certainly check it out.

Yep, it is DiLuca. Just read that he is riding for LPR Brakes for the 2008 season. I also think that the frame is too small for him in that pic, but I'm not a pro. Maybe that bike was off the team car after a wreck.