Contracted upgradeitis last week and ordered a pedal force ZX2 frame, it arrived yesterday and it is a beauty. I have 21days trial period during which I can return it.

I need some assistance to figure out if I have the right size. It seems most folks my height 5'10" would be on a 55-56cm frame.

I used to ride a 55cm c-t seat tube + 54 cm c-c toptube with a 120mm stem.

I used wrenchscience fit calculator which puts me on a 53/54cm c-t. With a reach of 66-67 cm which is identical to my old bike.

Based on those numbers I purchased the 53cm ZX2 which has a 54cm c-c top tube. 53cm is the size is measured from c of the bb to top of the seat collar making it really about a 52 cm c-t.

My measurements based on wrenchsience measuring methods:
height 177cm (5'10")
Sterum notch = 150cm
Arms = 61cm
inseam = 80.5 cm

As set up, I need about 2.5-3cm of spacers to bring set up the ZX2 bars to the same height as my old ride (old ride had 0 spacers - horizontal stem). (The ZX2 has an integrated head tube about 1" shorter than my old ride. )

Does it sound like I have the right size frame or should I move up to the 56cm (56cm c-c top tupe). That would drop my stem length to 90-100mm and I would be using less than 1cm of spacers under the stem.

Will post a photo of the ride later tonight.

Your constructive comments appreciated.

with 3 cm of spacers it has the same bar height as the old bike. I could probably drop it a notch further and still be comfy. Also will need to increase the stem from 110 to 120 mm to match the reach of the old bike/

So does it look like its undersized ?????

Did you keep it? How is it going? Do u like it?

I think it is not far off.

To increase the reach, and get a position I would like, I would drop the saddle by 1 or 2 cms, then move the saddle backwards by 1 or 2 cms. Then I would redo the bar tape and lever position, aiming to have the flat section of the bar and the start of the curve almost horizontal, and the lever as a continuation of that 'flat'.

You have got plenty of room to experiment without changing the stem.

More personally; yellow bar tape? No, not ever!

What is your inseam length? Really hard to tell if a bike fits or not without watching you ride it. I know people 4 inches shorter than you who ride a 53cm bike (BB to top of seat collar); these folks have shorter legs and like a low aggressive riding position. Your bike sounds small for your size.

I did not keep it.
I swapped it for a 56cm after 1 ride. The 56 was used for ~6 months, used a 100mm stem and it felt about right.
The ride is comfy, it definately soaked up the road buzz, but felt dull (sorta like a soft wet rear end) Steering was also twitchy.

Initially the bike looked great . However after facing the BB and HT, the massive amounts of Bondo was revealed.... the HT also was very poorly made, alot of epoxy/paint splash in the HT.

I ebayed her, and replaced her with a 54 Basso Zero 9. Fits perfectly with a 120 stem, quality was buckets more impressive than the ZX2. Solved all of the issues I had with the ZX2.

32.25" cycling inseam - ie book in crotch.
Current 54cm Zero9 :
Pedal flats to top saddle is ~91cm, showing 7" of SP from collar to rails, 120mm stem

I did not keep it.
I swapped it for a 56cm after 1 ride. The 56 was used for ~6 months, used a 100mm stem and it felt about right.
The ride is comfy, it definately soaked up the road buzz, but felt dull (sorta like a soft wet rear end) Steering was also twitchy.

Initially the bike looked great . However after facing the BB and HT, the massive amounts of Bondo was revealed.... the HT also was very poorly made, alot of epoxy/paint splash in the HT.


Sounds like you're describing the typical carbon ride. Trek carbon bikes feel the same. Trek also uses plastic filler to get the smooth gussets at the head tube and bottom bracket (I don't know if this adds strength or is just for looks).

Twitchy is a personal preference issue. Some people call this "responsive" and it should be expected on a short wheelbase race bike. A bike with a more relaxed geometry will give you a more stable, less responsive ride.

Small amounts of filler is acceptable to smooth things out. On the ZX2, it looked like it had been slathered on with a butter knife. Seriously - there was vast quantities of this stuff, it was under the seat collar, all over the dropouts ( I'd scratched the frame in a trainer and when taking off the seat collar), also apparent in the facing. It was THICKLY applied, and the stuff appeared to have a consistency similar to plaster of paris - i.e it was weaker than the overlying coats of paint. So when you scratched the frame, you get a small scrape in the paint but a large bubble/crater underneath where the "bondo" was crushed/powered. I was dissapointed at the obvious lack of durability and care that went into the manufacture of this frame. For 200 more the Zero9 (was on sale) is a superior bike.

I have not ridden any other CF bikes, so can't comment on the feeling compared to other CF. However the Zero9 with CF SeatS and ChainS feels a lot better, much more responsive in the rear. I'm keeping this one.

The ZX3 on the other hand, looks like a completly different bike. the quality looks better than I've seen with the ZX2. (unless the bondo is under the finishing carbon layer) . I've seen the same frame being sold by fetishcycles for over 1000. The same frame is also available in Taiwan from several dealers for around 450.