I posted last week about looking into a used cyclocross bike to use as a road bike, and test-rode some road bikes yesterday to compare it with. The two models were a large Giant OCR1 and a 58cm Fuji Roubaix Pro. This will be my first road bike purchase, so I'm looking for some tips.
I'm 6'1" or so, and have about a 35" inseam...so my torso's not too long compared to my legs. First impressions on the bikes were that the Giant had me extended more, while the Fuji seemed more compact; this would make sense, with the Fuji being a little small compared to the Giant. I liked the build of the Fuji better; even though it lacked some of the Ultegra stuff, it had 105 double cranks instead of the triple Truvativs on the Giant. I don't want the extra weight of a triple system I can do without.
The Giant seemed more comfortable in the drops, while the Fuji was better in the hoods. I felt a little squeezed in riding in the Fuji's drops. I liked the Fuji's handling better, it seemed much less twitchy than the Giant...but I don't think the kind of cramped position while in the drops bodes well. The shop guy had me do the bars-over-front-hub check while in the hoods of the Fuji, and they were correctly placed. The more stretched out position of the Giant while in the drops felt a little unnatural, but should that change as I become more used to road bike geometry?
I was reading Colorado Cyclists's fitment guide, and they mention that taller people too commonly buy bikes that are too small for them, and I think the Fuji might be a mistake in that regard. I'm calling them tomorrow to see if they can round up a 60cm model and ship it in for testing (it's a 2003 bike). I'm also going to try a Specialized Allez.
I'm going to get the Wrench Science measurements and take them in with me next time, when they'll hopefully have a 60cm Roubaix. I'll also take it on a longer ride and see how I hold up.
So, does anyone have any suggestions on what to pay attention to and look out for while riding, fitment-wise? Or when I'm sitting on it in the shop? Are the Colorado Cyclist and Wrench Science websites pretty good at getting the correct bike size for an individual?
Thanks in advance for any help, I would really appreciate any feedback.
Brian
I'm 6'1" or so, and have about a 35" inseam...so my torso's not too long compared to my legs. First impressions on the bikes were that the Giant had me extended more, while the Fuji seemed more compact; this would make sense, with the Fuji being a little small compared to the Giant. I liked the build of the Fuji better; even though it lacked some of the Ultegra stuff, it had 105 double cranks instead of the triple Truvativs on the Giant. I don't want the extra weight of a triple system I can do without.
The Giant seemed more comfortable in the drops, while the Fuji was better in the hoods. I felt a little squeezed in riding in the Fuji's drops. I liked the Fuji's handling better, it seemed much less twitchy than the Giant...but I don't think the kind of cramped position while in the drops bodes well. The shop guy had me do the bars-over-front-hub check while in the hoods of the Fuji, and they were correctly placed. The more stretched out position of the Giant while in the drops felt a little unnatural, but should that change as I become more used to road bike geometry?
I was reading Colorado Cyclists's fitment guide, and they mention that taller people too commonly buy bikes that are too small for them, and I think the Fuji might be a mistake in that regard. I'm calling them tomorrow to see if they can round up a 60cm model and ship it in for testing (it's a 2003 bike). I'm also going to try a Specialized Allez.
I'm going to get the Wrench Science measurements and take them in with me next time, when they'll hopefully have a 60cm Roubaix. I'll also take it on a longer ride and see how I hold up.
So, does anyone have any suggestions on what to pay attention to and look out for while riding, fitment-wise? Or when I'm sitting on it in the shop? Are the Colorado Cyclist and Wrench Science websites pretty good at getting the correct bike size for an individual?
Thanks in advance for any help, I would really appreciate any feedback.
Brian