27 y/o biker here. I’m 5’10" and got a great deal on a used titanium road bike with Di2 shifting, carbon fork, ksyrium wheels, etc. Basically a way nicer bike that I could otherwise afford. I’ve ridden probably 400 miles and I’m sad to report I think its too small. Frame size is 53cm and I feel like my legs don’t have room, so i pop the saddle up a bit, but that results in too much drop so my back hurts. Vicious cycle. I put a shorter high angle stem on which helps but doesn’t solve the problem.
Am I screwed, or is there anything else I can do? I love this bike and it’s much nicer than anything I could afford used or new but worried its just too small. Thoughts?
at 5’10", a 53cm frame is going to be a tough fit and is likely too small…but if you are going to make it work, you’ll need a longer stem, not a shorter one. The reach on a 53 is going to be too short for someone your height, so changing to a shorter stem will jsut make it worse.
What crank length are you running? Shorter cranks will open your hip angle and may reduce the back pain.
Overall, though, 53cm is likely too small. I’m just under 6’ tall with a 32” inseam and medium / 55cm bikes fit me very well. Maybe you could trade this bike for one of similar value in the next size up.
Hm I see your point. I felt my bars were too low causing me to reach down for the hoods, and drops were nearly inaccessible. Layperson brain thought bringing bars up and in a bit would help, but see that shorter is counterproductive. Is the idea to bring the bars up sound? Thanks for the help.
Yes, that probably makes sense because, if the frame is too small, your stack is therefore likely too low (since smaller frames tend to be shorter and not as long). So angling up is likely a good call, but you now need to increase your reach.
Cut your losses, sell it on and look around for another great deal. You’ll never really enjoy the bike if you spend every second of your riding second guessing how it feels: too short, too small, too low, back too rounded, legs too cramped? etc etc
Did you get a professional bike fit? 5’10” on a 53cm frame is nothing crazy. There are pros that ride 2 frames sizes smaller than us amateurs. You can play around with saddle setback or stem length. Or it may just take some time getting used to your new fit.
This is a really bad example of how to do bike fit. Yes, there are pros that ride really small frames, but they do so in order to get very low and they ride ridiculously long stems. They are also physically capable of getting into, and maintaining, a very low position.
There is absolutely no reason any amateur should do something similar.
Appreciate your thoughts everyone. Got this bike on a crazy deal and don’t regret since I can hopefully sell for a small profit and have had some fun with if despite the size. Have some more ambitious riding goals this summer (century & bike tour) so the expense will pay for itself. In the mean time I’ll get a longer high angle stem as a stop gap.
I’ve gone down the rabbit hole watching bike fit videos and it’s possible a 53cm could fit. Bike Fit James has some interesting videos, including this one about sizing calculators. He says he’s 5’10" and would ride a 52cm.
There are so many variables though! It might be worth trying something like MyVeloFit to get a sense if your current fit is way off.
Also give the calculator a shot to see what impact changing your stem could make. Changing the angle, even flipping from negative to positive rise, can have a big impact on bar height and reach.
My first ‘real bike’ was a 58, and I’m ~5’10. It seemed large, and I was able to get it to fit, mostly. It was a holdover at the shop I worked at and got a hysterical deal on it, and poured a lot of money into it to make it fit. I still have the frame and it looks huge compared to my now normal 56. Within reason, you can fit almost any bike to anyone.
