I've had a few beers and getting cocky, and seeing as how I'm about the same size as you (and a fair bit heavier) I thought I'd add to this thread a bit.
Try not to get hung up too much on manufacturers quoted size, as these days with compact and semi compact frames inside leg measurement and therefore seat tube sizing is almost totally irrelevant. Reach to the bars is the single most important thing for comfort so ideal top tube length should be what you are looking at. For what it's worth I'm not far off your height at 6"2' and all my bikes have a 58.5cm top tube with a 110mm stem or 57.5cm with a 120mm stem. That means I'm on frames ranging from 55cm all the way up to a 61cm depending on how the manufacturer measures the frame and how much the top tube slopes. For what it's worth my Kinesis KiC2 is a 60cm. It does come down to personal preference though, as itisabouthtebike's preference for small frames shows that not everyone is comfortable on what is generally recommended..
Don't be put off by itisaboutthebike's views on wheels, they seem to be as dated as his views on frame materials. Some low spoke count wheels are very strong. I rode a pair of Xero XCR1 (20 rear, 16 front) for about 2 years and weighed just over 16 stone at the time, and while they weren't the stiffest wheels (and I wouldn't recommend them for this fact alone) they didn't exactly collapse under my weight. Problem was that when they did eventually break a spoke after 2 years (and unfortunately that's almost certainly going to happen with any wheel when you're our size) it went so far out of true that it was unrideable and left me with a long walk home. For this reason alone I use nothing less than 32 spokes these days which with a bit of nipple tweaking will still get you home with a broken spoke. I'd go the handbuilt route in either 32 or 36 spokes, that way spokes will be readily available from the lbs and easy to fix should things go pringle shaped. Think about the roadies favourite, the Mavic Open Pro on whatever hub your budget will allow, but there's also the likes of Planet X who can build nice light 32 hole wheelsets for as little as £130. The world's your oyster to be honest.
Try not to get hung up too much on manufacturers quoted size, as these days with compact and semi compact frames inside leg measurement and therefore seat tube sizing is almost totally irrelevant. Reach to the bars is the single most important thing for comfort so ideal top tube length should be what you are looking at. For what it's worth I'm not far off your height at 6"2' and all my bikes have a 58.5cm top tube with a 110mm stem or 57.5cm with a 120mm stem. That means I'm on frames ranging from 55cm all the way up to a 61cm depending on how the manufacturer measures the frame and how much the top tube slopes. For what it's worth my Kinesis KiC2 is a 60cm. It does come down to personal preference though, as itisabouthtebike's preference for small frames shows that not everyone is comfortable on what is generally recommended..
Bigtallfatbloke said:
Don't be put off by itisaboutthebike's views on wheels, they seem to be as dated as his views on frame materials. Some low spoke count wheels are very strong. I rode a pair of Xero XCR1 (20 rear, 16 front) for about 2 years and weighed just over 16 stone at the time, and while they weren't the stiffest wheels (and I wouldn't recommend them for this fact alone) they didn't exactly collapse under my weight. Problem was that when they did eventually break a spoke after 2 years (and unfortunately that's almost certainly going to happen with any wheel when you're our size) it went so far out of true that it was unrideable and left me with a long walk home. For this reason alone I use nothing less than 32 spokes these days which with a bit of nipple tweaking will still get you home with a broken spoke. I'd go the handbuilt route in either 32 or 36 spokes, that way spokes will be readily available from the lbs and easy to fix should things go pringle shaped. Think about the roadies favourite, the Mavic Open Pro on whatever hub your budget will allow, but there's also the likes of Planet X who can build nice light 32 hole wheelsets for as little as £130. The world's your oyster to be honest.
