CAAD8 58 or 61cm frame?

[moookeee]

Hi all, first time poster.

I'm buying my first road bike and due to recommendations and price I'm going for a Cannondale CAAD8 2013 Model with 105 gear.

I'm a bit confused with the frame sizing.. and I have read conflicting reports about the frame sizes.

I am 6'4" (193cm) tall with a inseam of 37" (94.5cm).

Does anyone with similar measurements have the 58 or 61cm frame and can make recommendations?

Ps I will try the 58cm frame this weekend but the 61cm frame is only available online for me.

 

[mark st1]

@smokeysmoo is your man he is a Giant Cannondale owner.

 

[Hacienda71]

I would have thought a 61. I am 6'3 with a 34" inside leg and my 58 is about as small as I would go, I also have a 60 which is fine. Not caad's but the standover heights will be similar.

 

[ColinJ]

61 cm!

I am 6' 1" tall, with 33 32 inch (84 81 cm) *** inseam, and I ride 58 cm bikes. I need the saddle reasonably high and use 11 cm stems. The only way you would get a 58 cm bike to fit you would be to have your saddle several inches higher than mine and to use a stupidly long stem.

Here's my 58 cm Cannondale. Think how high would you need the saddle with your legs being 4 5 *** inches longer than mine!

I managed to fit a 61 cm bike by using an 8 cm stem, so no way should you be going for anything smaller, and with (say) an 11+ cm stem.


*** I just checked - I have a 32" inseam , not 33"!

 

[Thayne]

Hi - I'd go for the 61 at your height. I'm just under 6' and ride a 58cm no problem. A lot is also due to personal comfort I think!

 

[Biker Joe]

I agree. Definitely the 61cm.
Gee. You're a tall bloke!
Nice bike, by the way.

 

[line71]

All depends on your body proportions,you may have shorter legs and a longer body or vice versa
No point taking advice here,best to go in a shop and try various models out before committing yourself

 

[Hacienda71]

He hasn't got short legs with a 37" inner leg. although if buying from a retailer rather than online, a basic bike fit goes without saying.

 

[Dayvo]

I'm 6' 1" and have a RED CAAD 10 105, 58".

So IMO a 61" is, err, right up your street.

 

[Upstream]

I'm 6' 2" and I have ridden lots of different road bikes. What I tend to find is that if I'm riding a bike where the top tube is fairly horizontal (doesn't slope upwards in either direction) then I am only comfortable if the frame is 61cm or larger. Where the top tube does slope upwards towards the head tube however - it all depends on how steep the angle is. Based on the information that you have provided, I'd suggest that on anything smaller than a 60CM frame, you may find that although you can get the seat high enough, that the tops of the handlebars are so much lower than the height of the saddle that you end up with shoulder and / or neck pain.

The problem with being tall of course is that an increasing number of manufacturers seem to be producing 58cm as the largest frame sizes in their range :-(

 

[outlash]

I'm 6' 3" with a 34" inside leg and my CAAD8 is a 58. You'll probably want the 61.


Tony.

 

[ColinJ]

I'd suggest that on anything smaller than a 60CM frame, you may find that although you can get the seat high enough, that the tops of the handlebars are so much lower than the height of the saddle that you end up with shoulder and / or neck pain.

I'm 'only' 6' 1" and I had to flip the stem on my 58 cm Cannondale to get comfortable (see picture in post #4). You can imagine the drop down if the saddle had to be raised by several more inches!

 

[Upstream]

I'm 'only' 6' 1" and I had to flip the stem on my 58 cm Cannondale to get comfortable (see picture in post #4). You can imagine the drop down if the saddle had to be raised by several more inches!

Yes - that would probably be really uncomfortable for most people. Generally when I'm riding a non compact, I flip the handlebar stem even on a 61cm frame. It's only with my current bike that I was able to have the stem unflipped but this is a 61cm compact geometry. The tops of the handlebars are about 2 inches below the height of the seat (see image).

 

[Cycleops]

Yes - that would probably be really uncomfortable for most people. Generally when I'm riding a non compact, I flip the handlebar stem even on a 61cm frame. It's only with my current bike that I was able to have the stem unflipped but this is a 61cm compact geometry. The tops of the handlebars are about 2 inches below the height of the seat (see image).

That seatpost looks a long way out of the frame. You really need at least 2" inside the frame to avoid over stressing it, that is why you need to get the correct size in the first place. The OP will certainly need the 61cm, which even may be too small.

 

[Upstream]

That seatpost looks a long way out of the frame. You really need at least 2" inside the frame to avoid over stressing it, that is why you need to get the correct size in the first place. The OP will certainly need the 61cm, which even may be too small.

Yes - You're right. In my case this was the seatpost supplied with the bike. It is fairly long and is not at the maximum (about 3 inches remains inside the seat tube).