size guide for raleigh royal

[ChrisEyles]

Hi All,

Just seen the Raleigh royal going for £360 on Amazon, steel frame, decent range of gears (important for my commute), with mudgurads, rear rack and Schwalbe marathon tyres as standard - seems a real steal for the price, and it's a good looking bike.

Could well end up being my next commuter...

Anyway, the sizing guide on Raleigh's website seems a touch eccentric... for a 32" inside leg, they recommend a 50cm frame, which seems quite small (maybe because of the sloping top tube)?

I would normally go for the 55cm frame (I'm 5'9, with 32" inside leg), but there are no local stockists around for me to try one out.

Is anyone who owns one of these (or similar) able to help me out with the sizing connundrum?

Cheers!

 

[Cycleops]

Which Raleigh Royal are we talking about?

Sorry Just seen it, looks like it has a sloping top tube so a smaller size might be ok.

 

[mcshroom]

Doesn't surprise me.

I'm 5'11" with a 33" inside leg and ride a 53cm Dawes Horizon. I don't know the exact sizes for Raleighs but it doesn't sound too far off.

 

[ChrisEyles]

Thanks guys.

The amazon seller only has the 55cm model in stock (I can get a 50cm frame elsewhere, the next size down, but only for £40 extra) - do you think this would be suitable, or is it a step too far for someone of my height?

I am currently riding on old Cinelli tourer (lovely bike, but lowest gear is 42/26 >>> tough going up the hills), which fits me quite nicely. But it has a flat top bar so the comparison is difficult.

Pretty chuffed to see that there are steel framed touring bikes out there for this sort of money though!!

 

[ChrisEyles]

Update for anyone who's interested - I went for the 55cm model, and it fits me quite well (at around 5'9").

After flipping the stem the riding position is very comfortable - a little less agressive than my road bike, but I guess that's what you want for a tourer/commuter.

The 55cm model is probably still around for £360 on Amazon if anyone's interested... it's quite a lot of bike for the money! Will post a mini review later if anyone's interested.