Sizing

[Schmilliemoo]

Hiya guys
I've ordered a new hybrid bike (Cannondale CX2) and I asked the dealer for a small frame. The dealer said at 5'7" and 31" inside leg I should be on medium (I'm normally on 16" on all the other bikes I've had).
Anyhoo the bike has arrived and I feel it's too big for me. I've asked to change it and there's a £50 charge to have the medium one picked up and a small one delivered. It's an online retailer as the bike is on a cycle to work scheme.
I'm wondering what your thoughts are? Am I just being a wuss? I just don't want to end up with a bike I won't ride

 

[vickster]

Compare the geometries against that of your previous bike?

 

[Schmilliemoo]

My previous bikes have been mountain bikes or a 16" hybrid. I've put the seat as low as it will go and I'm barely on tiptoes and if I stand in front of the seat I have no clearance over the crossbar. I even re measured myself to make sure I wasn't shorter than I thought lol

 

[vickster]

It's too big, sounds like you'll have to pay the extra although I would make it clear that you wanted the small

 

[Schmilliemoo]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking I wanted to make sure it wasn't just me. Cheers Vickster

 

[ColinJ]

Crossbar clearance and standing on the ground when seated are not really how you should work out the size of your bike!

What does it feel like to ride?

 

[Schmilliemoo]

Hm I've not ridden it yet. The minute I take it on the road it becomes mine and I can't change it. I was looking at the guide in the handbook hence me quoting a 2" clearance.

 

[cardiac case]

The other day I was in my LBS and sat on a couple of Cannondale's, the Quick 6 & Quick 4.
To my surprise I need a size bigger in this style of bike.

I'm 6 foot, with short legs and a long body (and am almost taller when sitting down).

My road bike (Defy2, see for sale section) is a Large, but with the Cannondale's I felt more comfortable on an XL.
I could stand flat footed and just clear the cross bar with my dangles, or is that too much information?

Cheers,
Paul G

 

[Hill Wimp]

I would personally never buy a bike without riding it first. If you are planning to spend any serious time on the bike you need to make sure it fits. The sizes vary so widely through the brands and just because you are say 5'7 doesn't mean that a certain frame that the manufacturer suggests will fit you as you may have short legs, short torso etc. We are all different.

Send the bike back so you don't lose any money then spend some time trying out bikes properly before you buy.

 

[vickster]

Hm I've not ridden it yet. The minute I take it on the road it becomes mine and I can't change it. I was looking at the guide in the handbook hence me quoting a 2" clearance.

Ah I assume that you have ridden it

A bit cheeky but do you have access to am Evans? They willingly offer testrides on bikes n store for a penny and let you take it for a decent amount of time. As you leave your credit card and photo ID. Perhaps see if you can get a ride this way

It sounds like you already lack confidence in the bike, not a good thing especially as using it regularly for commuting as C2W

Did you manage to check the geometry, especially the TT. You may find a simple stem change works.

The Cannondale site says the S is a 15.7cm and the M 17.4cm, so 16cm in between

http://www.cannondale.com/gbr/2012/bikes/recreation-urban/recreation/quick-cx/2012-quick-cx-2-21057

 

[Schmilliemoo]

I've never bought a bike online before. With the cycle to work there is no choice of dealer and I'm not certain they're giving us a particularly good deal.
I'm tempted to cancel the whole order but that would mean no bike at all for me as the window to order is closed until next year.
We're told if the bike is used outside then it's no longer classed as "new".
I'm fewming - I've been waiting 6 weeks for the bike

 

[Peteaud]

I would pay the £50 to get the bike you want and chalk it up to experience, albeit a costly one.

There is no way a dealer can just look at you, read some measurements and quote that you are xx size frame.

Always ride the bike.

Probably not what you want to hear but if you dont feel right on the bike i can't see any other way.

 

[ColinJ]

If somebody near you could lend you a turbo trainer then you could set the bike up indoors and see what it felt like to pedal it without causing any damage to it. If that person is an experienced cyclist then I am sure they would be able to help you work out if the bike is the right size.

Anyway - good luck. Eventually, you will end up with a bike that you are happy with and will forget this hassle!

I have just noticed where you live. We have a lot of CycleChat members in the Manchester/Stockport area. I'm sure that one of them would volunteer to ride over to help you. They are a friendly lot. I have cycled with many of them. If you like the sound of that, click the Report button below your original post and ask a moderator to change the title to "Bike sizing help needed - Stockport" and you should get help pretty quickly. One obvious precaution though - make sure that whoever contacts you is a long-standing member with hundreds of posts!

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

http://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=41

This explains it pretty well.

 

[smokeysmoo]

FYI - even if you paid for your own courier to return the bike and collect the replacement it would cost around the £20 mark each way, and that's not accounting for a bike box, packaging and packing time.

My point being that the £50 they're quoting isn't outrageous IMO.

+1 for vicksters comment in post #4 though. You ordered the size on their advice, they were wrong, how are they going to help you their customer? The might concede, they might meet half way, they might do nowt, but you won't know if you don't ask.

Good luck though.