Were people back in the day giants or something?

[Xiorell]

In my scanning of Ebay, looking for suitable old road frames for my next project (Single speed conversion), it seems to me that people who cycled anytime before 1990, must have all be reeeeeeeeally tall.

When I've been down the LBS, sitting on the fancy road bikes, it seems anything from about 54 to 59cm is right for me, 59 being the utter limit.

I look on ebay... "Hmm, that looks like the sorta thing", I think... "Let's see what the frame size is", I tell myself, then I look at it might has well be 18yards frame size!!!

I come across loads of 23, 25.5, 26 inch frames but hardly any old stuff in the 18-21 region.



Did they measure these things in a different fashion back then or something? Cyclists can't ALL have been 6ft+

 

[Chris.IOW]

Did they measure these things in a different fashion back then or something? Cyclists can't ALL have been 6ft+

Sorry?.....there are People under 6ft? Who Knew!

 

[gbb]

I don't know whether i'm right, but i used to wonder about this (the amount of what seem like ridiculously large frames), but the logic i came to was...
Look at older racers, the saddle/seatpost is often low in the seat tube.
Look at new bikes, there's a metre of seatpost above the seat tube (not literally )

Compact frames are the order of the day...you didnt have them years ago.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I used to ride either a 21.5 or 22 inch frame, these days my Pearson is a 54 and my Kilmeston is a 53. I don't know where the small frames went, but there were plenty about.

 

[Wardy]

All the older (pre-90's) bikes I had - Currys, Falcon, Viking and Dawes - were 23" (58cm) size when I really should have had 21" (53cm) as I have now. This was down to the LBS (three different ones too) simply getting me to stand over the bike for sizing. So I guess you could say that things have changed.

 

[Garz]

I often thought this too being a short ass (5'6"). I guessed I would be around 20" frame or slightly bigger, but like you said that doesn't leave much seat post showing so was always reluctant to buy on said auction site in case it was too big.

I don't know if it is correct but when you drop small the wheel sizes seemed to venture into the kids or obscure measurements that may be hard to get hold of?

 

[Andy_R]

depends on where you measure the frame....IIRC used to be that you measued from the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube. now we seem to measure from the middle of the bb to the seat clamp. But I'm sure someone will corect me on this

 

[samid]

Hope I'm not breaking CycleChat rules by posting a link to another cycle forum, but here's the same topic discussed, with a very good explanation given in post 7: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=153149

 

[swee'pea99]

The sizing is completely different on old bikes 'cos they have horizontal, not sloping, top tubes - or 'crossbars', as they were known in those days. Rule of thumb for bikes like that: measure your inside leg and take off 9".

 

[funnymummy]

Sorry?.....there are People under 6ft? Who Knew!

Yeah, there's a few out there - Damn inconsiderate too, gives me blooming neck ache talking down to them all!

 

[subaqua]

I had a 25" framed raleigh phantom. made of steel. I was 6' 2" at 15. i didn't need the seat too high ut of the frame. my mate who was similar had a 23" one he had his seat post out a fair way and i could get faster times on his bike than mine. both bikes weighed the same.

maybe we learned to have a slightly smaller frame and a longer seatpost.

 

[asterix]

Check out this clip from the mid 50's . Seatposts not too exposed in those days! No wonder they were allowed on the railways more ...

https://www.cyclechat.net/

 

[Globalti]

Can't read the Retrobike post but the explanation is that nowadays we ride "compact" frames, where the frame is designed smaller to reduce flex and weight.

There are some pictures somewhere on here of mountain bikes with ridiculously long seatposts.

I wonder if the fashion will eventually go back the other way?

 

[rockyraccoon]

In my scanning of Ebay, looking for suitable old road frames for my next project (Single speed conversion), it seems to me that people who cycled anytime before 1990, must have all be reeeeeeeeally tall.

According to this article from DM we are all getting smaller and our brains are shrinking...

 

[Jezston]

According to this article from DM we are all getting smaller and our brains are shrinking...

Thats just Daily Mail readers.