What size road bike do I need if I am female, 5 feet 6.5 inches tall?

Question

(I know I've asked a lot of questions....but just trying to learn as much as possible)

Answer 1

you need to get I think 56cm bike or you can go to a bike shop and they will size you I am 6foot 3inches and use a 63cm bike

Answer 2

Yes another question! Everyone that is getting into performance road cycling has many questions.

No one can tell you your exact bike size on here. But I can give you an idea. Bike fit has other components than just your height but that is a start. Also, different brands measure the size a little differently to confuse matters more. In general, a ballpark size for you would be about a 50cm. I'm 5-8 and have a 30.5 inseam. I ride a 52cm sized Cannondale CAAD5. Now if I bought another make or model I may go up or down a little in size.

If you have never ridden a performance road bike you would find the bike and your riding postion on it akward. That's part of the problem for a newbie. Most people are used to an upright riding position and the streched out leaned forward postion feels wrong. So the newbie isn't sure if the fit is good or bad. This is where a knowedgeable person either someone you know or a reputable bike shop can really help.

Some women have longer legs compared to their torso vs. men whom tend to have longer torsos. To help fit women, some bikes are labeled WS (women specific) fit. Also, women tend to have narrower sholders, smaller hands and a different shaped rear end. A truly WS fit may incorporate a shorter top tube to fit a shorter torso, narrower handle bar width, shorter cranks, even smaller STI levers. The saddle will be WS also. Not all women need or want all of this. Also, some brands lable a bike WS with mostly bike color being the difference, so it's just a marketing tool. Beware.

When you do get a good fitting bike there is maybe a 20% chance the saddle will be right for you. Saddle height, tilt fore/aft position along with the model saddle is something cyclist spend a lot of time getting right.

There a lot more to it making it even more confusing. To a seasoned cyclist this may seem like common sense. But I can say this, I see many long time cyclists that ride a lot on ill fitting bikes. Since they never rode a good fit, they just don't know how much better it could be.

Note that not all bike shops know how to fit a performance road bike well. Others may try to sell what they have even if it isn't the best for you. I suggest visiting several shops to see what they have. Talk to them at length about fit etc. Try out a few bikes. If a shop puts you on a bike that you can standover and say it's your size, well, that's not true, it's only the start. Again, unfortunately, since you don't know how a good fit should feel, you can't easily disagree.

The reach (how far you lean and reach forward to the handlebars) is very important after the basic stand over height is found. If the reach is too far you will be leaned over too far forward with too much weight on your hands, this will tire you and cause hand numbness. It also causes you to roll forward on your saddle off your sitting bones and on to your peraneum area - that's bad. If it's too short you will be sitting up too much and feel cramped. This can be adjusted for somewhat with a shorter or longer stem.

I wrote more than intended, hoping to show you some impotant information and cravates when bike shoping. I hope I didn't confuse the issue too much. I left out many details as I just can't cover and qualify everthing I wrote here.