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Noob Bike Questions

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Old_Man_McGucket
Old_Man_McGucket Posts: 310 Member
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Other than a couple of sprints that I did in my early 20s, I am a complete noob. I've wanted to get back into it for a couple of years, but bike cost was holding me back. I recently received an unexpected work bonus and have set some aside for a bike.

I'm 5'7" and properly fit to a 52cm frame. I've recently seen several on Craig's List which are in my price range (400-600) but are 54cm. Looking at my ruler, 2cm seems pretty small. Do you think I could get away with a 54cm?

Any other tips on purchasing used bikes would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.

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  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited September 2015
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    FWIW...

    I'm 5' 8" and can comfortably ride a 55-56 road bike, and am on a 54" Cervelo tri bike. I would think you could make a 54 work, but fit might not be ideal. Probably not a huge issue for short-course races, but might be on HIM+. Are you looking at tri-specific bikes? If so, double check that there is plenty of adjustablity with the aerobars. Make sure the bars/pads can be moved forward and back. That will give you a lot of play when setting up the bike, and worst case scenario, you have to buy a new stem, which can be pretty cheap. If you find a great deal on a bike, you can always replace the aerobars, but I'm not sure how that works with your budget.

    Also, do some research on different brands/manufacturers (slow twitch might be a good place to start)... some brands are known to have shorter or longer toptubes for their size.


    Lastly, if you've "recently seen several" 54s on CL, it's just a matter of time before a 52 pops up. Just be patient.
  • scott091501
    scott091501 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    Like Jackson said I'm 5'8" and should be on a 54-56 tri bike. Absent a fitting to tell you which models & sizes work for you go ride them and see if you feel too stretched out or too scrunched up. Then take a look at the components. I wouldn't ride anything under Ultegra for Shimano components or SRAM Force, but I'm also a bit of a component snob.
  • Old_Man_McGucket
    Old_Man_McGucket Posts: 310 Member
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    @jacksonpt @scott091501 : Thanks guys. Very useful advice and it helps me differentiate a couple that I am interested in. BTW - I understand patience would be wise, but the clock is ticking on my wife vetoing this spend or the money get used for something else.

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