What did your first time feel like? (on the road)

Looking for my first road bike and I've been riding a few trying to get a feel and yes I do plan on getting fit measurements taken, but right now I'm all excited about gathering info on bikes because of my gear-whoredom.

I'm 5'10ish, no specific measurements...
all the 54cm frames feel more comfortable than the 56's. Different models and brands on both. 54's felt more layed out than my mountainbike.. but it felt natural.

I also road a 56cm felt that was the same as the 54 (one of the Felt's) and it felt like the top tube was really long and I had alot of weight bias on my hands. Not bad in the short test ride, but I wondered what 2 hours would be like.

Does the 54cm feel more natural because it fits correctly or because I'm use to the mtb. Do I need to adjust to the 56's?
I don't want it to feel like my mountain bike.. i don't want a compact geometry. I'm buying a road bike to hammer on the roads, to cut weight, be aerodynamic and move as quick as I can.

Are there reasons to choose bigger v smaller frames

what did if feel like when you started?

like warm apple pie.

It hurt more than I thought it would.
Oh wait, this isn't the padded room? Never mind.

I was told to get the smallest/shortest bike that fit comfortably... so in your case, the 54cm. I've got a 54cm felt (I'm 5'11") and I love it.

You can make a small bike bigger but ..... Also a road bike with a longer stem generally will be more stable on the road at speed. Enjoy

Go get fit on a size-cycle. Have the fitter tell you what bikes to buy.

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Originally Posted by XtrPickels

Looking for my first road bike and I've been riding a few trying to get a feel and yes I do plan on getting fit measurements taken, but right now I'm all excited about gathering info on bikes because of my gear-whoredom.

I'm 5'10ish, no specific measurements...
all the 54cm frames feel more comfortable than the 56's. Different models and brands on both. 54's felt more layed out than my mountainbike.. but it felt natural.

I also road a 56cm felt that was the same as the 54 (one of the Felt's) and it felt like the top tube was really long and I had alot of weight bias on my hands. Not bad in the short test ride, but I wondered what 2 hours would be like.

Does the 54cm feel more natural because it fits correctly or because I'm use to the mtb. Do I need to adjust to the 56's?
I don't want it to feel like my mountain bike.. i don't want a compact geometry. I'm buying a road bike to hammer on the roads, to cut weight, be aerodynamic and move as quick as I can.

Are there reasons to choose bigger v smaller frames

what did if feel like when you started?

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XtrP...I am 5'11", and I just bought a 57cm frame. I'm no expert in road biking (far from it...this is my first-ever roadbike), but I did learn a bunch through the purchase. The local shop I purchase from spent 3 hours fine-tuning the fit.

To some degree, I think the size depends on the manufacturer (as in one manufacturer's 54 may feel a little bigger/smaller than anothers). What folks said above is mostly true: you can't make a small frame bigger, but you can go the other direction. Assuming the bikes you try have the same length stem, you can probably use a shorter stem on a bigger frame...or slide the seat up a touch.

I think that a shorter frame would be lighter and more maneuverable than a larger frame.

However, as new roadbikers, you and I probably would not have the expereience to tell the difference...and we'll get accustomed to whatever bike we wind up riding for a while.

For me (roughly a 32" inseam -- actually, 74.5cm in barefeet to crotch), a 54 would have been too small. If you get on the bigger bikes, make sure that when you're standing over it (feet on the ground), you can raise the front wheel at least a cm or 2 without smacking the family jewels.

I have a pretty solid MTB background, and I felt very sketchy on the roadbikes I took for a spin around the block. I was used to pedaling a 39 lb bike, so they all felt like nothing. However, in my first hour of riding, I got to absolutely love it...and after another 5h I feel pretty solid and am building more confidence with cornering.

I'm not sure what your finances are, but I wound up coming up with a bit fo extra scratch to get the right fit. I figured that you spend so many hours in the saddle that if the fit isn't dialed, you can wind up being pretty uncomfortable. I also found some extra bucks for a slightly better saddle, and that seems to be paying off.

The fit I had was 3h of measurements, setting seat height, bar width, stem length...and fine tuning all of this while I road a trainer. Pretty comprehensive.

A good shop might cost you a bit more in the near-term, but if you get the wrong frame size you'll be paying alot more in the long-run.

Good luck!

I'm your size, a bit more torso than legs/arms and ride a 55'' frame .

I second/third what has been said before, definitely get proper measurements to determine the correct size frame fitting your individual anatomy. Nothing is more painful than riding over hours with the wrong fit.

Im your size and found a 54 specialized fit really well.
It sounds like a 54 is the better option over a 56, but maybe try to find a 55 for comparison. Sometimes I still feel a little stretched out, but thats mainly due to me not riding road as much and being used to mtb fit.

My first rides I felt super biased to my arms for supporting my weight.
Mainly just due to bad riding posture, locked arms, and a weak core.
Did lots of sit-ups and that largely helped the problem, as well as finding the right seat angle so I wasnt slipping off or putting too much pressure in that area.

imo no reason to go bigger for any random reason.
Obviously get the one that fits.
A bigger frame will be bigger, heavier, and not as rigid.
Ride compliance and damping should be controlled by material and section geometry, not by making things longer.

FYI:
The folks at the shop that fit me said I should feel a 60-40 balance on my butt vs. arms. They also said that one should feel like the could (or could come close) to taking weight off the arms by supporting oneself with their core strength.

Be sure to do your test rides/fit with relaxed shoulders, elbows and wrists.

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Originally Posted by bklyntrayc

It hurt more than I thought it would.
Oh wait, this isn't the padded room? Never mind.

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BWWAAAHHHAAAA! Girl, you are one sassy chica. I'm so glad you showed up for the party.

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Originally Posted by upallnight

FYI:
Be sure to do your test rides/fit with relaxed shoulders, elbows and wrists.

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I have to think about relaxing my shoulders all the time. Geeze, will I ever learn.

First time felt pretty smoove on my new ride. Surprisingly my butt never hurt - could be those Novara shorts I bought. Surprisingly good.

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Originally Posted by powstash

I have to think about relaxing my shoulders all the time. Geeze, will I ever learn.

First time felt pretty smoove on my new ride. Surprisingly my butt never hurt - could be those Novara shorts I bought. Surprisingly good.

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i have to keep reminding myself, too. but it seems to have lots of similarities to yoga postures & extending up through the crown of the head, which relaxing the shoulders back & down.

i....must....get....better....shorts....

UAN and others, thanks for the feed back. I've ridden 54's and 56's from a few different brands and it seems like Scott 54's are feeling the best.
Hopefully my school finances can work out soon so I'll know what I have for extra cash.

Anyone know the Bozeman area enough to name a solid shop?
I feel like Bangtail knew what they were talking about and could fit me really well but the specialized and treks they have in my price range (<$1,500) didn't wow me at all.

The other shop(s) it went like this:
Salesperson: Sure you can ride a bike, which one you wanna take out?
Me: The 54 Cr1 Team right there
Salesperson: Uhhh
Me: The blue one.

It just doesn't give me confidence. So do I get fit at bangtail with a bike I bought elsewhere, just buy from bangtail because I'm a jong and the specialized and treks are worth it or do I risk not exactly getting the fit right but on a bike I like more out the box?

I hear about how important fit is, but I feel like I'm pretty low in hands on resources.