Hi all,
I am.new to the gravel bike community. Today I picked up my new bike GT size M. I am 168cm tall. Do you think this bike is too big for me? I feel like air have to stretch out quite, but perhaps that is also expected with these.kind of road bike handles?
Should I return this bike and get a refund or keep it?
by New_Biscotti3812
25 Comments
It looks about right to me but it is hard to tell from those pictures. You need shoes on and you need your leg extended with one of the pedals straight down for us to get a better idea.
The GT size charts show that you are on the line between S and M. If your body proportions are “average”, you should be able to use either one with adjustments. The pictures look OK to me, but the best option for you would be to see if you can get a bike fit, and then adjust the bike to the fit report.
The stem could be shortened a bit as you are reaching a little too far ( you’ll strain your lower back doing so in the long run).
Put you cycling gear on and shoes then go in the drops. I ride M but by the guide should be S. I ride in the drops. Lower the seat post. Looks to high. A basic measurement is sat on saddle heel on pedal. You can’t feel comfortable on your bike in jeans. Too restrictive. Get in the drops.
A well-fitting bike should feel completely natural regardless of what kind of bike it is. If it feels too long, then it probably is too long. If I were you, I’d get a shorter bike instead. Hope this helps.
Too big
much shorter stem and maybe saddle more to the front would help a lot
A lot of beginners feel stretched out at first when they’re not used to drop bars. Myself included.
Watch a few basic bike fitting YouTube videos, make some adjustments, and ride. I think the bike looks reasonable
Keep it, it’s fine
The bike is not too big, but you might consider raising the handlebars a bit. I prefer the bars level with the seat and going into the drops when I want to get more aero.
Looks about right. A shorter stem would probably help.
The usual advice for someone on the border between two sizes according to the manufacturer size guide, is to size down. It’s easier to make a slightly small bike fit comfortably than a too big one.
Looks about right to me (with all the caveats already mentioned about shoes, clothes, etc).
It’s very typical that you’ll have to adjust things at first (and over time). If this is your first drop bar road bike you’ll probably want the handlebars higher and closer than “typical” (and it looks like you can swap the stem to do that). As you ride more and get used to the position you’ll probably find you want to get a little lower/longer again (a more “athletic” position).
Bend your elbows when on the hoods, if it feels like you can’t without sliding forward then the reach is too long. If you can do it by moving your hands back a few cm on the bars then perhaps changing the stem.
Gravel is meant to be endurance and comfort geo, if you feel like you are near horizontal then the stack is too low. Some bikes and people have poor geo matches and playing with the stem and saddle position has other effects.
This whole idea of everyone fitting on one of like 4-5 bike sizes is wild.
To me you look good in the pictures but if you aren’t used to the positioning it’ll feel bad. If you have a ton of weight on your hands in that position it’ll feel bad doing any sort of real mileage.
Oh hey, fellow GT grade rider here! I’m 6’1” with a 32” inseam and that put me squarely in “L” territory per their sizing chart, but it still felt big to me. I also felt like I was reaching too far. The GT Grade is an interesting bike because it’s SO long compared to other similarly sized bikes. But the laid out riding position is intentional; it’s “progressive” for better or worse. I took mine to a fitter, who didn’t actually recommend a fit, and said that the bike was workable as it is. TL;DR I don’t think I actually was reaching too far for a guy my size, but there’s still room for adjustment for the sake of comfort.
The change that made all the difference for me, as recommended by fitter guy, was a new seat post. The stock seat post has a 20mm setback and I took the excuse to splurge on a Redshift suspension post with a 6mm setback (likely closer to 10mm once you sit on it). That let me move my saddle forward enough to where my knees were in a much better position over the pedals — which is the thing you should solve for *before* your reach, at least according to the hotly debated KOPS method of fitting — and it also solved most of my gripes with the reach at the same time. You could try a zero-setback seat post too; the suspension thing is overkill for sure.
From there, the change that really dialed it in for me was moving some of the spacers on the headset below the bars to elevate them by about 10mm. That reduced the reach and also raised my riding position just a touch.
Now I’m quite happy with the fit of my bike. Hope these changes help you too!
If you are struggling reaching the brake levers you can adjust it as well, like here for example for tiagra brakes:
https://youtu.be/waysfd9Le9o?si=jqOQsBFOGpFjs5Km
That was a game changer for my wife
No, it’s not too big. It’s possible you need a shorter stem, which is a minor thing.
Size looks good, fit doesnt. Work on that watching youtube videos if you dont wanna pay for that service. There are apps now that help you with that too.
Looks good in the photo shared. What is the distance from the top tube to your crotch?
looks right but try moving the saddle forward a and add 10mm spacer to raise the stem a bit.
I am a hobby frame builder and use BikeCad for my bike fits before I start building and this frame looks fine
If you feel you’re a little strech then you’re already really stretched, humans adapt quite well and that can bring injuries, now, this does not need to mean that the bike is too big, maybe it just not fitted. Start by lowering your saddle 4cms then ride it and do 5mm increments, put your saddle rails in the middle, when you find the perfect height then you can start playing with handle bar rotation by loosing the bolts, try to level the end of the handlebar to flor with a spirit level then try it and after playing with all that and the result is taht you need a stem 10mm or 20mm shorter than the one it came then yes, the bike is too big, you can put shorter stems but it will affect the handling, perhaps you notice it perhaps no, everyone is different
Hard to say based on these pictures, try to following:
Take the chain off, lean against a wall and peddle while recording yourself from the side and lets have another look. (this will also allow you to make a post at r/bikefit which will be more expertise then this sub)
Also wear shoes unless you ride outside on your socks aswell.
If you cannot do that atleast consider the following:
-locked elbows is always a bad sign and will hurt you but does not automatically mean the size is wrong, could be just the fit.
-Toes pointing downwards in the lowest peddel is not good, your feet should remain flat
-numb hands is not good, but might just indicate a bad saddle position (keep it level on where you sit, usually this is about the middle (above the pin)) and ensure you find your centre of gravity with the setback.
I would put the highest and shortest riser stem on it you can find. With the handlebars raised up you will not feel so stretched out. I am not a fan of aero positions that while faster can lead to lower back and hand/shoulder issues. Unless you are racing competitively go for comfort first.
size looks great! if anything, lower the seat post a bit until you’re comfortable with full leg extension. I usually ride with my hands on the top of the drop — makes your back and neck less sore
I’m the same size and I use small . It’s going to be harder to make you feel comfortable