Hello guys! I am quite new to the cycling game and got myself a new gravel bike. Ive been wanting it for a few months after commuting with a mountainbike to uni. I just got it into my hands today and wanted to ask if i accidentally bought a size too small? Decathlon said from 174-181cm height an M size should be good to go. I am 178/179/180cm tall depending on the time of the day. Sorry for the weird pose in the picture i couldnt find a better way to take it without having to hold on to the wall! Hope you guys can help me thank you very much in advance.
by KalmEIYIE
10 Comments
idk, but did anyone think the brown of the shirt was his skin and he had the most insanely cropped shirt ever for asec?
Yeah looks a bit too small for you
Looks good to me.
I think the saddle is adjusted a little too high. The knee should not be completely stretched while the foot is leveled.
Looks like the way my old bike fit me. It worked fine enough for zipping around the city, but was a tad too small. You should be okay with this bike unless you want to do long, serious training rides. Moving a size up with my current bike was an immediate game changer, it fits like a glove!
Your height is probably on target but maybe your torso is too long. I’m kind of a knuckle dragger myself and usually need to size up or at least find some reach with a different stem. For commuting, it’s probably desirable to be upright, but for Saturday morning group rides, I think something a bit longer would be better.
For your height and from what I can tell by the length of your legs in the photo, you should have gotten a L/XL. Road/gravel bikes are generally a bit more forgiving when it comes to sizes but yes, that looks a bit small for you. I’m 178cm and my bike is an L.
It looks small to me. But it is really dependent on you; which posture is comfortable for you.
Seat is not an issue, as that is adjustable.
Step over height. If you dismount and stand over the top bar, do you have room for your crotch? And if you go up to next size, do you still have room? That will tell you if next size up works for you. You can look at the geometry spec, this bike, and estimate.
Reach. In your photo, your reach is a bit close/short, so you are sitting upright. If you want to be upright, this works. If you want to be more leaned forward for more aerodynamics, then this bike seems small. You can ride, and just put one hand 10-20-30 mm forward. See if that is more comfortable.
On geometry, you can compare horizontal or effect top tube length, between current bike versus larger size. Most road bikes offer sizes every 20mm. But discount bikes with discreet sizes like S/M/L might be 25-30mm.
You can adjust the reach with stem change in the future, so it is not the end of the world.
Saddle looks a bit too high, and reach a bit too short.
Saddle is easily adjusted.
Reach perhaps replace the stem with one 20 cm longer.
If you were to move up on frame size, then your stack height might be too high. You don’t want your ass lower than the top of your bars generally speaking.
First of all check Decathlon’s returns policy so you know how much you can do with the bike without losing the right to return it.
Second, ignore what it looks like, worry about how it feels under you.
If your reach feels compressed like you are on a child’s bike it may be too small. If you can’t get the saddle high enough without the seatpost going beyond the safety marks it’s too small.
I doubt either is the case because you are an average sized man who has bought an average sized bike.
Also, there is plenty of scope for adjusting the fit by changing the height and reach of the stem. Some pros ride very small frames compared to their height.
My very crude rule for frame size is can I stand over it without crushing my particulars, and can I steer it from lock to lock without having to stretch.