How to Determine the Frame Size of a Road Bike
Finding the proper size road bike can make the difference between years of enjoyable riding and having an expensive bike collect dust in the garage. A bike that does not properly fit the rider can lead to an uncomfortable riding position, inefficient pedaling and possible injury. If you know what size bike you need, the next step is determining the bike you are interested in purchasing, and several basic measurements will help complete the process.
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Instructions
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Measuring the Bike
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Lean the bike you want to measure against a wall or place it in a standing position. Road bikes often do not have kickstands, but if yours does, you can use it. Road bikes are not measured front to back, nor are they measured from the ground up, so the amount the bike is leaning is unimportant.
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Find the center of the hub. The hub is the spoked wheel in the middle of the bike which the pedals are attached to. In the center, there will be a bolt that runs through the middle that attaches the two pedal cranks to the hub. This is called the crankshaft.
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Place the end of the tape measure in the middle of the crankshaft. There will be a post that runs straight up from the crankshaft to the seat called the seat tube. Measure this post to the point where it meets the seat post. There are two options for finding the correct frame size. The first is to measure the distance from the crankshaft to where the seat post meets the seat tube. The second, and more common, method is to measure the seat tube to the middle of the top tube, which is the top part of the frame and runs horizontal to the ground. This measurement is the frame size of your road bike. The most common method of measurement with road bikes is in centimeters, but inches also can be used.
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