I am 5' 10.5" tall with a 32 inch inseam. The LBS has a BMC RM01 55 in stock. Will this be the right fit for me or will it be too small? When sized for a Bianchi a LBS told me I needed a 57, so I am unsure. Perhaps both shops are correct and I can go either way.
Bmc 55
Digger51
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I am 5' 10.5" tall with a 32 inch inseam. The LBS has a BMC RM01 55 in stock. Will this be the right fit for me or will it be too small? When sized for a Bianchi a LBS told me I needed a 57, so I am unsure. Perhaps both shops are correct and I can go either way.
It was at another store, so they are moving over to the LBS and I can ride it then.
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I am 5'10" and have always ridden 55-56. When I purchased my first BMC, I found that way too large and settled on a 53, which has served me well through three different BMC frames now. The way I found this out? I took the different sized bikes out for a ride, just as the other poster has suggested. BMCs in my experience, tend to run a little large for their marked size.
I rode the 53 today and it seemed a little small, but you just confirmed what I suspected; that BMC runs a little large.
I had them put a hold on the 55 and bring it to the shop near me. They gave me a quote of $3800 with a fitting and 2 years free maintenance and tune ups. This is a really nice bike and I am pretty sure I am going to get it. I really like the Bianchi Sempre also, but with the BMC I get more bike for just a little more money. I am looking into the Pinarello Prince suggested earlier, but I think the BMC wins this race.
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You guys have short legs/long torsos or are using your pants inseam rather than your physical inseam. This usually comes out ~2-4" more that pants inseams. I'm an averagely proportioned 5'9" and have a 34" physical inseam and wear 31" pants. I ride a 55 but would probably go for a 53 if I was getting another as I need a -17 degree stem to get the bars as low as I like them on the 55.
Measuring physical inseam from CO Cyclist: "Stand with your back against a wall, your bare feet 6" apart on a hard floor, looking straight ahead. Place a book or carpenter's square between your legs with one edge against the wall, and pull it up firmly into your crotch, simulating the pressure of your saddle while riding. Have a helper measure from the top edge of the book to the floor, in centimeters. (You can convert inches to centimeters by multiplying inches by 2.54.) Repeat two or three times, for consistency, and average the results to get your inseam length."
Measuring physical inseam from CO Cyclist: "Stand with your back against a wall, your bare feet 6" apart on a hard floor, looking straight ahead. Place a book or carpenter's square between your legs with one edge against the wall, and pull it up firmly into your crotch, simulating the pressure of your saddle while riding. Have a helper measure from the top edge of the book to the floor, in centimeters. (You can convert inches to centimeters by multiplying inches by 2.54.) Repeat two or three times, for consistency, and average the results to get your inseam length."
I measure 57cm so the BMC 55 is probably correct for me.
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Always look at a company's geometry chart and compare center to center top tube lengths. after that look at the size of the head tube to determine if the new bike will have a higher stack height. I am 6'0" and a little longer on the torso but have short femurs and I am riding a 55cm. This is my bike here SLAM THAT STEM, This is Mike and you can see how it fits me. (My saddle is slammed forward because I have short femurs, waiting for a zero setback post to come in)
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Didn't see this thread. I don't understand how people say they "run big". I'm 5'11" and am riding a 57cm with a 100mm stem. Perfect fit for me. A 55cm would have been too small for me, although for a more flexible person, a 55 would be a good fit due to the shorter head tube.
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2010 BMC Bikes at the Sea Otter Classic - YouTube
At around 4:10 Fabio Selvig of BMC USA talks a little bit about sizing. Seems like you minus 2 or 3 cm from your normal size to fit BMC. I normally ride a 52cm in other brands and I find a BMC 50cm fits perfectly.
At around 4:10 Fabio Selvig of BMC USA talks a little bit about sizing. Seems like you minus 2 or 3 cm from your normal size to fit BMC. I normally ride a 52cm in other brands and I find a BMC 50cm fits perfectly.
I bought a 2011 BMC RMO1 on October from CC (Blue 55 SRAM red). I am 5'11" with a 32-33 in inseam. I rode a 53 at a local bike shop, and while they wanted to sell it to me, I felt it was a little small altough it felt ok. I ordered the 55 on faith, and it seems to fit pretty well.
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857 Posts
I'm 6'3" and the 57cm SLT01 fits perfectly with a 110mm stem. Going smaller is always better then going too large. Big George Hincapie is also 6'3" and rides a 57. Just sayin.
Overall height is just one part of the equation. I'm 5'11" but have a 35 inseam. I like the handling of the 57 better than the 55 but due to BMC's tall stand over ht. it causes the seat-post to be shoved too low. I wished the design featured a slight slope to the top tube. Add the fact that BMC uses rather steep seat tube angles and shallow head tube angles compared to many manufactures which reduces the reach.
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I am 5'11 and ride the 54 BMC.
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Why do people continue to use overall height when determining frame size? Inseam is probably the most important measurement, followed by overall height. I'm 6'1.5", but I need a 60cm (BMC) frame because my inseam is 38". If you look at Hincapie, he has a long torso, quite the opposite of me. Inseam is most important of all.
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Not necessarily. A wide range of inseams is easily accommodated by adjusting the saddle height. There is usually less range of adjustment in distance from the saddle to the bars, and except for moving the seat back and forth on the rails, you need to change out seatposts or stems. So, top tube effective length is more salient, and this relates to the length of the torso and arms.
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I guess I'll have to say I was half right.
I think I was reacting to so many people that appear to be using only overall height to determine their frame size. Just too many different body proportions to depend on that.1 - 20 of 38 Posts
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