[Benneke]

A little bit about me: I'm 18 and race road and mountain bikes. I ride about 200 miles a week, half road and half mountain. I'm 6'1'' and I have grown out of my 56cm CAAD 10. I also ride an XL Cannondale Flash 29 and it fits really well. Before the CAAD 10 I had a 51cm Ibis Silk SL. Now, I'm looking at 60 or 61cm frames (I have a 6'3" arm span and a 36.5 inch inseam). I want to buy the bike online because I don't have a good LBS in my area. My budget is $2,000-$2,500. I'm looking at bikes from Competitive Cyclist, Neuvation, Performance and Jenson USA. Here are some bikes I'm looking at now:

2012 Ridley Noah RS Shimano Ultegra Complete Bike - Competitive Cyclist

2012 Ridley Damocles SRAM Force Complete Bike - Competitive Cyclist
2012 Ridley Excaliber SRAM Rival Complete Bike - Competitive Cyclist
Neuvation F100 Alloy Bike SRAM FORCE Closeout - www.neuvationcycling.com
Rocky Mountain Solo Pro RSL '12 Bike > Complete Bikes > Road Bikes | Jenson USA Online Bike Shop
2012 Fuji Roubaix SL Road Bike
helpful comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[climbinthebigring]

I would stick with your CAAD10 and slap a 130mm stem on there. I'm 6'2'' with a 6'5'' wingspan and can easily ride a 56cm as long as there as there is a 140mm stem on there and it's slammed on the head tube. You should be able to get by with a 130 and not see to much if any handling differences.

Disclaimer : I am giving you this advice purely on assumptions of your riding style and flexibility but being 20 years old and having a similar build I don't think it is too much of a stretch.

PS: A 60cm Ridley is a friggen enormous bike. I would drive to a decent bike shop and at least look at what they have, you can usually find a good deal or talk them down a bit, and make sure you want a 60cm bike. I would never ever at my height buy a 60.

 

[Peter P.]

Because of your age and likely lower income, I'd suggest buying the cheapest of the bikes. If you plan to race you can't afford to crash expensive bikes and replace expensive parts.

You're definitely right about the size range you're looking at. Don't go smaller.

I would ask which mailorder firm offers a WRITTEN guarantee with their bikes and choose the company that gives you the best answer. Trying to get warranty service from a mailorder firm, should you need it, can be a pain if there's no written guarantee.

I'm not to fond of the Fuji bike because the parts spec jumps across brand and model lines. The bikes with a "complete" group of one brand and model such as the Rival and Force equipped bikes is a better concept because you don't have to worry about the adjusting of the gears being fussy because the parts aren't made for each other.

SRAM Rival has a good reputation in the cyclocross world for being durable when it comes to operating in muddy or sandy conditions. That's nice to know.

 

[adam_mac84]

6'3", been LOVING my Fuji SST. Good deal on them right now for the 2011 or 2012 model on Performance, if you need to go online. 105 group is OK, but easily upgradable

 

[looigi]

Neuvation is a very reputable company known for excellent customer service. They offer great value for the money.

 

[velodog]

The Ridleys are damn fine bikes but like climbinthebigring said the 60 is too big for you.

I'm 6ft and have had a lrg Excaliber and I could have made a med work but the xlrg would have called for a ladder for me to mount. The Ridleys have long TTs and tall HTs making them lrg bikes for their size, so I think that it would be in your best interest to try and find one to ride or get fitted before laying out the cash blind.

Have you compared the geometry of your current bike to that of the bikes that you're looking at. What do you like about your CAAD and what you want in the new bike. Going from a smaller to a larger bike will likely slacken the seat tube. Will that work for you? Can you play with your position on the current bike and try to mimic what the new bike will give you?

But anyway, the Ridleys are damn fine bikes.

 

[NWS Alpine]

I'm 6'1" with similar measurements and have a 58cm CAAD10. It's setup as my everyday bike as it's my first and only. If I was racing I would consider a 56 as I would need more drop.

 

[Benneke]

Thanks for the advice on Ridley sizing. Its hard to say what I like about the CAAD geometry because its been way to small for me for months. Both the seat tube and the top tube are too short. I can't mimic the position of a new bike because the seatpost is past minimum insertion, and I'm scrunched up even with a 130mm stem.