Help choosing tour bike size - Ridgeback Voyage

[Ant]

I wanted the world journey to be high and tall, as its primary use was for commuting. The Ridgeback does not have a steeply upsloping top tube, so a larger frame size is suitable for me. That said I also have a 58cm Ridgeback frame (a world tour solo, purchased after the 60cm I might add!) and that does fit well. I think the geometry is very similar. I have that set up with bullhorn bars with a shortish stem and the reach is also nicely comfortable, although more low and stretched than the 60cm, it has to be as it is a single speed.

I found that the standard drops on the world journey were quite long reach and deep drop and found I used the cross top brakes rather a lot. Swapping to the new bars has really improved things for me. My riding on that bike is mostly commuting so quick at times, but not really wanting to be laying low down.

On the world tour solo I am lower and more stretched which suits that bike and I will ride much more vigorously on that one.

[the snail]

I have a 2012 56cm Voyage, at 6ft tall it fits like a glove, and I haven't needed to change the seatpost or stem. If you have to buy online, my guess is the 57cm frame would fit you. I road tested the 56 and 58, and found the 58 a bit of a stretch. As far as the handling/steering goes, I don't know what the angles/trail is, but it is certainly a very stable, sturdy machine which has never felt out of shape loaded or unloaded. Things I didn't like: The wheels were poorly tensioned, worth tensioning and stress-relieving them. The pedals were cheap and not smooth-turning. I found the saddle uncomfortable over 30 miles.

[rehu]

I wrote a bit about "bike set up" which you can download here (from the box with the yellow border)...http://wheel-easy.org.uk/ride-calendar.html

Thanks again Colin, very useful tips once I get a bike sorted

That said I also have a 58cm Ridgeback frame (a world tour solo, purchased after the 60cm I might add!) and that does fit well. I think the geometry is very similar.

I have a 2012 56cm Voyage, at 6ft tall it fits like a glove, and I haven't needed to change the seatpost or stem. If you have to buy online, my guess is the 57cm frame would fit you. I road tested the 56 and 58, and found the 58 a bit of a stretch.

Cheers! The 57 does seem close to the 58, except a 10mm shorter headtube. Starting to think that is better choice for me...

[Sweep]

body measurements are a poor guide to bike fit, flexibility and functionality are key.
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Interesting post as always colin. To pose a possibly crude/missing the point question, does this mean that all those bike fit experts with their measurements and jigs are a distraction and that the best approach is for the rider/buyer to just sit on/test ride a load of bikes and see which, subjectively, "feel right"? And compare some key measurements on those tested bikes to the same key measurements on long ridden bikes they know they feel good on?
Honest question/s, not trying to put words into your mouth.

[coffeedrinkerUK]

This will probably confuse you more but I'm 5ft 9.5 / 5ft 10". I cant remember my inside leg measurement but I'm of normal build. I have a RB Voyage size 56cm year 2011 or 2012. Iv done thousands of miles and everything has been fine. It has always felt as though it could be a tiny bit large but a 54cm I'm sure would have been too small and cramped and not worked for me. The present models don't do a 56cm but if you can check a size chart of the previous model against the present model it may help. So to conclude everything has been very good size wise for me on a 56cm frame.

[rehu]

This will probably confuse you more but I'm 5ft 9.5 / 5ft 10". I cant remember my inside leg measurement but I'm of normal build. I have a RB Voyage size 56cm year 2011 or 2012.

Hehe, I'm not sure if I can possibly get more confused than I already am Thanks for replying!
Yeah, they dropped 56 and 58, and replaced it with a new 57, which is something in between the older sizes - perhaps leaning a little bit more towards 58.

[531colin]

Just a note of caution.
Ridgeback (Dawes, Raleigh etc) don't "manufacture" bikes, they buy them ready-assembled and boxed from factories which can be anywhere with low manufacturing costs.
Its possible that a change in the sizing (delete 56 & 58, replace with 57) is a rationalisation of the sizing....after all, you don't need touring bikes with size intervals of 2cm.....its also possible that the change in the sizing represents a change in the factory producing the bikes, which may be accompanied by wholesale changes in the frame geometry. I'm not going to try to find the geometries of the bikes over the years (I have some paint drying which I need to watch... ..) but if you are really bored or really interested, it can be instructive.

[531colin]

body measurements are a poor guide to bike fit, flexibility and functionality are key.
.

Interesting post as always colin. To pose a possibly crude/missing the point question, does this mean that all those bike fit experts with their measurements and jigs are a distraction and that the best approach is for the rider/buyer to just sit on/test ride a load of bikes and see which, subjectively, "feel right"? And compare some key measurements on those tested bikes to the same key measurements on long ridden bikes they know they feel good on?
Honest question/s, not trying to put words into your mouth.

Consider something as "basic" as saddle height.
Read Steve Hogg here....https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/05/addendum-to-seat-height-how-hard-can-it-be-2/
Now Steve is using a turbo trainer with the customer's bike set up, and video cameras to the side and front/back. ....I can see a use for all that, but i would need a technician to work it for me!
I really can't see what Steve is looking at when he talks about "a small acceleration in the extension of the knee", but i'm prepared to accept that he can see something I can't see..
However, when he switches to the other view, then its blindingly obvious whats going on.
Notice that Steve never mentions the included angle of the knee, or the ratio between the length of the rider's leg and the saddle height. But he does mention that as he lowered his customer's saddle, the customer went from being a "toe-dipper" to a "Joe Average" pedalling technique.
I don't have any "equipment" at all to do bike fits, other than a selection of stems and seatposts. However, I can ride with somebody and see what they look like, and I can tell you how i think riding should "feel".....the saddle should be low enough so that you have a "safety" bend in your knee with the pedal at the bottom, so you will be smooth "through the bottom" on your worst day, when you are tired and stiff. Why a "safety" bend? Because if you are rocking your hips or standing on tiptoe just to reach the bottom pedal, you are just one step away from over-extending your knee.
I can tell you that if you are forcing the gear (pressing on in the same gear up a rising road, instead of changing down/slowing down) and you want maximum power at low cadence for a short time, you should be able to slide back in the saddle and get greater knee extension at low cadence. If sliding back a bit means you are reaching for the bottom pedal, the saddle is too high. If you are off the back of the saddle and still pedalling smoothly, then its too low.
I can tell you that the saddle should be set far enough back that you have very little weight on your hands, and if I find myself sitting on the cantle plate at the back of the saddle, it means the reach is too short, it doesn't necessarily mean the saddle is too far forward.

I think if you go looking for a bike and riding lots of bikes, you will pick the one that feels like the bike you are riding now....this may or may not be a good thing.....
People I ride with tend to come to me when riding their bikes is painful, and I think a professional bike fitter will have the same experience.

[coffeedrinkerUK]

rehu, i see Ridgeback have given the standover measurement on their web site for the RB voyage 57cm frame as 805mm. Im not going to say its the be all and end all indicator but its pretty significant. Also as you know you have some lateral and vertical movement on the saddle and spacers on the headset.