Road Bike Size
Road bikes refer to the types of bikes used on road pavements (or artificially hardened roads, or gravel roads) and can be used in road bicycle competitions. To achieve high-speed riding, the bodyweight is lighter and the wind resistance is small. When used as a sports event, it refers to a road cycling race. Road bike tires are narrower than ordinary bike tires, and the tire pressure can reach 100-200psi (pounds per square inch) or more, so the rolling resistance during driving is much smaller than that of mountain bikes. Today's road bikes widely use new materials, such as titanium alloy, carbon fiber, high-grade aluminum alloy materials, etc., so the weight of road bikes is very light, which can reach 5kg or less, but the International Cycling Federation stipulates that the participating vehicles must not be less than 6.8kg.
Road bike tires are generally made of hard materials, which are easy for athletes to use. This is very different from mountain bikes. Because road bikes are riding on roads with better road conditions, it is not necessary to consider the problem of vibration absorption as much as the latter. Therefore, in the case of the same rider, the speed of riding a road bike is much faster than that of riding an ordinary bike.
When you choose a road bike, you must choose an appropriate size, and this appropriate size is determined by your height and habits, the most important thing is your height and inner leg length(inseam). In the table below you can see your height and recommended road bike bike with correct frame size.
Road Bike Size
| Rider Height(cm/ft/in) | Suggested Frame Size | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| centimeters(cm) | Feet and Inches(ft & in) | Frame Size(cm) | Frame Size in centimeters |
| 148 - 152 | 4′10"-5′0" | XXS | 47 - 48 |
| 152 - 160 | 5′0"-5′3" | XS | 49 - 50 |
| 160 - 168 | 5′3"-5′6" | S | 51 - 52 - 53 |
| 168 - 175 | 56"-5′9" | M | 54 - 55 |
| 175 - 183 | 5′9"-6′0" | L | 56 - 57 - 58 |
| 183 - 191 | 6′0"-6′3" | XL | 58 - 59 - 60 |
| 191 - 198 | 6′3"-6′6" | XXL | 61 - 62 - 63 |
How to judge whether the road bike size is appropriate
Image resource Ride1Up
Frame Size vs Wheel Size
For medium-sized adults, frame size is usually independent of wheel size. Without knowing the exact size, to determine the fit of the frame, the most common method is to look at the standing height, which roughly corresponds to the length of the seam in the human body, as shown in the figure above.
Although adult bikes (mountain bikes, road bikes and hybrid bikes) usually use frame size as the size standard, they usually directly state the wheel size instead of frame size on shopping websites. For example, the wheel size of mountain bikes is usually 24-29 inches.
