Bike Frame Fitting and Sizing advice available at our Lancashire shop
Advice/ Frames : Geometry
In our opinion this is probably the single most important point to consider when buying a quality frameset , ask yourself is there any point in paying for a frame, which appears to be the best constructed frame, or a frame which appears to offer the best value for money, if you are unsure whether it is going to be possible to get your correct position on that frame.
Most customers would usually know that they have got long arms or legs, or short arms or legs but very few know if they have got long or short thighs (relative to inside leg.) . It is the thigh length that determines the set back of the saddle (behind the bottom bracket) and consequently the seat angle required on their frameset. Even if a customer knows for instance that he/she has short arms or legs , how much shorter are they and how does this affect the position and consequently frame geometry.
The two most common faults we usually find when analyzing a customers position are:-
a) The reach being too short.
b) The bars being too low
c) The saddle not being set far enough back.
The faults above could result in any one or combination of the following:-
- Lower back pain.
- Shoulder pain.
- Pains in hands and/or arms.
If the saddle is not set back far enough the problems are usually less obvious but generally give an uncomfortable feel to the cycle and a need to get further back in the saddle is usually felt. The only reason I could give for this is relating to the length of the power stroke, which is significantly reduced if the saddle is too far forward. It is not possible to force down the pedals until they have passed the top of their stroke, in addition to this the knee has to be sufficiently far enough back so that the rider is in a better position to make full use of the power stroke.
After careful setting up on our frame fitting jig and then transferring the settings to the complete cycle our customers have nearly always said that the position set up by us is as comfortable as they have ever had and some have found the position unbelievably better. Also due to the fact that it is a totally manual procedure it is possible to take account of the personal preferences of each individual rider and also for them to feel the intended position set up.
Once the ideal position and geometry have been decided it is possible to determine whether a similar position could be obtained on an off the peg frame or if a custom build would be necessary.
Advice/ Frames: Construction
How can a customer be sure the frame is going to be well constructed? Probably the easiest answer to this question is to rely on the reputation of the builder, by this I mean unbiased opinions such as in depth magazine tests and the experiences of other knowledgeable cyclists.
Do not allow yourself to be blinded by cheap prices, or by the hype in frame builders advertisements.
It is possible to cut corners when building a bicycle frame, which almost always results in a frame that is lacking responsiveness, or that doesn’t handle well, not to mention the reduced durability of the frameset . Ask yourself am I better buying a frame built poorly with better quality tubing, or am I better buying a frame built well with a cheaper tubing. The answer has got to be, get it built well with as good a tubing as you can afford.
Not only will a well built frame last longer but it will also be a far nicer to ride during its lifetime.
We believe it is best to concentrate on the quality of our frame building rather than cutting any corners in order to reduce the price.
Advice/ Frames: Suitability
As with the the geometry , value for money and the quality of the frame are irrelevant if the frame is not suitable for its intended use. We believe that there is no point in us building a frame for a customer if it is not suitable for its intended use or if the correct position is unobtainable. It is much better, we feel, to prevent the potential problems at the design stage rather than try to solve them afterwards.
Using our extensive experience in designing, both mens and ladies, Road, Track, Touring, Triathlon and Audax framesets, it is possible for us to give the serious cyclist valuable advice when deciding on the specification for their new frame. Type of tubing is most definitely an important item to be decided upon.
Advice/ Frames: Tubing Types
Steel Tubing: Steel is still a very popular type of tubing used in the manufacture of cycle frames, although only the better tubings are used for the specialist cycle frames. Durability, rigidity, comfort and the possibility of building relatively inexpensive custom built frames are amongst the main benefits of this most versatile type of tubing. Ranging from the basic cheap tubings through to the High-Tech moderately expensive and even stainless steel tubing, with weights as low as 1.2kg for a frame. At a given price it is very difficult to better the ride of a well built steel frame. We have examples of steel frames from:
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Hewitt Billato Cinelli |
Colnago De Rosa
|
Aluminium Tubing: Light weight and rigidity are amongst the main benefits of well constructed aluminium framesets, the main downside being the harsh ride of the oversize aluminium framesets (far more apparent on smaller frames with lighter riders). Due to the harsh ride it is not the best of choices for small frames (55cm. or below) but becomes acceptable for use on larger frames as the weight saving is far more significant and rigidity far more important. The harsh ride can be tempered to an extent by use of a good carbon fibre fork, and also use of carbon fibre for the seat stays, cheaper aluminium frames tend to offer very small, if any, weight advantage over a reasonable steel frame and the geometry is often better on the well known brands. It is also far more difficult and usually more expensive to obtain a custom built aluminium frame. Our range of Aluminium frames includes frames from:
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Billato Cinelli |
Colnago De Rosa Kinesis |
Orbea Ridley Hewitt |
Titanium Tubing: Titanium is for many the ultimate frame tubing, the usual benefits being light weight, absorbent ride quality, durability, corrosion resistance the only drawbacks being high cost and a slight lack of rigidity (more apparent on lower quality and larger framesets), Most quality titanium frame manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty on their frames, due to the long fatigue life of this material. Our range of Titanium frames includes models from:
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Van Nicholas |
Litespeed |
Carbon Fibre: Offers similar benefits and disadvantages to those of titanium but can be constructed so as to cater for a particular purpose. Good quality carbon fibre frames are usually some of the lightest, most comfortable and responsive on the market. Cheaper carbon frames tend to give a harsher ride and also give little or no weight saving over that of aluminium or even steel. If constructed well then a Carbon frame can offer many benefits without many disadvantages. The two main problems with carbon fibre are the bonding or fastening of the various fittings to the carbon, and the irrepairable delamination of the carbon in the event of an accident. A further step on from carbon fibre are the new frames from Museeuw, constructed in a carbon-flax mixture to further improve the comfort and strength of their frames over the standard carbon construction. Our range of carbon frames includes:
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Colnago De Rosa Ridley Cervelo |
Look Time Cinelli Isaac |
Billato Museeuw Orbea Kinesis |
Pinarello
Quintana Roo Wilier Hewitt |
With few exceptions on Audax and Touring frames steel is the usual choice since it offers total flexibility not only with the geometry but also with the various braze-ons that may be required. Competitive cyclists requiring ultimate performance may opt for the slight benefits offered by carbon, aluminium or titanium but it is that cyclists choice as to whether that slight benefit is worth paying the extra for.
If a steel tubed frameset is opted for and the geometry has been decided then it is just a matter of deciding on which braze-ons are going to be needed, it is also possible to take into account any preferences the customer may have in order to produce the ideal frameset.
Advice - Steel / Aluminium Frames: Finish
Once the frame has been built it has to a standard worthy of the frame building quality. It is quite possible to cover up blemishes in the building process, or make a sub-standard frame look far better than it actually is by virtue of a nice paint job. On the other hand though there is little point in building an excellent quality frame only for it to be let down by a poor quality finish. There are various types of finishes, such as metallic, flamboyant and plain enamels. It is possible to use a combination of colours in panels, faded or an airbrushed pattern, but it is generally preferable not to mix the type of finish. It is also possible to chrome certain parts of a frame such as the dropouts, chain stays or front changer braze-on, in order to prevent damage to the paintwork or purely for decorative purposes. It also possible to obtain fork ends lugs and various other fittings in stainless steel.
