Asian proportions and Trek sizing

Lightly thinking about getting a road/gravel bike again and decided to peruse the Trek size finder. 5'10" with short stubby asian legs at 29.5" inseam. Trek thinks I'm a freak and doesn't give me a size. Kinda funny, but also a note to everyone that sizing guides are loose recommendations. Test ride everything!



My first cx bike in 2007 was a 52 which was way too small because I worried too much about standover. Silly long 130mm stem and 46cm bars. Next road bike was bought new in 2011 and 54cm size, which was based on height and an LBS recommendation. Still a smidge too small with a 100m stem. Now, I feel comfortable on 56cm bikes (standover be damned). Just found it funny that the online sizing guide thinks I made a mistake. The first actual size at my height is with an inseam of 30"-30.9".

 

So you basically have a 40 inch torso and 30 inch legs?
Look up what Trek recommends for women, because having a torso that much longer than legs is very unusual for men.

Off the top of my head .. go with the medium. No way you are a large. Leg length is the more important measurement of bike size ... IMO.

 

Well I have head and groin area, so not exactly 40" torso. But measurements are correct - short legs and long torso. I ride a Large V1 Ripmo with a 50mm stem, 780mm bars, and saddle slammed all the way back.

Also note that the shorter the inseam, your seated position moves slightly forward based on the seat tube angle, which eats up some ETT/reach. I feel comfortable on ~475mm reach on my mtb. It's been 15 years of trying all kinds of frames, but L/56cm is indeed the most comfortable for me.

For another comparison, my wife is 5'1" and her inseam is 0.5" shorter than mine. So my torso is essentially 8.5" taller where my legs are just 0.5". Some of us are just built different!

 

LOL, regardless. You are ... without question ... oddly proportioned, so why not just go in for a bike fit from a reasonably experienced professional instead of asking us? Nobody here has your exact measurements.

To be fair, I have been drinking beer since 7:30 ... so definitely do not listen to any "advice" I post.

 

Sorry, wasn't clear. I have been fitted with raised eyebrows and I'm pretty solid on my fitment now. I just funny that I'm out of range for Trek's online calculator and encourage people to take online sizing guides with a grain of salt.

Cheers for you beer! I've been working since 9, and perusing bike/car sites is what I do between server builds. I'd normally do a bit of scotch but I have an 8am meeting and hitting the sack now.

 

I have the same exact proportions as you. I can ride a 56cm road/gravel bike from Trek. I ride different sized bikes on a daily basis and like you a 52 or 54 is too small me.

 

I just bought a size small MTB frame, even though I have always been on a medium and the sizing chart says medium. The number tell a different truth.