Road Bike Frame Size Calculator

Selecting the correct road bike frame size is important to ensure you are comfortable and efficient on the bike. Our road bike frame size calculator is designed to give you a good starting point when it comes to selecting your perfect frame size.

Remember, frame sizing is not the same for all brands of bikes, and people come in many different shapes and sizes, so it’s always recommended to test ride a bike before you buy it.

Road Bike Frame Size Calculator

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How to Measure the Inside of Your Leg (Your Inseam)

Start by standing up tall with your bare feet against a wall. Hold a ruler or a book as far up the inside of your leg as possible. Now measure from the top of the book/ruler to the floor. Note: You can get better measurements if you ask a friend to help.

How Are Bikes Sized? (How to Measure a Bike Frame Size?)

Most bike manufacturers measure their frames from the centre of the bottom bracket (crank axle) to the top of the seat tube. Most road bikes are measured in centimetres (CM), and mountain bikes are measured in Inches (In). (See our Mountain Bike Frame Size Calculator).

Whereas kid’s bikes are measured by their wheel size. Smaller wheels will allow the child’s legs to reach the round and make the bike more manoeuvrable. however, as they grow the smaller wheels will make the riding position feel cramped.

Road Bike Frame Sizing Chart By height

It’s worth taking some time to select your road bike frame size. Choosing the correct frame size will help you feel more comfortable especially when you’re on long rides. Also, it will help your pedalling efficiency and give you better control of the bike.

Remember that the road bike frame size calculator and the sizing tables below should only be used as a guide. If you are a serious rider, or you are intending on doing lots of riding then you might want to consider getting a professional bike fit at your local bike shop. Here is an example of a bike fitter from San Francisco in the UK

inches (In)
Rider height (ft/in)	Inside leg (in)	Suggested frame size (cm)
4’10” – 5’0″	24″ – 26″	47 – 48
5’0″ – 5’2″	25″ – 27″	49 – 51
5’2″ – 5’4″	26″ – 29″	51 – 52
5’4″ – 5’6″	28″ – 30″	52 – 53
5’6″ – 5’8″	29″ – 31″	53 – 54
5’8″ – 5’10”	30″ – 32″	54 – 56
5’10” – 6’0″	31″ – 33″	56 – 58
6’0″ – 6’2″	32″ – 34″	58 – 60
6’2″ – 6’4″	33″ – 35″	60 – 62
6’4″+	34″+	62+
Centimetres (CM)
Rider height (cm)	Rider height (cm)	Suggested frame size (cm)
147 – 152	147 – 152	47 – 48
152 – 158	152 – 158	49 – 51
158 – 163	158 – 163	51 – 52
163 – 168	163 – 168	52 – 53
168 – 173	168 – 173	53 – 54
173 – 178	173 – 178	54 – 56
178 – 183	178 – 183	56 – 58
183 – 188	183 – 188	58 – 60
188 – 193	188 – 193	60 – 62
193+	193+	62+

Is It Better to Get a Bigger or Smaller Road Bike Frame?

Many people say if your arm span is longer than your height, go up a size and if shorter go down a size. However, It’s probably better to go off leg length/inseam. Put your height into our road bike frame size calculator and see which inseam (leg length) range it recommends. Then go up or downsize depending if your leg length is closer to a bigger or smaller size. Although, in an ideal world you should select the correct frame size rather than going up or down a size.

Does Crank Length Change with Frame Size?

Crank length should change with frame size, as taller riders usually have longer legs which mean long cranks will be more efficient and comfortable. However, many bike manufacturers often stick to 170mm cranks for all their frame sizes.

If you are interested to know your correct crank length we have made a Crank Length Calculator.

Should I Be Able to Touch the Floor on A Bike?

Yes, most people should be able to touch the floor on tiptoes with their saddle set at the correct height for climbing. However, it’s more important to focus on getting the correct saddle height for your leg length. You can try our saddle height calculator here to find a good starting point for saddle height, or just set the saddle height so your knee has a slight bend when your foot is at its lowest point.

How Do You Know if A Road Bike Fits?

Simply, you don’t want to feel overly stretched (struggling to reach the bars), or overly cramped while sitting on the saddle. You also want to be able to stand over the top tube while comfortably reaching the ground. Unless you’re having a frame custom-built, selecting a frame will usually have very slight compromises as bike manufacturers can’t produce hundreds of different size frames.

There are a number of variables to consider while trying to determine if a bike fits, starting with the reach, and the standover. You also might want to think about crank length, saddle height, and handlebar width (fit in relation to shoulder size).

A good way to know if a bike fits is to start with our frame size calculator (at the top of this page), and then use our saddle height calculator as a baseline. Then find a test day or rent a bike to see if that size feels comfortable. You might want to alter the saddle height, change the stem length, and even change the handlebar width to finely tune the bike fit for you.

What Size Frame for Road Bike Do I Need?

You need a road bike frame size which corresponds to your height and leg length. Try our road bike frame size calculator at the top of this article.

How Do I Measure Myself for A Road Bike?

Measure your height and leg length and try our calculator at the top of this page.

Final Thoughts

All riders come in many different shapes and sizes. It’s normal for people to have slightly longer or shorter arms or legs than average, which can make frame size selection tricky.

Also, bike brands can only make a limited range of sizes meaning that it’s unlikely that their frame size will be perfect for you. Bearing this in mind, always try and get the leg length(inseam) as close as possible to the recommended range for frame size.

Here are some other articles and tools you might be interested in:

• Bike Saddle Height Calculator
• Crank Length Calculator
• Mountain Bike Frame Size Calculator, Charts, Fit & Frame Geometry
• Can You Ride A Mountain Bike On The Road? (Answered)
• Are Pinarello Bikes Good? (Helpful Tips)
• Average Cost of a Bike Tune-Up or Service (What’s Included?)