[Potroast88]

I am thinking about building a road bike. I've never been on one, don't know anything about them, and always swore I'd never ride one. But, the times they are a changin'. My knees are pretty much shot and and really can't take the pounding that BMX puts on them anymore. If I decide to build one, it will probably be from used/Ebay parts. I don't want to tie an assload of money up into a bike and decide its not for me. I also don't want to waste the LBS' time when I am probably not going to buy a bike from them.
My question is: how do I determine the right frame size for me? Are there measurements I can take?

 

[loco-gringo]

Good things to know will be height, inseam, arm reach, torso length, etc.

If you give your height and inseam, we can likely get you pretty close if you don't plan to be a hardcore roadie.

There are some good deals on some steel frames.

I have an IRD and my wife has a Soma. They are both budget Tiawanese frames from the same folks. If you can't source one, I can see what we can do on one and ship it to you.

edit - I am not trying to spam the shop on you. Just offering to help if you can't find a source for them. I know IRD has a store, but I might be able to save you some cash.

Soma Fabrications and Interloc Racing Development are the companies.

 

[earthtodan]

It's cool that you don't want to waste the LBS' time, but it's really easy for them to tell you your frame size in 1 minute, and much harder and more imprecise for you to figure it out by trying to measure your own body. The latter method can be very misleading.

If you make educated guesses and shots in the dark with your cash on eBay, you might end up buying twice, and spending those bills you're trying to save and end up with something old and used anyway. Unfortunately, half-decent road bikes never dip below $800-$900 new, so I guess you'll have to go used. But I'm sure any salesman at a road shop would be happy to donate two minutes of his time to help make a roadie out of you. ; )

 

[Kihaji]

It's cool that you don't want to waste the LBS' time, but it's really easy for them to tell you your frame size in 1 minute, and much harder and more imprecise for you to figure it out by trying to measure your own body. The latter method can be very misleading.

If you make educated guesses and shots in the dark with your cash on eBay, you might end up buying twice, and spending those bills you're trying to save and end up with something old and used anyway. Unfortunately, half-decent road bikes never dip below $800-$900 new, so I guess you'll have to go used. But I'm sure any salesman at a road shop would be happy to donate two minutes of his time to help make a roadie out of you. ; )

Yeah, not to mention you never know what you will find at the LBS. These are people who ride and probably have a few used bikes laying around that they would be willing to make a deal on.

 

[loco-gringo]

earthtodan is mostly right, but we have some 105/Tiagra equipped Masis for $600. $700 can get you a full 105 ride.

I'd call 105 a for sure good starter, and I started on a Tiagra Allez Sport and had good luck.

 

[Pau11y]

I'd recommend the ebay route if and only if you know your bike parts, inside and out. And, if you do decide to try and figure out your frame size on your own, get a buddy to lend a hand when measuring. Some things you just will not be able to do accurately by yourself.

For online resources:
www.wrenchscience.com -> measurements and sizing. Used to be able to login as anom...

Places to look, besides here (some NICE full bikes on here tho):
www.roadbikereview.com -> look under "Road Bike Parts" in the classifieds. Ppl hide a lot of stuff in this section.
www.craigslist.org -> this will start you at San Fran/Bay area...take a look at this city and Denver area.
www.bikeforums.net -> I don't use this site much so no reports
groups.google.com -> search for rec.bicycles.marketplace, this is a much slower paced listing. You can find some really nice stuff if you're patient.

I've had a lot of success w/ ebay and classifieds, but then I know exactly what I'm looking for and the specs I need. I can also compare what ppl are asking for agaist wholesale costs...in most cases.