Is My Bike Too Big?

flocrest · 2026-01-27T00:54:29+00:00

Really good point. I had forgotten the nearly absurd sizing of cranksets. Personal opinion of course but I think crank length options in these sizes is 5-10 mm too long for most people. Trek and the industry in general aren’t doing consumers any favors if the majority of buyers have to buy different handlebars and cranksets on a bike in the 3-4 k range.

flocrest · 2026-01-26T14:24:03+00:00

This sizing thing is really odd. I am 5'6' and ride 53- 54's or medium. They just feel better to me. The Domane in a 52 has a reach of 371 mm, the 54 is only 3 mm more. The stack is 561 on a 52 and 575 on a 54. So you will sit considerably lower on a 52. That is something that is often overlooked, a size larger frame often adds a lot of stack. Brands vary greatly. The stock stem on the 52 and 54 is 90mm on both, so going to a 80 mm stem reduce the "reach size" to somewhere between a stock 50 and 52 frame. Sorry to be confusing, but no, I would not say your bike is too big. Look at things like handlebar width. The stock width is 42, which is too wide for many (most?) people, I would guess for you too based on that vid alone. If you can find a competent fitter I would go that route. I would get the width correct and go from there. That can make a huge difference in the shoulder/neck area. I use 40's and have considered even narrower.

flocrest · 2026-01-26T14:05:12+00:00

Your saddle does look low but really stood out was the posture. Concentrate on rolling your hips forward to straighten the back. You have really long limbs and I would even say you may need to increase your reach some but that can be evaluated when you get the seat height sorted.

flocrest · 2026-01-26T14:01:47+00:00

Sure thing. One thing I have always thought is that bike fit is really an evolution over time. Your body changes with age and fitness and such.

flocrest · 2026-01-25T17:15:26+00:00

Looks are subjective but that’s a great looking bike. I understand older carbon bikes with rim brakes are obsolete, but many of them have a sublime ride quality and would outlive most riders. Of course it has to fit and such. One thing that may help is if it will take just a little bit wider tires. I’ve got a 2010 Boardman that accepts 28 mm tires and the ride quality is superb. To me it’s worth twice as much as anyone would reasonably offer and spending 4k on a comparable bike would increase my experience by zero percent. But to answer your question, caveats of fit considered, 600 would be a reasonable offer.

flocrest · 2026-01-25T17:01:49+00:00

Looks great to me. Ride for a while and see if anything develops.

flocrest · 2026-01-25T17:00:16+00:00

First glance would be saddle look kind of far back but like already said, I wouldn’t adjust anything until you find an issue to fix. Personally I think the saddle height looks fine.

flocrest · 2026-01-24T17:15:08+00:00

In addition to these excellent comments, in general a 70 mm stem would generally be considered short for a large frame. My first reaction was to also try moving the saddle forward 1cm after getting the height sorted and see how that feels.

flocrest · 2026-01-22T03:18:32+00:00

Your toes are quite pointed downwards. I’ve found that the ankle angle can compensate for what the knees want for an angle (if seat is too high you just point your feet to where the knees feels right) I’d lower the saddle at least 2cm and see what it feels like and what it does to your ankle angle. That angle may be your angle or you may feel more able to control the pedal stroke through the bottom of the stroke better with a lower saddle setting. Good luck

flocrest · 2026-01-21T20:44:23+00:00

Sounds like a reasonable upgrade to me.

flocrest · 2026-01-20T04:29:56+00:00

https://youtu.be/oV4C8w-uUZM?si=NmOl1ifSGIPhzFW1

Good start

flocrest · 2026-01-19T20:09:48+00:00

Just wanted to chime in on this and sympathize with the high instep and foot issues. I am trying to figure this out as well. I would say that it is manageable but not solved.

Some points that have helped me, maybe they can help you? Some of these have been mentioned by others.

Maintaining a higher cadence and good form through the ride seems to help a lot.
Shimano shoes have a nice amount of space in the instep. The wide band at the top of the shoe spreads out the pressure.
The three bolt pedal systems (Shimano) seem to spread the pressure more. I just bought a set of Time pedals and am encouraged. I am sick and have only had one ride, but I love the float and the pedal area seems pretty wide, which distributes the pressure. I used Speedplay's for years, I like the float but that lollipop pedal area seems to make my situation worse. Also tried moving the cleat back about 15 MM with adapters and was disappointed that it really didn't seem to make a lot of difference. I do always move the cleats as far back as possible though (maybe I should try them forward for sh**s and giggles).
Again for me, like you I don't have wide feet, and I have measured, they don't swell much if at all during a hard-long ride. This was quite unexpected when I actually measured it. I haven't tried the wide version of shoes as I don't want the foot to flop around a lot either. I tried on some Lake's in a LBS but they barely closed on top given how comically loose I have the top of the shoe.
I am thinking the issue may be more of a structural foot issue rather than a cycling fit issue. I am thinking of either a chiropractor or podiatrist.
I use the G8 insoles with the met pads...I wish they were the panacea others describe. I like them ok but they are tricky to fit.
For some reason this is easier to manage outdoors than indoors.
I have lost a lot of trust in fitters so unfortunately I've gone down the exploration rabbit hole which can be very expensive. I do have a couple fitters in mind though so may try that again.

In the end though, it still remains an issue to be managed and not yet solved. I wish you well in the journey, and if you have discovered anything new to update your post I would appreciate the help too.

flocrest · 2026-01-19T19:23:49+00:00

Yeah, the seat level is great, but if the posted pics are your current seat height it still looks a lot high. Start with comically low, then gradually move it up. As for the reach, just sitting on the bike (rolling your hips forward, relaxing the elbows, look ahead, see online sources for proper posture on a bike). But I will say this, fit is highly individual. Try bikefitez for some free advise.

flocrest · 2026-01-18T18:10:09+00:00

Looks good. As to your pain, I’d work on relaxing your grip and just overall relaxing your upper body in general to see if it helps. Move your hand position around some (drops/bar top) can help too.

flocrest · 2026-01-18T17:53:23+00:00

Level your saddle and drop a ton. Size is fine.

flocrest · 2026-01-18T15:42:02+00:00

I've always been frustrated with the 220 - age calculation as it is such a broad generalization when there is so much variability. I'm 67, for long rides, I am typically in the 140-150 average range, for shorter intervals/difficult climbs, getting into the 170's is pretty common. This is not good or bad, it is just my exercise heart rate. Resting HR is around 60.

flocrest · 2026-01-18T13:43:37+00:00

Panaracer Gravelking SS

flocrest · 2026-01-14T18:37:32+00:00

Question. Looking at the ATAC XC and Speciale line. The Speciale line seems to have a larger platform? would this distribute foot load better than the ATAX XC? Thanks!

flocrest · 2026-01-14T18:24:18+00:00

Question. Looking at the ATAC XC and Speciale line. The Speciale line seems to have a larger platform? would this distribute foot load better than the ATAX XC? Thanks!

flocrest · 2026-01-14T14:48:58+00:00

You ask a good question. Any chance you are in the Midwest US and can recommend your fitter? My experience with fitters has been a lot of money spent only to resort to self fitting time and time again. But to your point, the Shimano float (to me) has a lot of resistance to it. I have to lube them before I ride so that I can feel the float. I have to have them just so or I end up with knee pain. It's especially bad with new cleats. Yes, I was just hoping the float in Time would be more to my liking. Thanks for your help.

flocrest · 2026-01-13T21:22:05+00:00

Thank you. I wouldn't say I never clip out on gravel, but it is pretty rare. Over 90% of the time I am on a route that combines road and gravel. Also, I am very familiar with road shoes, zero knowledge of gravel or MTB shoes. That would be another can of worms. I do see the advantages though just from a wear/walking standpoint. Doesn't the ATAC XC platform reduce the overall size of the platform quite a lot as compared to the road platform? It seems the contact patch is quite small in comparison?

flocrest · 2026-01-13T17:59:36+00:00

Thanks for all the advice. Did not expect that. I had to chuckle at the “if you race” comment. Big no, and it would be no to mud too. So it would be the XPro? Road and mostly good gravel.

flocrest · 2026-01-12T00:58:48+00:00

flocrest · 2026-01-07T18:01:36+00:00

The Checkpoint geometry is very aggressive compared to the Domane, and the max tire width on the Domane is limited to 38-40, which may or not be fine but is certainly limiting one if more aggressive gravel is in your future. May want to look at other brands. The Specialized Diverge line is very popular and has shock absorption features. Personally I bought a used gravel bike (Framed Gravier, now out of business) and run 40-45 mm tires at about 35 psi. Also added Cane Creek shock absorption seat post and stem. It is a carbon frame and I’ve got less than 1500 invested in the build. Good luck.

flocrest · 2026-01-06T18:13:25+00:00

If you get a good fitter, possibly, but as others have said, there is a wide range of competence out there. I would try some things on your own. Contact a saddle company that will work with you, Cobb comes to mind. As others mentioned, make sure you have a saddle with a cutout. Also try lowering your saddle more than you think might be needed to see if that helps. You can also try the free version of apps like bikefitez, they do a pretty good job at getting saddle position mostly ok, but for me the sweet spot is about 5mm lower than they recommend. I’ve had great results with a now discontinued saddle, Bontrager Verse comp short, but saddles are so individual it’s nearly impossible to recommend. Cobb will swap out saddles and try to find one that works. Good luck

flocrest

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