Measure a Compact Road Bike Frame

blue and brown racing road bike

Compact road bikes have become increasingly popular in recent years, as their sloping top tubes make it easier to tailor the fit to a wider range of riders.

These types of frames are commonly seen on endurance road bikes, but many gravel road bikes use them as well.

Understanding how to measure a compact road bike frame is the first step to finding the right fit, which is especially crucial if you’re doing long endurance or gravel rides.

If you have no idea where to start, follow our step-by-step instructions below and our handy online calculator will do all the hard work instead of you.

How to Measure a Compact Road Bike Frame?

Compact road bike frames are measured the same as all other road bike frames—by the seat tube length.

Of course, you can also consider the bike’s stepover clearance and the effective top tube length, which will be helpful especially if you’re trying to decide between two sizes.

To find out the rider height and inseam length ranges for a particular compact road bike frame size, use our interactive online calculator below.

Simply follow the steps to learn how to measure your frame, choose the size from the drop-down menu below, and voila—our calculator will show you a printable size sheet with all the information you need to determine if you have the right fit.

Frame Diagram

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Measuring Instructions

  1. Identify the top of the seat tube, where the seat clamp holds the seat post.
  2. Identify the center of the bottom bracket (it's the axle that holds the crank arms together).
  3. Measure the distance between the two points (C-T) - this is the length of the seat tube.
  4. Record your measurement in both centimeters (cm) and inches (to the nearest half-inch).
  5. Select your bike size from the drop-down on the right to see a rider height chart.

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Compact Road Bike

Rider Charts

Once you know your bike's frame size, select it from the drop-down to see how tall riders should be to use this bike.

Notes

Center to Top (C-T) - This is the length of the seat tube, measured from the center of bottom bracket to top of the seat tube.

Metric (cm) - Road bikes are measured in centimeters.

 

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Measure Road Bike Frames - (Classic | Compact | Mixte)

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BMX Bikes - (Freestyle | Racing)

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