How do you calculate top tube length?

How do you calculate top tube length?

Seat tube length is measured from either the centre of the bottom bracket to where the top tube and seat tube meet (Centre-Centre or C-C) or to the top of the seat tube (Centre-Top or C-T).

How does top tube length affect handling?

While the seat tube length doesn’t directly affect the handling of the bike, important measurements for handling and fit, such as reach, must be compared to the seat tube length to define how long the bike is relative to the height of the rider.

What does top tube length mean?

The effective top tube length is the horizontal distance from the top tube/head tube junction to the seat tube. This measurement has become significant as more and more bikes are designed with sloping top tubes. Effective top tube length is one of three options for defining the length of the front triangle.

What is virtual top tube length?

With a sloping geometry, the tube generally is lower at the seat tube. With a sloping top tube, the “actual” top tube length is shorter than the “effective” or “virtual” top tube length, which is the length the top tube would be if it were parallel to the ground.

How do you measure the top tube on a bike?

Top Tube Length

1. Actual (Center-Center): Measured along the length of the top tube from the center of the seat tube to the center of the head tube.
2. Effective (HT Top): The length of an “imaginary” level tube extending from the center of the seat tube axis to the top of the head tube.

Is bike frame size top tube or seat tube?

Frame size is related to the seat tube length. For example, a 56cm frame will have a seat tube that is 56cm long.

What is seat tube length CC?

Seat Tube Length “Centre to Centre” or C-C is the length from bottom bracket centre to the middle of where the top tube meets the seat tube. Was a bit more useful when bikes were made without sloping top tubes.

How are top tubes measured on a bike?

For modern bikes, effective top tube measurements are more commonly used since they offer a more consistent way of measuring the perceived horizontal length of the top tube on bikes having compact frame geometry. In the example above, two bikes have top tubes with varying degrees of slope (compact frame geometry).

What should the top tube be on a cyclo-sportive bike?

“For a cyclo-sportive bike we generally have a shorter top-tube and a bit higher headtube just to be in a bit less aggressive position, with better balance between the height of the saddle and the height of the handlebar,” he says. “For a racing bike, usually riders like to have a very low handlebar or hand position.

What should the head tube angle be on a mountain bike?

Mountain bikes have a more diverse range of angles, and they usually correspond with the bike’s suspension travel. A short-travel cross-country race bike might be between 67 and 69 degrees; a trail bike between 66 and 68, and an enduro bike between 65 and 67 degree head tube angle. As you can tell, the categories often overlap.

How many measurements are on a bike geometry chart?

Above all, it is key to understand that all of a bike’s geometry numbers work together in harmony. One data point won’t answer all of your questions about a bike’s fit or handling. Some bike manufacturers overwhelm you with geometry charts that have 20 or more measurements for a given bike.