I was very lucky to be gifted a road bike recently. It is a used (but in very good condition) Specialised Allez Elite. Trouble is I think it is too small.
I have based this on Zinn's (a comprehensive bike maintenance book) bike fitting information (website with fitting calculator here:
http://www.zinncycles.com/ncalroad-ulltimarev.html) and charts e.g. that provided by Evan's Cycles (
http://www.evanscycles.com/help/bike-sizing#road). Respectively these suggest a frame size of 54 and 55 so fairly consistent (I'm 5' 8" with an inseam of 32.5").
The frame size I've inherited is 50. This isn't a theoretical problem only: on the few rides I've had I've been aware of my knees contacting elbows and generally feeling a bit bunched. I've also experienced some knee pain but this may be a function of the cleats being set up wrongly or simply not having ridden for a year and then going out and doing 40 miles.
I've had a look at online videos showing how to set up seat height, seat fore and aft, handlebar position and while I can play around with these I am wondering is the bike simply too small. I'm pretty sure I can't avoid knees and elbows occupying the same space but is this actually an issue?
If I can adjust things such that I have the 'correct' leg bend with an extended leg and my knee is over the pedal when crank arms are parallel to the ground is this good enough? What options do different length stems, seat posts and crank arms offer?
By the way I'm (or rather would be) an occasional rider, maybe out 1-3 times a week during better weather typically riding 20 - 40 miles.
I'd be grateful for any thoughts or suggestions on what's best here. Thanks.