Rambouillet Sizing Question

[Liam Beveridge]

Hello, I've been searching for an old Rambouillet, and was looking for some advice regarding sizing. I'm not super familiar with bike fitting.

Looking at the chart in this document (page 17) it looks like Rams are sized a bit differently than Riv's current models. I'm 5'10'' with an 86cm PBH. According to this chart, I should be on a 58, but it looks like I could maybe also fit a 60. This threw me off a bit because I'd fit a 54-57 on Riv's new bikes.

Am I correct in that I'd fit a 58 Ram best? Also, would it be a mistake for me to take a 60? (There's a 60 ram available right now that I've been looking at)

I'd be mostly using the bike for road rides, and using drop bars.

Thanks!

Liam 

[Johnny Alien]

The new models have more aggressive top tube slopes so the sizing is very different from the classic Rivs. You might be able to fit the larger size and plenty of people will tell you to always push it to a larger size but for me personally upsizing never works for me. If you plan to set it up as a road bike I would suggest staying with the recommended size of 58. But if the 60 is local it might be worth at least checking out.

[Joe Bernard]

As Johnny says the current sizing is quite different, Riv mysteriously still labels the frames by actual seattube measurement in spite of using compact-sizing geometry now. All current Rivs should be sized by the buyer according to effective toptube length.. 

Also agree on checking out that 60cm, you might dig it. 

Joe Bernard 

Clearlake CA 

[Patrick Moore]

I’ve never measured my PBH — I should — but I’m 5’11” with Asian build = long torso and I fit a 58 blue Ram very well with the ~57 cm c-c top tube. My perfect “pro-fit” level tt road size is 60 X 56 c-c.

The Rams have a more conventional road bike fit than (I guess, since I’ve not ridden any, just read about them) many of Riv’s current models.

I know that Grant discounts top tube length but, if you prefer your bar in a very fixed relationship to your saddle, tt length is essential, and I chose my st size based on effective tt length. (This principle has worked for me for ~40 years.)

My Ram was a very nice bike. I sold it on because it wasn’t quite as nice and didn’t fit quite as neatly into self-imposed cycling categories as others I own.

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[rlti...@gmail.com]

I am 5’ 11” with an 86 cm PBH. My saddle height is 75 cm. I rode an orange 60 cm Ram and it fit me perfectly. I am not sure if geometry changed on the other color Rams.

Robert Tilley

San Diego, CA

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 26, 2026, at 8:57 AM, Liam Beveridge <fwalkon...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello, I've been searching for an old Rambouillet, and was looking for some advice regarding sizing. I'm not super familiar with bike fitting.

--

[Patrick Moore]

Difference in body type dictate different frame sizes if you go by top tube length. The top tube on the 60 cm Ram was too long for me, at 58 cm versus 57 for the 58 cm Ram and my ideal tt length of 56 cm. I point this out only as a caveat for the OP.

[Liam Beveridge]

Thanks Johnny! I appreciate the info. There was a delay in my post going up since I'm a new member, and I actually ended up finding a 58, so I'm glad to hear I made the right call.

Cheers,

Liam

[thwart]

I have a ~2005 Romulus, essentially identical to a Rambouillet although not as nicely painted. Ram frame sizes are even numbered (56, 58, 60) rather than the Rom's odd numbered sizing. I'm 5-10 with a 85 cm PBH. My '55' Romulus fits me pretty well, albeit with a 130 mm stem. From what I can tell a 56 Ram would probably be about ideal for me... but I've owned the Romulus since 2009 and love the darn thing.

[P W]

Hopefully that means you can share the availability of that 60, for the rest of us then!? ;)

Congrats on the new bike, I’ve heard nothing by good things regarding Rams!

P. W.

~

(917) 514-2207

~

On Jul 27, 2026, at 8:22 AM, Liam Beveridge <fwalkon...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks Johnny! I appreciate the info. There was a delay in my post going up since I'm a new member, and I actually ended up finding a 58, so I'm glad to hear I made the right call.

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[iamkeith]

Late reply here but, fwiw, Rams were sized a bit differently even than other rivs at the time.  They had short top tubes, relative to the frame size, to encourage people to "size up."  If you have a long torso, or maybe even typical body proportions, my advice would be to get the biggest frame you can stand over.  No clearance, but still able to keep your feet flat.  If you have long legs, maybe the next size smaller will work.

I'm 6'-2" with an 87 pbh, and have a 60.  The top tube is too short and I feel cramped, but I love it too much and have spent too much time making it work, to get rid of it.  Ironically, my current best solution was to use a shorter stem and raise the bars more than I used to.  Sitting more upright makes the bars feel further away, and me feel less like I'm cantilevered over the front.  I always had the bars at saddle level, but now they're a bit above.

[Dave Johnston]

5'10" here with a 83.5cm PBH as measured by Riv, I measured 83.0cm. My saddle is between 72cm-73cm. I had a 58cm Ram and it was too bid and I sized down to a 56cm Ram. Since we are the same height and my legs are shorter then so my torso must be longer. This means you must be longer in the leg and shorter in the torso. I'd recommend a 58cm max.

I think they used to have an equation like this:  

 To calculate your Rivendell saddle height and frame size, measure your Pubic Bone Height (PBH), subtract 10 to 11 cm for saddle height,

Frame Size Calculation (Rivendell "Maxed-Out" Sizing) so don't go bigger than this
Formula: {Saddle Height} - 15 cm (shorter riders)}  to 19 cm (taller riders)= Frame Size (cm)

-Dave J

[ascpgh]

For me at 6' 1" and long legs (don't recall PBH), the Rambouillet solved a conundrum I avoided for a decade; that production geometry road bikes with "square" (TT=ST) geometry don't fit me. I lived in the land of bodged fitting, and a consumer of odd seatposts and handlebar stems. 

A conversation with Grant about this new production model, on the way across the Pacific in unpainted form, saved me from a custom build when facing the reality of a planned Trans-Am ride with a group. My RB-1 was good for a weekend epic, but the building discomfort from poor fit wasn't going to work by the third day. My XO-2 in a smaller size wasn't going to work either for similar fit issues from sizing down. 

The Rambouillet was a great option for the added 2 cm of the head tube above the TT, now often copied, to raise the bars and move them back a bit. Rode across the country on the bike, essentially right out of the box. 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

On Monday, July 27, 2026 at 7:09:51 PM UTC-4 iamkeith wrote:

[David Johnston]

Andy said " The Rambouillet was a great option for the added 2 cm of the head tube "

More than that, 2deg of up-slope added about another  2cm of stack and an extra 15mm or so of spacers in the headset as well ended up raising the bars over 2" from square frames. As a casual rider this is a major reason I've been a Rivendell fan.

Of course you can always just do this, but Dirt Drops only come in limited sizes:

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[Peter Bridge]

Well, you're asking for opinions without a lot of data, so here goes.  I'm 6'1" with pbh of about 86.  I have owned three 60 Rams, using 10 or 11 stems.  

I'm guessing that a 60 would be big for you.  I'm guessing you'd have to run an 8 stem.  I'm guessing that you would have a bit less than a fist of post.  I'm guessing that a 58 would be a better fit.  Also, as alluded elsewhere, a 60 would have a LOT of headtube.  

I now have a 58 Ram, converted to an S&S coupled travel bike by Bilenky.  57 top tube, 18 headtube, almost 24 cm of steerer.  There's some chance I would consider liquidating it, because I subsequently bought an Alex Singer which is now occupying that functional slot.  Anyhoo, I think a 60 would be big for you unless you like the feeling of a big bike.  

~pb

      

On Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 8:57:05 AM UTC-7 fwalkon...@gmail.com wrote:

[Joe Bernard]

He got a 58, I think he's all set