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Measuring Kestrel Talons
Kestrels, as so many modern frames, present a semantic issue in sizing. odern composite frames are not made like steel frames so the conventions we used for steel frame sizing, "center to center" and "center to top" don't represent exactly the same thing.
Nominal size - center to center - to top of the frame - top tube - head/seat angles - standover
So as you see, here's a nice predictable classic race geometry which can be quickly and easily switched out to a full tri format by shifting the saddle forward on its aero seatpost . Earlier Kestrel models, while excellent for triathlon, had the disadvantage of placing the saddle well forward in relation to the pedals. That's not comfortable or efficient for road riding with road bars.
Kestrel are quite short and very quick handling. See a photo of Kestrel's 200SCi Our Italian Kestrel expert Christine Grimando modelling the Kestrel 500SCi
As shown in this photo below, a "57cm" Kestrel Talon would be called a "55cm" by a framebuilder or an engineer because that's where the centerlines of the seat tube and down tube centerlines cross. Kestrel's adoption of "top of the top tube" (57cm in this case, as shown) is a reasonable choice of nomenclature because that's most correlable to classic "top of seatlug" measurement on a steel frame. That's the dimension with which most riders are conversant. 
Here's the geometry for the 2005 Kestrel Talon in millimeters:
480 . . . . 460. . . . 500. . . . 510. . . . 72.25/75.25. . . .74.2
520 . . . . 500. . . . 540. . . . 533. . . . 73.0/74.5. . . .76.5
550 . . . . 530. . . . 570. . . . 556. . . . 73.25/73.5. . . .79.1
570 . . . . 550. . . . 590. . . . 570. . . . 73.5/73.0. . . .81.2
600 . . . . 580. . . . 620. . . . 595. . . . 74.0/72.5. . . . 83.9
. Some Kestrel owners (like me!) found that disconcerting on long road rides. Now you don't have to compromise. For a tri-specific bike, Kestrel's new Airfoil is the ultimate machine, with hundreds of triathlon victories. Talons ride just like that in the forward position and revert to normal road format when you can't support two specialty bicycles. We think that's a smart answer for riders who need a road machine and a tri bike, too.
Need more data? Here's
Kestrel's Web Site
Our Italian built Bianchi Carbon XL rides more "Italian"
New! Kestrels for 2005
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