Bike Sizing

[Plywood]

ive been durling over some new bike and wonder what size is good for me (5'10'' skinny build). right now im on a 19.5'' hardtail but its kinda big for me. im looking at some full suspension bikes and should i go smaller in size when i use a full. im thinking 17'' too small and 19'' to big but i dont see anything in 18''. any feedback would be nice.

i ride mostly trails but i think id jump more if i had a better bike

[hammerhead]

Plywood

Bike fit is so personal, I can't even begin to guess. I'm 6'2" and my 21" bikes all fit differently. The old GT is a tad big - probably my kid is right, the stem is too long, the Giant and Iron Horse both feel perfect. Hard to tell what might fit you as all bike co's sizing is slightly different. Some are built for riders with long limbs, others for big torsos. My only suggestion is ride as many bikes in as many sizes as you can. Check out any demo days you can and whenever you can borrow a bike.

Riding position and style have a huge impact as well...

Good luck!

H.

[kmdmac]

get some good advise from a good local bike shop or two.
it is certainly a science to get it right. it's really all about the horizontal top tube length, stem, seat to bar, seat set back and lastly, stand over height. do some web site research. many online shops have a page on fit. check them all out and find a shop that is willing to spend some time with you.

most importantly: buy the bike based on your fit, not 'cause it's a good deal. otherwise, you'll be buyin' an other bike in a year or two.

[heckler]

pr new stem and seatpost to try to fix it, trashing the good price. And you might end up not liking it anyway.:devil

[Jisch]

If you have some spare time while its raining on Sunday, cruise over to the Wrench Sciences website. They have a bike fitting program there. While Wrench Sciences sells mostly really high end bikes you can fill in the tool and it will give you your ideal sizing. (By the way - if you price out your dream bike at WS and save the config (you have to create a log in to save it) you'll get a nice email from a sales person at WS telling you what a hot bike you have designed).

I used the tool to size my wife out for a Specialized bike. After I got the measurements from the Wrench Sciences tool, I went to the Specialized site and compared their sizing to what my wife needed. It worked out perfectly. All bike manufacturers post the dimensions of their frames on line.

I would also say that if you get "close enough" you can make adjustments through seat post and stem lengths. I am a strong believer that you can adjust your riding style to just about anything. I always felt very comfortable on my Titus, now that I'm riding my RM, when I switch back to the Titus it feels cramped and like I'm going to launch over the handlebars.

John

[xcslowpoke]

One other thing, most bicycle companies have sizing charts. Its not an exact science but since company to company sizing is different, its a start. Example if you go to Santa Cruz's website, a 5'10 person can fit on a medium or large. If you select medium the stem will be longer than if you selected large. Although it has frame size, stem length, and crank length specifications for all heights. Its all on their webpage, Pretty cool! Most others line out heights to frame sizes. Good luck.

[Plywood]

Thanks for the feedback.

I guess ill have to try some adjustment first

i think i went on that wrench website once but i never saved it and/or forgot

i also went to that santa cruz website, thats what got me thinking

[Coolriding]

Rules of Thumb from Bikefit website: http://arniebakercycling.com/slide_shows/ss_bike_fit.htm

Frame Size
Road: 2/3 inseam.
Mountain: subtract 14 from inseam in inches.
● Cranks
Inseam to 31 inches: 170 mm.
Inseam 31 to 33 inches: 172.5 mm.
Inseam 33 or more inches: 175 mm.
● Foot-Pedal Fore-Aft
Ball of foot over pedal spindle.
● Saddle Shape and Angle
Choose shape for comfort.
Set level.
● Seat Height
Bend knee 30° at bottom of pedal stroke.
● Seat Position Fore-Aft
Front of knee and pedal spindle in vertical line.
● Foot/Pedal Rotation Angle
Point toes the way you walk.
● Handlebar Width
Road: width of the shoulders.
Mountain: hands slightly wider than shoulders.
● Handlebar Shape
Select for comfort and riding style.
● Brake Levers
Tips in line with handlebar drops.
● Handlebar Angle
Point ends to middle of seatstays.
● Stem Height
Handlebar tops to fist width below saddle.
● Torso Angle / Reach
Stem extension, height, and rise set comfortable torso angle.
● Shoulder Angle
90° with hands on hoods and elbows bent 15°.

[kev8pt]

I recently wrestled with the sizing issue. Two articles I found useful are found here http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm and here http://www.sheldonbrown.com/kops.html. I also spent some time comparing seat tube lengts vs. top tube lengths by going to a bunch of bike manufacturer web sites and looking at the frame geometry for bikes in similar size/ride categories. Amazingly, the seat tube lengths for size Medium bikes that I compared ranged from 16" (Cannondale) to 18.5" (Yeti).

The main conclusion I drew was this: when buying a FS bike, top tube length is way more important than seat tube length and stand over height.

Another thing I did (slow day at work) was call a bunch of web based bike shops acting like a buyer, asking for sizing advice from the guy on the other end of the phone.

Good luck sizing yourself on a new ride - there seems to be a different opinion about sizing/fit for each person I spoke with. Ultimately, you're going to have to make the choice for yourslef.

[Plywood]

Thanks again,

I raised my seat and it feels much better (i reed that article in singletrack) but my mechanic says i should get a bike new one soon. So im back to thinking about it

im planning to go to that demo in Lynn Woods maybe ill get some advice there.

Plywood (lol my sig.)