Cleland / Highpath / English Cycles / size guide
The Highpath Engineering manufactured Cleland shown below was tailor-made for me in 1987/88. I was and am 6'2" tall with a 33" inside leg.
Highpath frame sizing as follows:
seat tube ctt 540mm, ctc 460mm
top tube 550mm ctc.
The eBay English Cycles Range-Rider frame sizing as follows:
seat tube ctt 530mm, ctc 465mm
top tube 535mm ctc.
Of the Cleland style bikes that I own, the longest seat tube ctt measurement is 560mm (22.04"). So there is not that much variation between frame sizes. The higher than usual bottom bracket height means that with the seat up high you can't touch the floor, even with your toes whilst sitting in the saddle. This is something you get used to and with practice, it's actually easier to jump clear of a Cleland in an emergency than when riding a standard mountain bike. This is because the upper body does not get in the way of the legs as you vault over the cross-bar.
So for comparison, my 1988 Highpath is has a 21.25" frame, my 1984 FW Evans ATB had a 23.5" frame and my ten speed racer at that time had a 25.5" frame.
So whilst it is possible to have a Cleland style bike where the frame is to big, as long as you have a long enough seat pin, it is difficult to have a Cleland seat tube that is too short.
Handle bar height on a Cleland can range from high and around the same height as your shoulders, or low where it is about the same height as the saddle. In fact between these limits it makes little difference in terms of controlling the bike. The problem is if the handebar is lower than the seat height as this will require the rider to lean forward in order to reach the bars which transfers weight onto the arms and reduces comfort when traveling over rough terrain and at low speeds. When riding quickly on smoother terrain leaning forward slightly is much less detrimental to long distance comfort.
Geoff Apps intended the Clelands to be ridden out of the saddle standing bolt upright when traveling over rough terrain, especially when doing so at speed. Sitting down is for smoother terrain, road use, or when taking it easy and enjoying the view. Converting one to to a bum in the air head down riding position is:
A/ Pointless, you might as well buy a regular mountain bike
and B/ It doesn't work very well as the short top tube makes things rather cramped causing over arching of the back.
With regards to heavier riders worried about over stressing the seat tube I recommend the use of a parallelogram style seat pin instead of a sprung saddle. However those that use elastomers do not work well in sub-zero temperatures.
