What size frame for 5'4" and 5'6" riders mtb

[The History Man]

A couple of colleagues have asked me to look out for cheap recreational BSO or better nikes (think raleigh ogre etc) for as little money as possible. Plenty out there on the bay but what size would i buy? Appreciate it varies on inside leg etc but as a rule of thumb what size would be ok. She's not bothered about women's frame so all good.

he is 5ft6ins

she is 5ft4ins

both fit and active but want to go out riding together......... sweet.

Thanks for the input as mine are a little large for them. :facepalm:

this looks big?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231925141592? ... EBIDX%3AIT

and this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152074492118? ... EBIDX%3AIT
THM

 

[DynaCol]

Re:

I'm 5' 6" and tend to go for 15-16" frames if I can but for older frames the smallest available is usually ok (my Raleigh Appalachian is 19.5" for example). I find I often need to find a shorter stem or inline seatpost to help with reach though so there may still be some adjusting required when you find the frame that fits them.

 

[The History Man]

Thanks. so say 17/19 max?

 

[DynaCol]

Thanks. so say 17/19 max?

I'd say 18" max for a newer bike for the bloke and 16" max for the woman. As I say I would usually look for a 16" frame for myself but can get away with a slightly bigger frame with some adjusting of stem length etc. (I only go for 19" on older frames because that's usually the smallest they came in ).
It depends on how the manufacturer measures the frames that complicates things when going off a measurement on a listing though so might be worth sending them a message first to confirm seattube length and/or stand-over height etc.

 

[ishaw]

I'm 6ft and a 19 inch suits me fine, as do 18 so I'd say they were a little large for someone smaller. I'd go for 16 inch for the 5ft 6 gentleman and smaller for the lady if it were me.

 

[The History Man]

just check and they are saying 30 and 28 leg. Will look for something no bigger than 17 then

 

[hamster]

Try a 16" Kona. They work for just about everyone from 5' - 5'8".

 

[The History Man]

just to be clear, it's not for me.........

This is mine :mrgreen: Hence my confusion over smallness.

 

[petitpal]

I'm 5' 6" ish and tend to ride 16". Although I think it's fair to say that I have 'Black Country' legs (weemanmtb and co will know what I mean!) so someone else 5' 6" might need a taller frame than me! One other possible approach (while not wanting to undermine what's been said further up the thread) could be to ask your colleagues to sit on a couple of bikes down at Halfords or something to see what size they feel comfortable with, and then look for those.

 

[raidan73]

Re:

In thick socks I'm getting close to 5'7" (on a good day) and most of my bikes are 16".

Given a choice, and depending on the brand, I'd probably pick a 17" but that option wasn't common in the late 80's and early 90's (my years of choice) so a 16" does nicely.. I could ride an 18" quite happily if it was just on roads and very light off road tracks but on anything a bit technical it would be a little on the big side.