What size frame should you ride but what do you really ride?

[dirttorpedo]

Interesting thread. I've traditionally ridden a 19-20 inch mountain bike and a 58 cm road bike. I was looking for a retro bike for L'eroica and got one that was 57cm. I could ride it, but it didn't feel quite right because of all the seat post I needed to expose. I checked out the Rivendell site and read what Grant said there about "english" fitting of road bikes and test road a friend's 60cm vintage bike. I bought a 61ish cm vintage bike and it seems to fit fine - much more similar to my old 80's road bike at least.

I've been wondering since that experience if I should be looking at larger mountain bikes as well...

 

[longun]

18-22 inch frames. dependant on make and stem length and post lengths,although nearly all are 400mm long just to be safe. my recent purchase is 21.5" and should be spot on. my trek however is 20" iirc but the headtube is short compared to a kona or raleigh in the same size.

but i have been winging it for years haha

 

[Joe_Rides]

Commute bike is the most "fitted" to me. It's 21".

I prefer an 18 or 19" bike for off-roading though. Shorter and with a lower seat.

I'm 6'2.....ish. Long legs. Short arms.

 

[Joe_Rides]

I'm 6'2.....ish. Long legs. Short arms.

Might save that one for a dating website profile!

 

[Dossa]

Re:

Interesting points raised...

I've a slight dilemma in that I've a 19" Zaskar frame in the shed (21" c-t) and I've always preferred 19" c-t

The worry is building it up only to find it doesn't fit :facepalm:

I'm bob on 6ft..

 

[Muddy paw]

Re:

Well i'm 5ft 11" and i tend to ride 18"-19" frame MTBs although the wifes 16" 1998 Lava Dome seems to fit me pretty well although i've not really been out for a proper ride on it yet so i can't give a true opinion on comfort , I use to have a 17" 1995 Saracen Hardtrax which i was convinced was the proper size for me when i bought it at the begining 1996 but eventually i admitted to myself that it was just too cramped so i ended up selling that ,,

Atm i own an 18" 1989 Fire Mounntain and a 19" 1992 Raleigh Ravine and my recently purchased 18" 1988 Muddy Fox Courier and i've got a 2010 Decathlon 5.2 Rock Rider which i think is a 16" but is currently in bit's as i'm yet to build it up although i did ride it a bit when i 1st got it but it was a frame in need of a re-build but any way all my current bikes seem to fit me quite well and i'm happy with the sizing with an arm reach of 23" from armpit to the base of my fingers and a leg length of 30" so allowing for leaning forwards when seated a reach to the bars of upto aprox 28" is quite comfy ..

 

[mk one]

According to a lot of charts i should be riding 18-20" bikes.
I am 5.10" with 33 inside leg, not sure about arm length, but they go all the way to the end.

I actually ride 17-18" bikes, which comes from riding bmx and prefering a smaller/lower frame to throw about more. Most bikes i ride, with low sloping top tubes, tend to have longer top tubes so i find im not to cramped up and can actually be too stretched out in attack mode, which is less appealing nowadays.

 

[Leighcal]

I ride 16" at 6' ish with long legs and arms, short torso. Never been a fan of bigger frames don't feel comfortable on them

 

[Muddy paw]

@mkone .

Well tbh i don't really bother with what manufacturers suggest as you say your an inch shorter than me at 5.10" and have a 3" longer leg measurement than me which just goes to show how people differ in the length of their limbs regardless of their height so unless you can try a bike for size before you buy then you should always ask for measurements from the seller and like you say you prefer smaller framed bikes due to being use to riding BMX's and yes alot of bikes tend to have longish sloping top tubes so that makes your position more stretched out compared to alot of the old retro designed MTBs and i use to love the old stretched out racing position back in the day but now my back won't take it as much otherwise i'd still be setting the bikes up like that ..

 

[The History Man]

evening.