Re: Frame sizes?

Tom Kunich

"HDGuzzi" <IlDonPeppino@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:f1697b31-2bce-469e-8521-61addabc9050@w1g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
> My question however has to do with frame
> size. I coudln't really tell in the pics that it was a "small" frame
> bike, no measurements were given, nor did I think to ask. (In my day
> an "adult" bike was simply called "a 26", implying the wheel size, I
> guess). I was a bit surprised at the smallness of it once I got it all
> together. It's still OK, but a bit short/small for me. Now I see
> another one for sale, just like my present one, but I can tell by the
> longer head tube (?) that it is at least taller, but would a taller
> bike also be longer? I'd like a litle more knee and foot room on my
> next one.

Usually the bicycle size is measured from the center of the bottom bracket
(the center of the chainrings) to the top of the top tube along the seat
tube.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm is a comprehensive article on
bicycle fit.

If you want a quick and dirty way though - in your bare feet stand over the
bicycle and there should be one inch clearance between your crotch and the
top tube.

Here's something to remember - it take riding a bicycle for a couple of
years to get everything fitting you properly because your body continues to
change over that period as you ride. So you needn't be too accurate - if
you're within an inch you're more than fine. I rode 57 cm bikes for a couple
of years (thanks for a lunatic Greg LeMond book describing idiotic ways of
fitting a bicycle) before getting one the correct size. And I got that one
by some old bicycle dealer looking at me and telling me to buy a 61 cm.
Turns out he was almost exactly right. When he built my bike it felt like it
didn't fit for about a month and I've been riding that size ever since.