Bike sizing

Sticky Wicket said:

My brother has a Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 which he says is too small for him
(he is 6' 1", I am 5' 10"😉 which he will let me have for cheap. He says that
the size of the bike is 17.5" but I have no idea if this is a good size for
me. I can't try it because he lives too far away. I don't want to have him
pack and send it if it won't fit me. Does anyone know if this bike would fit
me?

Sticky

I have a Rocky Mountain Vertex 17.5" with a 125 mm stem. I am 176 cm.
It's on the small side.

Lou
--
Posted by news://news.nb.nu (http://www.nb.nu)

Sticky Wicket said:

My brother has a Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 which he says is too small for him
(he is 6' 1", I am 5' 10"😉 which he will let me have for cheap. He says that
the size of the bike is 17.5" but I have no idea if this is a good size for
me. I can't try it because he lives too far away. I don't want to have him
pack and send it if it won't fit me. Does anyone know if this bike would fit
me?

Sticky

A lot depends on your inseam. 17.5" would be about the right size for a
30-32 inch inseam, which would about where a 5'10" man would be. A 15"
frame would be a bit small, and a 19" would be too large.

The standover on the 17.5" Vertex is 75.8 cm, and you want at least 6-8
cm of clearance from your crotch, so if you have a 32" (81.3 cm) inseam
you'd be about right.

A 6'1" man would likely have a 33-35" inseam, and the 17.5" frame would
be too small, so your bro is probably correct when he says that it's too
small for him.

Of course the standard disclaimers about different manufacturers having
different sizings apply, as well as the disclaimers about different body
proportions of torso and legs.

Inseam Frame size
CM Inches CM Inches
66-71 26-28 33 13
71-76 28-30 38 15
76-79 30-31 43 17
79-84 31-33 46 18
81-86 32-34 48 19
84-89 33-35 51 20
91-99 36-39 53 21

Have him sell it to you with the caveat that if it doesn't fit then you
only pay him whatever you can sell it for on craigslist!

It may be too small for you too. Do not buy a bike without riding
until you are familiar with sizing. Are there any rocky mountain
dealers near you to try the same size bike?

Sticky Wicket said:

My brother has a Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 which he says is too small for him
(he is 6' 1", I am 5' 10"😉 which he will let me have for cheap. He says that
the size of the bike is 17.5" but I have no idea if this is a good size for
me. I can't try it because he lives too far away. I don't want to have him
pack and send it if it won't fit me. Does anyone know if this bike would fit
me?

Sticky

I'm 5'11" with 32" inseam and need a 20" mtb. Anything else is too
small and cramped

SMS said:

Sticky Wicket said:

My brother has a Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 which he says is too small for him
(he is 6' 1", I am 5' 10"😉 which he will let me have for cheap. He says that
the size of the bike is 17.5" but I have no idea if this is a good size for
me. I can't try it because he lives too far away. I don't want to have him
pack and send it if it won't fit me. Does anyone know if this bike would fit
me?

Quoted message said:

Sticky

A lot depends on your inseam. 17.5" would be about the right size for a
30-32 inch inseam, which would about where a 5'10" man would be. A 15"
frame would be a bit small, and a 19" would be too large.

The standover on the 17.5" Vertex is 75.8 cm, and you want at least 6-8
cm of clearance from your crotch, so if you have a 32" (81.3 cm) inseam
you'd be about right.

A 6'1" man would likely have a 33-35" inseam, and the 17.5" frame would
be too small, so your bro is probably correct when he says that it's too
small for him.

Of course the standard disclaimers about different manufacturers having
different sizings apply, as well as the disclaimers about different body
proportions of torso and legs.

Inseam Frame size
CM Inches CM Inches
66-71 26-28 33 13
71-76 28-30 38 15
76-79 30-31 43 17
79-84 31-33 46 18
81-86 32-34 48 19
84-89 33-35 51 20
91-99 36-39 53 21

Have him sell it to you with the caveat that if it doesn't fit then you
only pay him whatever you can sell it for on craigslist!

Quoted message said:

I'm 5'11" with 32" inseam and need a 20" mtb. Anything else is too
small and cramped

It all comes down to the limitations of "measuring" bikes based on
something as arbitrary as seat post length. And even then, the
industry comes up with at least three different ways to measure that
(including one more for "virtual equivalent"😉.

At Habanero, we measure the frames from the center of the bottom
bracket, along the centerline of the seat tube to the point where the
TOP of the top tube would cross the seat tube centerline. Others
measure to the center of the top tube, still others to the top of the
seat tube.

But to assume the most common protocol (center to top), if you're
anything like a typical 5'11" (1.80m) rider, you'd probably NOT want
to ride a 20" Habanero - the standover height at the midspan of the
top tube (where you actually stand over it) is about 33.5", which
would give the typical rider your height virtually NO clearance (OK
for commuter duty but not a good idea for off-road service). The
cockpit would also be a bit long for most people your height as well
(with an effective top tube of 24.1"😉.

Personally, I subscribe to the fit theory that the best fit is the
smallest frame that will allow you to get the right "cockpit length"
(top tube effective plus stem) without resorting to a too-long stem
(ideal ranges from 10cm to 14cm, depending on the size of the frame).
Having more standover clearance is always a good thing when using an
MTB "in anger".

My own anecdotal fit - I'm 5'10" with a 33" inseam and fit perfectly
on a 17" (center to top) MTB with a 22" effective top tube.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

That's why one needs to ride a bike before purchase. The large 19.5
Cdale I ride is just right. Their 18" was too tight

Mark Hickey said:

Quoted message said:

I'm 5'11" with 32" inseam and need a 20" mtb. Anything else is too
small and cramped

It all comes down to the limitations of "measuring" bikes based on
something as arbitrary as seat post length. And even then, the
industry comes up with at least three different ways to measure that
(including one more for "virtual equivalent"😉.

At Habanero, we measure the frames from the center of the bottom
bracket, along the centerline of the seat tube to the point where the
TOP of the top tube would cross the seat tube centerline. Others
measure to the center of the top tube, still others to the top of the
seat tube.

But to assume the most common protocol (center to top), if you're
anything like a typical 5'11" (1.80m) rider, you'd probably NOT want
to ride a 20" Habanero - the standover height at the midspan of the
top tube (where you actually stand over it) is about 33.5", which
would give the typical rider your height virtually NO clearance (OK
for commuter duty but not a good idea for off-road service). The
cockpit would also be a bit long for most people your height as well
(with an effective top tube of 24.1"😉.

Personally, I subscribe to the fit theory that the best fit is the
smallest frame that will allow you to get the right "cockpit length"
(top tube effective plus stem) without resorting to a too-long stem
(ideal ranges from 10cm to 14cm, depending on the size of the frame).
Having more standover clearance is always a good thing when using an
MTB "in anger".

My own anecdotal fit - I'm 5'10" with a 33" inseam and fit perfectly
on a 17" (center to top) MTB with a 22" effective top tube.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycleshttp://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

On 1/3/07 3:54 PM, in article
[email hidden],

Quoted post said:

It may be too small for you too. Do not buy a bike without riding
until you are familiar with sizing. Are there any rocky mountain
dealers near you to try the same size bike?

There are, but I don't think that would be fair to the dealer. Just my
opinion.

Quoted message said:

Sticky Wicket said:

My brother has a Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 which he says is too small for him
(he is 6' 1", I am 5' 10"😉 which he will let me have for cheap. He says that
the size of the bike is 17.5" but I have no idea if this is a good size for
me. I can't try it because he lives too far away. I don't want to have him
pack and send it if it won't fit me. Does anyone know if this bike would fit
me?

Sticky

So you would rather pay money for shipping a bike that might be the
wrong size? You dont need to spend hours in the shop. Just find a
similar model bike and ride a 17.5" and a 19" and see which feels
better. Do shops expect to sell a bike to everyone who rides one?
Especially if they only offer one or two brands?

Sticky Wicket said:

On 1/3/07 3:54 PM, in article
[email hidden],

Quoted post said:

It may be too small for you too. Do not buy a bike without riding
until you are familiar with sizing. Are there any rocky mountain
dealers near you to try the same size bike?

There are, but I don't think that would be fair to the dealer. Just my
opinion.

Quoted message said:

Sticky Wicket said:

My brother has a Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 which he says is too small for him
(he is 6' 1", I am 5' 10"😉 which he will let me have for cheap. He says that
the size of the bike is 17.5" but I have no idea if this is a good size for
me. I can't try it because he lives too far away. I don't want to have him
pack and send it if it won't fit me. Does anyone know if this bike would fit
me?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Sticky- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You could go in and be honest up front- tell them you want to make sure your
brother's bike will work and ask them it would be ok to try theirs. They
may value future accessory sales more than the bike sale.

"Sticky Wicket" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 1/3/07 3:54 PM, in article
[email hidden],

Quoted post said:

It may be too small for you too. Do not buy a bike without riding
until you are familiar with sizing. Are there any rocky mountain
dealers near you to try the same size bike?

There are, but I don't think that would be fair to the dealer. Just my
opinion.

Quoted message said:

Sticky Wicket said:

My brother has a Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 which he says is too small for
him
(he is 6' 1", I am 5' 10"😉 which he will let me have for cheap. He says
that
the size of the bike is 17.5" but I have no idea if this is a good size
for
me. I can't try it because he lives too far away. I don't want to have
him
pack and send it if it won't fit me. Does anyone know if this bike would
fit
me?

Sticky

res09c5t said:

You could go in and be honest up front- tell them you want to make sure your
brother's bike will work and ask them it would be ok to try theirs. They
may value future accessory sales more than the bike sale.

I second this. My old shop was great like this, I could tell them
exactly what I was trying to do regardless of if it helped their
business or not, and they'd be as helpful as they could. Had they
copped an attitude when I started asking about things they didn't
sell, they'd have lost a customer and it seems they know that. They
were rewarded with a lot of my business, from tubes & tires to my
entire used road bike. When I test rode the road bike the conditions
were "Take it as long as you'd like, all day if you want, and see how
it feels". This is the type of shop I try to do business with,
hopefully your local shop is this way.

Bear in mind not all shops are the same, as the closest shop to my new
home was quick to ask why I wanted higher end gear for my, in their
(condescending) words, "obscure brand" MTB (Ventana) instead of buying
a new "brand name" Trek, Giant or Klein from them. The result is that
I now travel out of town to a different shop or buy mail order. I'm
confident my shop from my previous location and my new (out of town)
shop would let me ride a couple bikes in this instance, valuing future
business from me. I'd bet the shop closest to my new home would not.