Frame sizing question

[Alex887]

I test rode a few bikes of different sizes at my LBS
recently and came away feeling much more comfortable on the
larger 21+ inche frames. I am 6"2', 250 lbs. The LBS tech
tells me I belong on a 21' frame but it just doesn't feel
right, weight balance or stability wise.

In fact, the most comfortable was a 24' hardrock frame that
dwarfed anything else in the shop. My crotch clears the top
tube by a 2'.

On the smaller sizes I am constantly shifting my butt back
on the seat (seat adjusted all the way back) to get better
weight distribution. I tinckered with the seat of a large
21' frame trying to determine if the seat angle was a
problem but not so.

My question is, are there any other dangers I face with the
larger frame (other than groin injuries due to 2' clearance
on stand over height)? And is a larger frame weaker
structurally than a smaller frame.

I am not too concerned with shaving weight over comfort as I
frequently do all day road trips and need to be comfortable.

I ride 50/50 off-road and on. My off-road riding does not
include anything bigger than 1 foot dropoffs.

Thanks, Marc

 

[Mojo Deluxe]

"alex887" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:VBK7c.31$cx5.15@fed1read04...
> I test rode a few bikes of different sizes at my LBS
> recently and came
away
> feeling much more comfortable on the larger 21+ inche
> frames. I am 6"2',
250
> lbs. The LBS tech tells me I belong on a 21' frame but it
> just doesn't
feel
> right, weight balance or stability wise.
>
> In fact, the most comfortable was a 24' hardrock frame
> that dwarfed
anything
> else in the shop. My crotch clears the top tube by a 2'.
>
> On the smaller sizes I am constantly shifting my butt back
> on the seat
(seat
> adjusted all the way back) to get better weight
> distribution. I tinckered with the seat of a large 21'
> frame trying to determine if the seat angle
was
> a problem but not so.
>
> My question is, are there any other dangers I face with
> the larger frame (other than groin injuries due to 2'
> clearance on stand over height)? And
is
> a larger frame weaker structurally than a smaller frame.
>
> I am not too concerned with shaving weight over comfort as
> I frequently do all day road trips and need to be
> comfortable.
>
> I ride 50/50 off-road and on. My off-road riding does not
> include anything bigger than 1 foot dropoffs.
>

Hmmmm, you should ride what feels right, but.....I'm 6'3",
with a 36" inseam, and ride a 19", and my last was a 19.5".
Larger frames feel awkward, and clunky to me, and I'm not
very comfortable on them at all. Smaller frames seems to
feel more agile *to me*.

 

[Stephen Baker]

mojo says:

>Hmmmm, you should ride what feels right, but.....I'm 6'3",
>with a 36" inseam, and ride a 19", and my last was a 19.5".
>Larger frames feel awkward, and clunky to me, and I'm not
>very comfortable on them at all. Smaller frames seems to
>feel more agile *to me*.
>

It all boils down to your position in the family, and then
whether you grew up on a BMX or not. Younger children always
got hand-me-down bikes that were probably too large at the
time, so are used to larger frames. BMX folks could never
find a frame big enough as they grew older, so are more used
to little frames.

;-)

Steve

 

[Alex887]

I totally agree with the smaller is agile feeling. My wife
has a 17' frame MTB. When I push the seat up and take it for
a ride I feel like I'm on my old kid-days Mongoose BMX bike
that I could do anything on. The bigger frames just feel
more suited to how I ride, mostly safe, flat stuff.

I was looking at wheelbases of downhill bikes and noticed
they had longer ones than regular MTB's. I guess this is due
to the fork angle but doesn't longer wheelbase translate to
better stability?

"mojo deluxe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "alex887" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:VBK7c.31$cx5.15@fed1read04...
> > I test rode a few bikes of different sizes at my LBS
> > recently and came
> away
> > feeling much more comfortable on the larger 21+ inche
> > frames. I am 6"2',
> 250
> > lbs. The LBS tech tells me I belong on a 21' frame but
> > it just doesn't
> feel
> > right, weight balance or stability wise.
> >
> > In fact, the most comfortable was a 24' hardrock frame
> > that dwarfed
> anything
> > else in the shop. My crotch clears the top tube by a 2'.
> >
> > On the smaller sizes I am constantly shifting my butt
> > back on the seat
> (seat
> > adjusted all the way back) to get better weight
> > distribution. I
tinckered
> > with the seat of a large 21' frame trying to determine
> > if the seat angle
> was
> > a problem but not so.
> >
> > My question is, are there any other dangers I face with
> > the larger frame (other than groin injuries due to 2'
> > clearance on stand over height)?
And
> is
> > a larger frame weaker structurally than a smaller frame.
> >
> > I am not too concerned with shaving weight over comfort
> > as I frequently
do
> > all day road trips and need to be comfortable.
> >
> > I ride 50/50 off-road and on. My off-road riding does
> > not include
anything
> > bigger than 1 foot dropoffs.
> >
>
> Hmmmm, you should ride what feels right, but.....I'm 6'3",
> with a 36" inseam, and ride a 19", and my last was a
> 19.5". Larger frames feel
awkward,
> and clunky to me, and I'm not very comfortable on them at
> all. Smaller frames seems to feel more agile *to me*.

 

[Zeeexsixare]

> I was looking at wheelbases of downhill bikes and noticed
> they had longer ones than regular MTB's. I guess this is
> due to the fork angle but doesn't longer wheelbase
> translate to better stability?

Yes, but often sharper turns are a little harder to make.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

[Steve D]

That's another reason being the youngest kid sucked. Getting
a large frame to grow into means that inevitably you are
going to rack your nuts on the cross bar. As Martha Stewart
would say, It's not a good thing when your crotch hits the
cross bar before your feet hit the ground. The only good
thing is that this tends to happen before puberty.

 

[Bert L.Am]

"alex887" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht
news:VBK7c.31$cx5.15@fed1read04...
> I test rode a few bikes of different sizes at my LBS
> recently and came
away
> feeling much more comfortable on the larger 21+ inche
> frames. I am 6"2',
250
> lbs. The LBS tech tells me I belong on a 21' frame but it
> just doesn't
feel
> right, weight balance or stability wise.
>
> In fact, the most comfortable was a 24' hardrock frame
> that dwarfed
anything
> else in the shop. My crotch clears the top tube by a 2'.
>
> On the smaller sizes I am constantly shifting my butt back
> on the seat
(seat
> adjusted all the way back) to get better weight
> distribution. I tinckered with the seat of a large 21'
> frame trying to determine if the seat angle
was
> a problem but not so.
>
> My question is, are there any other dangers I face with
> the larger frame (other than groin injuries due to 2'
> clearance on stand over height)? And
is
> a larger frame weaker structurally than a smaller frame.
>
> I am not too concerned with shaving weight over comfort as
> I frequently do all day road trips and need to be
> comfortable.
>
> I ride 50/50 off-road and on. My off-road riding does not
> include anything bigger than 1 foot dropoffs.
>
> Thanks, Marc
>
>
>
try these two: http://www.bsn.com/cycling/ergobike.html
http://www.wrenchscience.com/WS1/Secure/Fitting/Height.asp

and discover that there is more to bike sizing than inseam
length. In fact inseam lenght is only of minor importance,
as you can put your saddle higher or lower (within limits).

Bert l.

--
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