Hi guys looking to buy a road racing bike and was wanting advice on sizing of frames, I was told that all makers differ in frame size and a good rule is to buy the same size as your t-shirt, me being 5 11" that would be a medium, anyone got any helpful advice much appreciated?.
What size would fit me?
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does size matter
Yes ! Having been through your dilemma on recently purchasing a new bike MY advice is try the the bike out you intend to buy , really you must. As you say not all bikes are sized quite the same. Some manufacturers measure from the top of the seat tube to the middle of the bootm bracket and some do not etc etc.
A rule of thumb I believe is thus:
Standing over the bike with your feet FLAT on the ground on a typical road bike you should have one inch of clearence . On a MTB or maybe some hybrids it should be 2 to 3 inches as the bottom bracket in higher from the ground.
As a first pass at sizing , place a book between your groin and push it up until it connects with your groin . Then get a friend who knows you well
and measure from the top of the book to the floor INCLUDING the shoes you will wear whilst riding , this should give you your correct inside leg measurement .
You then measure the length of the seat stay and height of the bottom bracket from the floor and bingo . BUT sit on one before ordering . Hope that helps
Yes ! Having been through your dilemma on recently purchasing a new bike MY advice is try the the bike out you intend to buy , really you must. As you say not all bikes are sized quite the same. Some manufacturers measure from the top of the seat tube to the middle of the bootm bracket and some do not etc etc.
A rule of thumb I believe is thus:
Standing over the bike with your feet FLAT on the ground on a typical road bike you should have one inch of clearence . On a MTB or maybe some hybrids it should be 2 to 3 inches as the bottom bracket in higher from the ground.
As a first pass at sizing , place a book between your groin and push it up until it connects with your groin . Then get a friend who knows you well
and measure from the top of the book to the floor INCLUDING the shoes you will wear whilst riding , this should give you your correct inside leg measurement .You then measure the length of the seat stay and height of the bottom bracket from the floor and bingo . BUT sit on one before ordering . Hope that helps
Hi,
I was recently in Evans at Braehead and was told that being 5 9" a 54cm bike would fit best - the sales person was 5 11" and they fitted a 56cm. To prove the point they did the test as above and it seemed to work.
I'd stick clear of the t-shirt method - I take an x-large, but thats because I am a fat git!! Bike sizing is more about height, reach etc rather than weight.
Good luck
K
I was recently in Evans at Braehead and was told that being 5 9" a 54cm bike would fit best - the sales person was 5 11" and they fitted a 56cm. To prove the point they did the test as above and it seemed to work.
I'd stick clear of the t-shirt method - I take an x-large, but thats because I am a fat git!! Bike sizing is more about height, reach etc rather than weight.
Good luck
K
Addendum
Measure your inside leg measurement to the floor, subtract 3" (for mountain bikes, or 1" for road bikes) then subtract 10" (the average distance from the bottom bracket to the ground). This will give you the maximum frame size that you will need.
so say 33"
subtract 1
then 10 and the very maximum would be 22 inch frame road 20 inch MTB I am in fact a 33 inch leg and some bikes i'm a 20 inch others 18 or 19
Please be aware that it is dangerous to have a bike which is too large and also the reach of a bike increases with height.
Measure your inside leg measurement to the floor, subtract 3" (for mountain bikes, or 1" for road bikes) then subtract 10" (the average distance from the bottom bracket to the ground). This will give you the maximum frame size that you will need.
so say 33"
subtract 1
then 10 and the very maximum would be 22 inch frame road 20 inch MTB I am in fact a 33 inch leg and some bikes i'm a 20 inch others 18 or 19
Please be aware that it is dangerous to have a bike which is too large and also the reach of a bike increases with height.
