what size?

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dobber

New Member
hi,can anyone tell me if a 20" road bike be suitable for a 5'9"-5'10" male,i have had different opinions from friends,some say it's the right size for my 31"inside leg and some say too small!..thanks in advance..dobber
 

Rob3rt

Man or Moose!
Location
Manchester
You need to be concerning yourself more with the effective top tube length!

You can raise and lower your arse with the seat post. You level of customisation of the cockpit is somewhat more drawn out and potentially expensive.

Ride before you decide!
 

Davywalnuts

Chief Kebab Taster
Location
Staines!
Oh, how funny, 'Dobber' is my old School nickname, how random!

I would say, try it out if you can as the geometries can differ along with stem and seat post lengths, but personally being am 5ft9, just, with 29.5" inside legs, I ride a compact 52cm and traditional 54cms bikes, which are just bigger than a 20".. I think it would be a fraction to small for you, but again, try it if you can.

Good luck.
 

colinr

Well-Known Member
Location
Norwich
I'd say 20" (51cm, road bikes are always cm for some reason) you're pushing it. You'd probably be close to 54cm depending on your build.
 
Ask what the 20" actually is - if it is a bike with a horizontal top tube and the 20" is the measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube then the bike is likely to be slightly too small - ideally you want a 20 1/2 -21 1/2.

However if the bike is cheap you can always play around with longer stems etc to compensate.
 

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
Dobber, I've tried various fitting methods plus plenty of trial and error and came to the conclusion that this link works very well:-

http://www.prodigalchild.net/Bicycle6.htm

you only need to read the first 2-3 pages and there's a very handy table based around height, inseam and footsize. Having spent a long time getting 3 different bikes set up correctly for myself I then found this website. The sizing suggested by his table matches all 3 of the bikes.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
hello dobber welcome on the forums.

Dont forget your leg measurement is from tight up in your groin to the floor which will be about 2 inches longer than your trouser size.

I am the same height as you 5FT 9and a 1/2inches my leg measurement is 33 inches (groin to floor)my roadbike is a 56 cm frame.

Have a look at this table. Road bike size chart Comes up with the same result for my measurements as the chart in Mac Bs link.

Dont buy a bike the wrong size you can jack the seatpost right up and fit a longer stem etc but it will never be exactly right.
 
OP
OP
D

dobber

New Member
Oh, how funny, 'Dobber' is my old School nickname, how random!

I would say, try it out if you can as the geometries can differ along with stem and seat post lengths, but personally being am 5ft9, just, with 29.5" inside legs, I ride a compact 52cm and traditional 54cms bikes, which are just bigger than a 20".. I think it would be a fraction to small for you, but again, try it if you can.

Good luck.

dobber's what everyone calls me apart from my mam!!
 
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