(first post) 6' 2", but bought a 17.5" Trek 7.3 **********???
Newbie post, sorry for the length. First of all, I live in Korea. It's hard to find a bike shop that I can communicate with, and it's pretty hard to find bikes big enough for me. I haven't had a bike since I was a kid. I'm 40 and decided to get healthy again. I'll be usually riding on smooth bike paths along a river. I won't be doing any very long touring. Most bikes in Korea are mountain bikes but I wanted a hybrid. I know very little about bikes (but I've learned some from this site over the last couple days - thanks to the users - you've been very helpful)
I went to a shop recommended by another foreigner. Nice store and the owner spoke English and seemed very honest. I was amazed at the price$$$. There were truly no real options in my size and price range. He then suggested I look at the Trek - largest size was 17.5". He added an extension to shift the handlebars forward and put the seat up high. They spent a good hour tweaking the bike and measuring me, re-tweaking and then measuring me on the bike. I bought it. I got a *great* price on it in Korea: $500 (plus 2 years full service/tweaking, which to a newbie is very valuable)
It rides nicely; in fact I *love* the bike. I can't say I feel cramped really at all - but I have no experience to compare it to. The palms of my hands did hurt somewhat. This could be due to the handlebars being lower than the seat, could be b/c I'm new to riding again, or just that I could use better grips. I emailed the owner and he said to bring it in and we could raise the handlebars and/or look at the bike.
Question finally: Is this foolish to get the 17.5"? My pant inseam in 34". But if the bike is properly tweaked and handlebars extended, etc, is it possible to get a good enough fit? I did find a 20" Trek 7.1 online for the same price of $500. But I'd have to return the 7.3 (if even possible) and probably lose access to that shop and find another shop to get the 7.1 assembled at.
Truly, I want you to tell me the 17.5" is OK. But more truly, I want to know the truth.
Thanks a lot for helping this newbie.