loboseb

I am 5 ft 8 without shoes, Im guessing 5 ft 10 with shoes. My usual inseam clearance is with 17 bikes, 1 inch or less. Stick with 17? 5 ft 10 puts me in range of 19 size but......hmmmm?

GravelMN

Those are some thick soled cycling shoes.

I'm 5' 11" and ride a 21 - 22" road bike frame with a traditional center of the crank to center of a level top tube. A good fit must take into account much more than just standover height. While it is a good idea to know about what size you should ride, you will have to actually ride a bike to find out if it truly fits. There are a lot of variables including your body proportions, frame geometry, personal preferences and riding style, etc. While you do have to be able to put a foot down to stop, the old guideline of 1-2" of clearance when standing flat-footed while straddling the top bar isn't always that useful.

I'm guessing from your question that you are new to bike fitting, so I suggest to take an experienced cycling friend with you or consult a bike fitter at a local bike shop. There are some decent bike fitting videos on YouTube and other places on the web, but there are some pretty bad ones as well.

SkyDog75

You wear shoes whose soles are 2" thick?! I don't think the soles in my snow boots are thicker than about an inch. (The shoe's heel is irrelevant since it's the ball of your foot on the pedal.)

I can't say for certain what size you should be riding without seeing because there are too many variables. Not all bikes of a given frame size have the same dimensions, for example. Among other things, the effective top tube length (the distance between the seat tube and stem) can vary between models.

With all that said, though, I'm just shy of 5'10" and my mountain bike (an old rigid Cannondale) has an 18" frame. I'm generally comfortable on 17" and 18" frames. If you're an inch or two shorter than me, my guess is that a 19" mountain bike wouldn't be ideal for you.

Road bikes are sized differently. Since you mentioned bikes sized in inches and new road bikes are sized in cm, I assumed you weren't talking about road bikes. If you are, though, I generally ride frames in the 53-55 cm (~21") frames to give you a point of comparison.

CliffordK

Good point about road vs MTB, with the modern MTBs rated as smaller frames than modern Road bikes.

19" ==> 48cm. Awfully short.
17" ==> 43cm. About as small as road bikes come.

Frame sizes have come down a bit. I ride a road bike, and at 5'10, I'll ride anywhere from abut 54cm (21") to 61cm (24"). Drop a couple of inches in height, and maybe 50cm (19.5") to 56cm (22").

I never buy anything new, so in part, I'll go by what is available. I like to sit on my top tube, and don't believe I need a bunch of clearance below myself, especially when I'm up on the saddle.

If you're buying a new bike, then go by what the shop recommends, and feels good for the test ride.

fietsbob

i dont know with out seeing you and your bike in person

jefnvk

I'm 5-10, but with short legs. My MTB is 16" (honestly a bit too small). The road bike that fits the best is a 23", and the other two are 23" and 57. I have no personal space with those bikes, but they feel much better on than smaller bikes I can stand over. Also, all the road bikes are older than me, so there may be a bit of size changing over the years to take into consideration.

I also doubt you grow 2" with shoes.

practical

There are two factors to consider when sizing your bike. You've recognized the first one - leg length. You usually want to get a bike that you can just stand over without the bar hitting you. But with the sloping top tubes, this technique is obviously not the only thing to consider. The other factor is arm length - you've got to be comfortable reaching the handle bars. Men's and women's bodies are often different in this regard with men having shorter legs in relation to their trunk and arms while the opposite is often true with women. That's why there are now "women's" bikes. When looking at bikes, know your inseam and arm length. One way to see if a bike is long enough or too long is to place your elbow at the front tip of the seat and reach for the handlebar. If you can reach the handlebar, the bike will probably fit.

Maelochs

Bike Fit Calculator | Find Your Bike Size | Competitive Cyclist

Here is where to start. Everything you say here could be interpreted in a dozen different way to give you a dozen different wrong answers.

Every body is different, and every frame is different, and every manufacturer measures its frames differently.

Effective top tube, crank to saddle, stack, reach, stem length, head tube .... are actual, measurable dimensions which relate to how your body fits on your bike. Do the measurements in the chart above, and then when you go to the store or look at an online geometry chart, you will know what you need.

ramzilla

Before you buy a bike consider your individual shape. Do you have long legs & a short torso. Or, are you like me? I'm the exact same height as my brother but, his inseam is 2" longer than mine. For me, a bike that's slightly too small is easier to deal with than one that's too big. (You can always raise the seat post a little). In the old days when most bikes came in standard sizes, somebody 5'8" would fit around a 52cm or 20.5" frame pretty well.