Johndan73

I bought a trek 7010. 20” frame I’m 5’7.5” tall The bike doesn’t feel right It’s awkward getting on and off I think It’s to big for me I’ve lowered to seat as for as it goes, I could do with it being a few more inches lower but it a compression seat post and won’t go down all the way. Can I make this bike fit?

alo

You decide. Would it be a good fit if you used a regular seat post?

nomadmax 

What kind of bike is a "Trek 7010"?

What is your cycling inseam?

LesterOfPuppets

Probably Trek 7000. MTB thru the year 2000. Hybrid 2005 and later.

The hybrids often came stock with a suspension post, so I'm guessing 2005 or later.

Either way 20" frame is going to be big for many 5'7" people.

Phil_gretz

Sell the Trek for what you paid, and find another bike that's in your size. 5' 8" with a long torso, go to 19". 5'8" with longer legs, go down two sizes.

mack_turtle

At your height, that bike might be two full sizes too big. You probably ought to be on a 16-17" frame. Sell it and buy something that fits. Any other option is a waste of your time.

ARider2

No way ho-zay... that bike is most likely too big for you. If you can stand over the top tube with your feet flat on the ground and still have clearance between the top tube and your private parts then you should be OK but if there is little or no clearance you run the risk of crashing your private parts on the top tube.

bruce19

We can all ride a range of frame sizes. Mine is 54-56 cm. I have a 58 Masi I love and have modified so that I am pretty good on it. But,it never feels "right." My Guru Sidero and my CAAD 12 in 54/55 are both perfect. FWIW my inseam is 32.5" or 82.55 cm.

probe1957

If a bike is too small there are things you can do (within reason) to make it "bigger." Unfortunately, if a bike is too big, there is nothing you can do to make it smaller. I agree with all the suggestions saying to sell it and buy a bike that is the right size.

mack_turtle

It does not sound like OP is concerned with standover height, and that's not the most important part of fitting a bike by a long shot. most likely, the reach to the handlebar is going to be too long no matter what he does. it can be mitigated with a super short stem and a handlebar with a lot of setback (more pronounced sweep to put the grips behind the steering axis) but it will still be a compromise.

70sSanO

If it is an old mtb and you are just riding it on the street...

As someone already suggested, get a new seatpost and lower the seat and see how it goes. It that helps enough, get a shorter stem as also suggested.

On the bright side, you won’t have to worry about the handlebars being too low.

John

Gresp15C

I'm in agreement that if the bike is intended for pavement use, it might be OK with a new seatpost.

There is an old rule of thumb: Take your inseam, multiply by 1.09, that should be the distance from the top of the saddle to the top of the fully extended pedal. This would let you estimate whether changing the seatpost will actually let you lower the saddle sufficiently. For off road use, you'd want a much shorter frame if you value your nether bits.

ClydeClydeson

I agree with the advice I bothered to read above.

Generally speaking, you can usually fit three sizes in most models of bikes without too much problem - the 'correct' size, one size smaller and one size larger. A 5'7" person should probably be on a 16" or so frame, but could likely make a 14, 15, 17 or 18" frame work. 20" is big for someone 5'7". If the bike is only ridden infrequently or short distances (like >10 km) then it often won't be too much of an issue, but if riding a lot or longer distances, then you need a bike that fits better.

If you want to kludge it together so it fits a bit better, a non-suspension seatpost will allow you to drop the saddle by another few cms, and It is very easy to swap in a shorter stem to bring the bars closer. These are simple changes and will make the bike feel better but likely still not great. My experience has been that if you are at the ends of any normal adjustment (like seatpost slammed all the way into the frame) then the bike was simply not made for you.

mack_turtle

what are you goals for riding this bike? if you're riding short distances at a casual pace and the bike does not hurt you to ride it, "downsizing" it by replacing the stem and seatpost will be fine. so long as riding it does not hurt you, go for it. but if you want to ride longer distances and be in confident control of the bike at higher speeds, the oversized frame will be awkward and could result in injury from riding in that position over many miles, or make it difficult to control the bike. if you want to ride more distances, faster, over more challenging terrain than plain old roads bike bike paths, get a bike that fits.

jadocs

You guys lost me....granted I have little to no experience with MTB sizing, but isn't a 20 inch frame quite small?

Where is the 20" measurement taken?.....because that is like 51cm.

mack_turtle

road bikes and mountain bikes are measured the same way, but the measurements mean very different things. the seat tube on a mountain bike is much shorter for it's size than a road bike. a 20" hybrid/ mtb is a "large," probably the equivalent to a 58cm road bike. for someone who is 5'7", they are in between a small and medium, so that's a 15-17" frame.

those measurements are quite meaningless now, as bicycle sizing makes a lot more sense when you use effective top tube or reach instead. that's true of most bikes but the idea sticks around anyways.

70sSanO

It’s the bottom bracket height. MTB’s have a higher bottom bracket, so a 20”/50cm is being measure an inch or two higher from the ground. That and the effective lengths with sloped top tubes make sizing different than a small 50cm traditional (old) road frame.

John

jaxgtr

I had a CAAD9 that was a size too big and spent way too much time trying to make the damn thing fit....I finally threw in the towel and sold it. I cost me a lot of money trying to make it fit. I would say get rid of it, find something that fits.

veganbikes

Just saw the frame down and re-weld it.

If the bike isn't close to fitting then it just isn't worth it. Sell it and find one that works well for you.

VirginiaWH Sitting in a different chair won't help his bike fit problems. It may provide better lumbar support and could help your ridding a little bit maybe but won't really change the fit of the bike. If you are talking about a saddle, that isn't going to help much either as even with some of the heavily padded saddles switching to a proper saddle won't give you a ton less height. A slammed seatpost could lower your riding position a bit but won't change the bike geometry. You could also get a short stem but that can drastically change handling and again still won't change the bike geometry. Basically if the bike isn't close to fitting you it is not really sensible or safe to ride it. You can make things work to a point but going to extremes is just not a great idea.

Johndan73

Thanks for all your replies and advice, I've been riding my bike all wrong, my problem was stopping and starting, I was sitting on the seat starting and stopping, I watched a video on youtube on stopping and starting.

veganbikes

Learning to ride properly is an important skill but an ill fitting bike won't change with riding skill, it still won't fit. Stay safe, good luck and get a bike that fits.

downtube42

Really common. I taught cycling safety to youth years ago, and most had been taught by parents to have the seat adjusted for being flatfoot while seated. That's cool for hanging with buddies on the playground, not for riding.

Tracks_Of_Death

I have never seen the inseam by 1.09 trick before. I always figured everbody just guessed. Thank you.

mack_turtle

your response indicates that you ignored all of the good advice in this thread and will continue to ride a bike that is just plain too big for you. have fun with that.