Is my bike too small?
08-31-19, 01:42 AM
#26
Full Member
I like my mountain bikes sized up a size then I get a really short stem and wider bars. It feels great and comfortable. Like I’m “in” the bike.
For road, I like the frame a little smaller, compensating with the seat and bar height etc. I feel that if I’m above the bars, my core will support my arms better and my hands won’t hurt.
If I’m crusining around on a cruiser I like them big so I can have the seat set lower, large wide bars and very upright feels nice for 5 miles at a time!
For road, I like the frame a little smaller, compensating with the seat and bar height etc. I feel that if I’m above the bars, my core will support my arms better and my hands won’t hurt.
If I’m crusining around on a cruiser I like them big so I can have the seat set lower, large wide bars and very upright feels nice for 5 miles at a time!
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08-31-19, 07:05 AM
#27
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John
08-31-19, 12:23 PM
#28
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I've since discovered the joys of 26" wheels and never want to go back.
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08-31-19, 12:52 PM
#29
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We tend to go on a bit here on BF about getting the right fit, but this is a style of bike where if you missed by one size too small it shouldn’t be a big problem. Play with the stem height and angle a bit.
08-31-19, 04:07 PM
#31
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09-01-19, 08:07 AM
#32
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Most times I can stay on the saddle and lean the bike so I can dab a foot on the ground. But every once in a while, I'll do that on an off camber street with the wrong foot and now I'm teetering on the edge of falling over. So, it's best for me to simply be ready to slide off the saddle forward.
Plus, I prefer mountain bike/BMX style pedals. Plenty of grip on rubber sole shoes and super easy to "dismount" from.
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09-01-19, 09:17 AM
#33
Senior Member
To me, standover height is the first spec I look at. Its important. Standover height is the one spec that can't be changed. Saddle adjustment and reach are fully adjustable.
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09-01-19, 03:08 PM
#34
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Are you buying the bike to standover or are you buying it to ride.
Sorry, but standover is the most overthought measurement in bike fit.
Nobody should be buying a bicycle on the basis of whether they can stand with 2 feet flat on the ground on a perfectly flat surface (which is basically how standover is measured).
And while saddle adjustment and stem length can be adjusted on your personal body geometry, reach is a fixed measurement based on teh frame geometry.
09-01-19, 03:38 PM
#35
Senior Member
Going from a medium to large frame on the Cypress adds just .8" to the stack and .4" to the reach. you can adjust the seat and stem more then that.
A tall stack and short reach are part of what makes the Giant Cypress a comfort bike. My Sedona has an even taller stack and shorter reach then the Cypress. I tried lowering the handle bars and sliding the seat back to give it a more aggressive riding position. It was very uncomfortable that way. I put it back to where it was and it is comfortable again.
It may be that these bikes are best set up the way the manufacturer intended. I love my Sedona as a comfort bike. If I wanted more traditional fit and seating position I would have bought one of their hybrids like the Roam or Escape. They are quicker too.
A tall stack and short reach are part of what makes the Giant Cypress a comfort bike. My Sedona has an even taller stack and shorter reach then the Cypress. I tried lowering the handle bars and sliding the seat back to give it a more aggressive riding position. It was very uncomfortable that way. I put it back to where it was and it is comfortable again.
It may be that these bikes are best set up the way the manufacturer intended. I love my Sedona as a comfort bike. If I wanted more traditional fit and seating position I would have bought one of their hybrids like the Roam or Escape. They are quicker too.
Last edited by xroadcharlie; 09-01-19 at 06:44 PM.
09-01-19, 07:49 PM
#36
Senior Member
Why?
Are you buying the bike to standover or are you buying it to ride.
Sorry, but standover is the most overthought measurement in bike fit.
Nobody should be buying a bicycle on the basis of whether they can stand with 2 feet flat on the ground on a perfectly flat surface (which is basically how standover is measured).
And while saddle adjustment and stem length can be adjusted on your personal body geometry, reach is a fixed measurement based on teh frame geometry.
Are you buying the bike to standover or are you buying it to ride.
Sorry, but standover is the most overthought measurement in bike fit.
Nobody should be buying a bicycle on the basis of whether they can stand with 2 feet flat on the ground on a perfectly flat surface (which is basically how standover is measured).
And while saddle adjustment and stem length can be adjusted on your personal body geometry, reach is a fixed measurement based on teh frame geometry.
Look, each time I ride a bike I have to stand over it twice, at least. So I actually stand over it more than I ride it. Therefore, I make sure my go nads have some space to breathe and when I come off the bike in a hurry I know I'm free and clear. If I standover and I have an inch or an inch and half, that bike will fit me because everything after the standover test is fully adjustable. Standover. My #1 spec.
When you buy a bike that's too big for you, you'll know why it is. Standover height.
09-01-19, 08:03 PM
#37
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I just had a tune up of my Novara Ponderosa MTB at the local LBS. I'd bought it new at REI in Boise back in 2002. I'm 6' with about a 32" inseam. Now, in those days, on a hardtail MTB, 3" to 4" above the top tube was where you wanted your *girls* on bikes of this style. I rode it with flat bars for some time but over the years and riding it more on pavement and gravel/dirt, not trails, I changed the geometry some by adding a riser stem and riser bars. I also added a suspension seat post.
So when the shop calls me to tell me the bike is ready, the guy who calls (who I had yet to meet) told me the bike was probably too small for me. I said, my other bike was a Brompton and I liked my Ponderosa just fine.
I understand that cycling has changed in builds, styles, frame geometries, etc. but if a bike worked for a person then, does it not work the same today? Not to say I couldn't fit on a larger bike but I like the nimbleness of this one. After picking it up, I did about 12 miles on the local rim trail (and 3 on the Brompton earlier). I was not displeased with its size. This photo was from last week:
So when the shop calls me to tell me the bike is ready, the guy who calls (who I had yet to meet) told me the bike was probably too small for me. I said, my other bike was a Brompton and I liked my Ponderosa just fine.
I understand that cycling has changed in builds, styles, frame geometries, etc. but if a bike worked for a person then, does it not work the same today? Not to say I couldn't fit on a larger bike but I like the nimbleness of this one. After picking it up, I did about 12 miles on the local rim trail (and 3 on the Brompton earlier). I was not displeased with its size. This photo was from last week:
09-01-19, 08:10 PM
#38
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No. Reach is adjustable. Degree in the stem makes it so. Saddle to and fro. Saddle tilt can affect the reach.
Look, each time I ride a bike I have to stand over it twice, at least. So I actually stand over it more than I ride it. Therefore, I make sure my go nads have some space to breathe and when I come off the bike in a hurry I know I'm free and clear. If I standover and I have an inch or an inch and half, that bike will fit me because everything after the standover test is fully adjustable. Standover. My #1 spec.
When you buy a bike that's too big for you, you'll know why it is. Standover height.
Look, each time I ride a bike I have to stand over it twice, at least. So I actually stand over it more than I ride it. Therefore, I make sure my go nads have some space to breathe and when I come off the bike in a hurry I know I'm free and clear. If I standover and I have an inch or an inch and half, that bike will fit me because everything after the standover test is fully adjustable. Standover. My #1 spec.
When you buy a bike that's too big for you, you'll know why it is. Standover height.
Actual reach is a frame measurement from a line up from your BB to your top tube out to your headtube, but I understand what you are meaning.
I will never buy a bike that is too big for me.
My road bikes will always have a 58cm ETT, because that is the most important measurement for me, whether it has a 60cm seat tube (84cm standover) like my Concorde, or whether it has a 54cm seat tube (80cm standover).
Last edited by sumgy; 09-01-19 at 08:16 PM.
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09-01-19, 08:12 PM
#39
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I just bought a Medium Giant Cypress comfort bike. 18" frame. I am 6 feet tall, a little lanky, a little long in the arms and legs. I can find some Giant Cypress size/height charts that say I am within acceptable parameters, and some that don't. Not sure what to believe. The bike feels pretty good. A medium frame felt big to me when I first got on it, but I was used to my Electra Cruiser. I was kind of going by stand over height and looking to see if my leg was fully extended on the pedals. My seat stem is only out 4 0r 5 inches. My handlebars are out to the hash mark on the stem.
I rode a friend's Large Giant Escape today, and surprisingly, it also felt pretty good.
This is not a high end bike, so I'm thinking I might get some meaningful input with the info I've given.
Thank you.
I rode a friend's Large Giant Escape today, and surprisingly, it also felt pretty good.
This is not a high end bike, so I'm thinking I might get some meaningful input with the info I've given.
Thank you.
If we are guessing, given your stated height and my belief you are not a competitive cyclist since you do not know how to size a bike, you probably are a typical "large" frame size or a 58cm.
Last edited by Loose Chain; 09-01-19 at 08:19 PM.
