I think my mtn bike is 2" too large for me.
08-27-21, 11:14 AM
#26
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It’s a place to start. And, honestly, I’ve never seen anyone spend more than about 5 minutes on fitting a bike on the shop floor. Most “fitting” is done after the bike gets home and people start to tweak the bike.
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08-27-21, 11:17 AM
#27
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08-27-21, 12:07 PM
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08-27-21, 01:52 PM
#29
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I'm almost 6 foot and riding with a 19 inch frame on 26 inch wheels. I set my saddle so I can almost but not quite straighten my leg at pedal bottom, this way I can push my heel past the pedals occasionally for full calf stretch
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08-28-21, 05:13 PM
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08-29-21, 06:50 AM
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08-29-21, 09:16 AM
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I think no matter how long your rides are, your bike fit should be optimized.
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08-31-21, 07:47 AM
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got a photo of you standing next to your bike?
08-31-21, 08:13 AM
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About 10-15 years ago the bicycle industry came out with crank forward bikes. This allowed the rider to get proper leg extension, due to the crank being offset forward from the seat tube, but also let the rider touch the ground while seated.
Because the majority of the weight was on the rear wheel, the front wheel was less weighted and the steering felt less precise. The design was also not good for climbing, except grinding up a hill. They were “almost” a recumbent but still retained more of a tradition hybrid appearance, but with a longer wheelbase.
They have since fallen out of favor, but for shorts trips, once someone got used to the steering, they delivered to their intended rider. My brother had one, and while it was definitely a different feel, I could see it being a serviceable bike for lower speed around town riding.
Have no idea what is available today, but it is an option for short rides and feet down stops.
John
Because the majority of the weight was on the rear wheel, the front wheel was less weighted and the steering felt less precise. The design was also not good for climbing, except grinding up a hill. They were “almost” a recumbent but still retained more of a tradition hybrid appearance, but with a longer wheelbase.
They have since fallen out of favor, but for shorts trips, once someone got used to the steering, they delivered to their intended rider. My brother had one, and while it was definitely a different feel, I could see it being a serviceable bike for lower speed around town riding.
Have no idea what is available today, but it is an option for short rides and feet down stops.
John
Sounds like an Electra brand bicycle -- pretty sure they are still around .
08-31-21, 08:20 AM
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While I agree with what you have said, the parameter for the properly sized mountain bike involves standover height. If you can’t get off the bike without 3” to 4” between the sensitive bits and the top tube, the bike is too large. If the bike is too large, the other proportions like the top tube length, reach, etc. are off which has an impact on handling, especially off road.
5.
5.
This would be correct if we were talking about bikes like yours (and i love them ) . Hardtails or short travel 26' bikes or even 27.5" bikes. But in todays age of 29'ers, plus tire bikes and bigger travel full suspension bikes , its hard to get 4" of standover clearance unless you're tall.
One of my MTB's is a 140 suspension class 29'er (and im 5'8) - there is no top tube clearance, but the reach is spot on and it motors like a dream
08-31-21, 08:23 AM
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BTW, if your bike actually did fit, you might be able to do rides of longer or shorter than an hour without affecting your sperm tubes.
08-31-21, 08:29 AM
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This would be correct if we were talking about bikes like yours (and i love them ) . Hardtails or short travel 26' bikes or even 27.5" bikes. But in todays age of 29'ers, plus tire bikes and bigger travel full suspension bikes , its hard to get 4" of standover clearance unless you're tall.
One of my MTB's is a 140 suspension class 29'er (and im 5'8) - there is no top tube clearance, but the reach is spot on and it motors like a dream
One of my MTB's is a 140 suspension class 29'er (and im 5'8) - there is no top tube clearance, but the reach is spot on and it motors like a dream
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
08-31-21, 09:03 AM
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08-31-21, 09:51 AM
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08-31-21, 09:52 AM
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i’ve mountain biked with clearance ranging fro zero to about three inches, and in my experience it never made a damn bit of difference either way.
But if standover IS a huge concern (which I get it is for you) I don’t think 29er vs 26er makes a difference. Shaped top tubes let a designer lower the front of the top tube a lot. Also modern mtbs have gone with shorter seat tubes for any given size which makes it easier to lower the rear of the top tube. This standover is pretty good. In fact, I have just a hair more standover clearance on my friends new Med 140mm FS 29er than on my 10 year old Med 140mm FS 26er.
If somebody finds their new 29 FS having less standover than their old 26er, I am guessing that more often than not it is because the bike has more suspension travel, not that the wheel size is larger.
Last edited by Kapusta; 08-31-21 at 09:56 AM.
08-31-21, 10:14 AM
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IMO (and in my expereinec) there never really was a compelling need for 3-4” top tube clearance on MTBs in the first place. Sure, it is a small bonus, but really a minor consideration.
i’ve mountain biked with clearance ranging fro zero to about three inches, and in my experience it never made a damn bit of difference either way.
But if standover IS a huge concern (which I get it is for you) I don’t think 29er vs 26er makes a difference. Shaped top tubes let a designer lower the front of the top tube a lot. Also modern mtbs have gone with shorter seat tubes for any given size which makes it easier to lower the rear of the top tube. This standover is pretty good. In fact, I have just a hair more standover clearance on my friends new Med 140mm FS 29er than on my 10 year old Med 140mm FS 26er.
If somebody finds their new 29 FS having less standover than their old 26er, I am guessing that more often than not it is because the bike has more suspension travel, not that the wheel size is larger.
i’ve mountain biked with clearance ranging fro zero to about three inches, and in my experience it never made a damn bit of difference either way.
But if standover IS a huge concern (which I get it is for you) I don’t think 29er vs 26er makes a difference. Shaped top tubes let a designer lower the front of the top tube a lot. Also modern mtbs have gone with shorter seat tubes for any given size which makes it easier to lower the rear of the top tube. This standover is pretty good. In fact, I have just a hair more standover clearance on my friends new Med 140mm FS 29er than on my 10 year old Med 140mm FS 26er.
If somebody finds their new 29 FS having less standover than their old 26er, I am guessing that more often than not it is because the bike has more suspension travel, not that the wheel size is larger.
Truth in this
Phot evidence of 2 bikes from the same manufacturer, but with different amounts of travel
Yeti SB-95 (the teal one) -- 150mm front suspension, 140mm back -- zero crotch clearance and no problems resulting from that . I'd rather have the suspension than the standover (the downhill bike also has zero crotch clearance - hmmm - )
But the bottom pic is a YEti with a decidedly lower top tube, but also a 29'er - but this one with 120mm travel (plenty of standover height with this bike )
08-31-21, 10:17 AM
#46
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I was a devout 26" rider and didnt have a compelling reason to switch , - UNTIL - i rode a 29'er and saw with my own stopwatch and Strava how much more effective it was on the same course
08-31-21, 03:26 PM
#48
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But if standover IS a huge concern (which I get it is for you) I don’t think 29er vs 26er makes a difference. Shaped top tubes let a designer lower the front of the top tube a lot. Also modern mtbs have gone with shorter seat tubes for any given size which makes it easier to lower the rear of the top tube. This standover is pretty good. In fact, I have just a hair more standover clearance on my friends new Med 140mm FS 29er than on my 10 year old Med 140mm FS 26er.
If somebody finds their new 29 FS having less standover than their old 26er, I am guessing that more often than not it is because the bike has more suspension travel, not that the wheel size is larger.
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
08-31-21, 03:42 PM
#49
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Additionally, I’ve seen saddles on the very small 29ers that are below the top of the rear tire. My wife’s saddle on a 13” mountain bike with 26” wheels is barely above the rear tire. If a small rider were to push back off the saddle on a downhill….a very common maneuver…they could come into contact with that tire. Do you want to have the rear tire buzz your sensitive bits?
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
08-31-21, 08:41 PM
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You know what IS a problem for people who are not average in body proportion? Sizing by standover. Which is why no professional bike fitter worth a ***** does it that way on an MTB.
That was my whole point. Many people who find their new 29er having less stand-over than their old 26er are comparing cheese to chalk.
Last edited by Kapusta; 09-01-21 at 09:22 AM.