What size mountain bike should you have if you are 5"3 with a 29.5 inch inseam?

[need_help]

I just bought a 17.5" Specialized Rockhopper and am starting to think it is too big--why didn't the guy at the store get me to try a 15"? It is true I am used to riding stretched out but maybe this is a bad habit I should break? Does anyone my size have such a big bike? This is a big purchase for me (I buy a new bike once every 10 years or so) so I am despondant. Thanks so much for your advice.

[zoom-zoom]

That does sound too big. I am a bit taller with a 30" inseam and the Salsa 29er I'm getting is a 14. Some 15s would be comparable. I had a 16" bike years ago that was too big for me.

[indysteel]

I'm 5'4 with a similar inseam. I have a 15' hardtail, and a size small full suspension bike. No way could I ride a 17'5. Can you even stand over the bike comfortably? Go back to the shop and speak to the manager. I find it amazing that they would have put you on that size of a bike.

[ridebikeme]

I ride a 15" hardtail and a small fully, and like others I'm 5'5" with a 29 inseam. With that said, I agree with others that I would take it back and speak with the manager. The salesperson may ahve assumed that you were comfortable, but on the other hand might have suggested that it looked a bit long through the top tube. Although you may have been comfortable with being stretched out, remember that if you are planning to ride in the dirt that will also make it harder to handle the bike and much harder to learn to pick up the front wheel.

[Irulan]

5-3 here, 29" inseam. I ride a 15" FS and a women's med FSR. Me thinks you are on the wrong size bike. This is common that road riders switching over aren't used to how small a mtb cockpit might feel.

[Owlie]

I don't have a mountain bike (yet!), but the ones I'm looking at are in the 16-17.5" range (WSD 29ers right now). I'm just under 5'7" with a 33"+ inseam. I'm going to say that that bike is too bike.

[need_help]

Thanks all, you have given me the courage to go back to the store :)

[Catrin]

I am the same size, and while I actually ride a 13" FS, that is due to fit issues related to other things. If those problems didn't exist then I would ride a 15" frame. Let us know what happens at the store, and welcome to TE!

[thekarens]

I'm 5'3 with a 29 inch inseam and I'm riding a 16 inch WSD. I wouldn't hesitate in taking it back. A good LBS will exchange it with no problems. Let us know how it goes for you.

[Irulan]

Take the bike back and give him heck? :cool:

+1 ( or ask for the manager)

[Giulianna23]

I am 5'6 1/2" and slightly over of a 30" inseam and I am on a Mens Medium size Giant MTB. According to the Giant website that is a size 18" . I don't feel that is too big for me..I can reach the floor with no problem with the saddle at the normal height like it is in the picture. The guy offer me to cut the seat post if anything but I feel just fine with it like it is. My torso is pretty equal in length with my legs so maybe thats why. I don't know much about this but In your case it looks like def your reach to the handlebar is the problem and they should have put you on a smaller bike.

[limewave]

I'm 5'7" with a 30-31" inseam. I ride a 15" mountain bike with an extended seatpost. After having a professional bike fit I was told I was just on the line between a 15" and 17.5". After doing ALOT of test riding I bought the smaller frame. I felt like I could really toss around the 15" bike while the medium frame felt bulky. I am very surprised he didn't have you try a smaller frame. That is so bad!

[ride4fun]

Please keep us posted on what happens. I agree that bike is to big .
My husband just bought a small size frame (he is 5'5") this after riding a Med. frame for 3 years,the fit is amazing and he rides so much better now.
Do not take NO for a answer , you need check out a smaller bike.

[need_help]

Alright, so I went to a bike store today...not the one where I bought the bike, but the one I pass on my way home from work. I wanted to see what size bike they would get me to try. It started out pretty well--after asking me how tall I was the guy said, "So we''ll be looking for a 15" frame..." He thought I looked "cramped" (the seat was too low) so he got me to try a 17"...and he thought it seemed a better fit! But here's the best part: when I expressed my concern that the standover room was limited and the bar was perhaps too close to my crotch, he tells me that that doesn't matter, I just have to feel good on the bike!

I put up the seat on the 15" and rode it a bit in the parking lot. After getting used to the upright feel, I can really identify with what Limewave says...the 15" is more maneuverable while the 17" seems bulky in comparison...

I asked the bike store guy what the drawbacks were about having a bike that was too big or too small: his answer was sore back for too big (don't want that) or "easily tired" for too small (sounds okay to me!) Would you agree?

Thanks again everyone. I'll call the bike shop where I bought my 17.5" tomorrow...

[Irulan]

Either way, too big or too small, there are going to be different kinds of discomfort and handling issues.

[emily_in_nc]

I am 5'2" with a 28.5" inseam so a bit smaller than you. Still, the two MTBs I have owned that fit me wonderfully were a 12" Novara Bonita (XS WSD) and an XS Titus Racer X (not sure what the inch measurement was, just the size). I definitely think it sounds like your bike is too large a frame for you. Another nice thing about riding a smaller size is that the bike will be just a little bit lighter.

Good luck with the LBS -- they were irresponsible selling you that bike, I think. My DH is 5'10" and only rides a 19", by the way!

[Owlie]

Giulianna, that's so odd, because the women's medium MTBs from Giant are listed as being 20inch. :eek:
OP, I'm taller than you and am somewhere between sizes. The one shop I went to, the guy hesitated to try me on anything smaller than the 17.5 inch because he thought I'd feel cramped. I'd probably be on a small unisex 29er, maybe a medium WSD depending on how the sizing goes.

[zoom-zoom]

his answer was sore back for too big (don't want that) or "easily tired" for too small (sounds okay to me!) Would you agree?

You could end up with a sore back on a too-small bike, too. That's what I'm on right now and I definitely feel it in my mid-to-lower back. I also feel less stable, since my center of gravity is forced higher with my head and shoulders more upright. I feel at greater risk of tipping and endo.

[indysteel]

I still find it hard to believe you'd need anything bigger than a 15 inch bike. If you feel a bit cramped in the cockpit, then I'd consider lengthening the stem before going up a bike size. It's also important that you correctly set not just seat height, but the saddle's fore/aft position before concluding that a bike is too small.

[need_help]

Called the bike shop today. They are willing to take it back. They have only 1 or 2 15" bikes in the store at the moment so maybe that is why they were pushing the bigger bike. The 2012 model I bought can't be ordered and the 2013 model only comes with 29" wheels...so my next question is: pros and cons 26" vs 29" ???
Can't wait 'till this is over and I finally have a bike to ride!

[TrekDianna]

Called the bike shop today. They are willing to take it back. They have only 1 or 2 15" bikes in the store at the moment so maybe that is why they were pushing the bigger bike. The 2012 model I bought can't be ordered and the 2013 model only comes with 29" wheels...so my next question is: pros and cons 26" vs 29" ???
Can't wait 'till this is over and I finally have a bike to ride!

It's never over....it's an addiction and the purchase of one bike leads to another.... I have a hybrid commuter bike and then also in the MTB, both a 26 inch and a 29er - I find the 29er easier to climb when on trails, and easier to get over obstacles there -- rocks, tree roots etc. Depending on the trail, I will choose one or the other. I know that my 26in does certain switchbacks on a trail better and the 29er does others better.

[Owlie]

Called the bike shop today. They are willing to take it back. They have only 1 or 2 15" bikes in the store at the moment so maybe that is why they were pushing the bigger bike. The 2012 model I bought can't be ordered and the 2013 model only comes with 29" wheels...so my next question is: pros and cons 26" vs 29" ???
Can't wait 'till this is over and I finally have a bike to ride!

I'm in the shopping phase, and everyone I talked to said "29er!" when I asked about what a beginner should use. The bigger wheel rolls over obstacles better, and they climb better and roll faster. In addition, they (coworker at the shop I work at, and the guy at another shop I went to) said that if you want to ride it on pavement, it'll do that better than the 26" wheels. (I've considered it for snowy bike trails!)The downside is that the bigger wheels don't corner as well. I should point out that I'm tall enough that standover isn't an issue.

I'm glad the shop was willing to take it back!

[zoom-zoom]

I'm not much taller than you are, need_help, and I'm getting a 29er. I'm really a noob, too. Once I knew I wanted a bike to stick with it was a matter of picking one. I asked around and probably 3/4 of the recommendations I was given were in favor of 29ers. And pretty much everyone I ride with is on the bigger wheels, so that was a factor, as well.

[need_help]

The end of the story?

While there was no problem on the phone, once I got to the bike store, as the bike "was not in perfect shape", they won't take it back. They propose that I sell it myself and then they'll give me a deal on a smaller bike...

[indysteel]

What, exactly, wasn't perfect about the bike? How long have you had it and how many miles has it been ridden? I'd be tempted to dispute this with the credit card company if that's how you paid for the bike.

[zoom-zoom]

The end of the story?

While there was no problem on the phone, once I got to the bike store, as the bike "was not in perfect shape", they won't take it back. They propose that I sell it myself and then they'll give me a deal on a smaller bike...

Oh, that is so much crap! Definitely contact Specialized. If you do have to sell it yourself I propose that you never give that shop another red dime! Unreal. I'm sorry you've had to deal with that.

[indysteel]

Great suggestion, Muirenn. I hadn't even thought of calling Specialized. I would definitely do that.

[feral1]

I'm 5'4 and have a 15 1/2 Gary Fisher HKEK. Seems like a good fit but I don't ride it very much :/

[Loraura]

Is it scratched?

If not, things like tires and grips can be replaced with exact new ones for a lot cheaper to put it back in new condition. If you fell and scratched it, well... I can see their point. My suggestion is to rent first, when possible. Spend a day or a weekend on it. If unsure, rent it again, till you are.

I've bought many bikes that were too big. Each one I've sold on Craigslist for a little less than I paid until I figured out what I needed in bike geometry.

I agree that stand over is not the best indicator of MTB sizing. Reach is the important one. Proper reach while the saddle is in proper relation to the cranks for power output.