mountain bike fit?

[SadieKate]

You're right, Tattiefritter, but 2" would still worry me. I ride the XS Titus Racer-X frame and I have my saddle 27-27.5 inches from the ctr of the crank. We probably ride similar sizes.

Since mtbikes come in such a wide variety of frame designs, I really think it helps to look at how people look on a bike.

[tattiefritter]

I ride an XS Titus MotoLite - absolutely stunning frame! I will be having a social ride tomorrow, I'll pay attention to exactly how much clearance I have then but I have quite short legs anyway.

You're right about how people "look" on a bike, I saw your pictures and thought it was "right" - decent amount of seatpost out and not stretched, easy to throw the bike around. You look like you are in the bike and in control rather than being dragged around by it as a passenger.

The MotoLite is the frame in my avatar picture and looks tiny, if I wasn't a complete numpty I would post a bigger picture of it so you could see but it appears to have disappeared off my PC.

[bcipam]

SadieKate,

I was referring to minimum clearance when standing astride the bike not actually sitting on it. My bike is set up similar to yours with about 9 inches of seatpost out. My roadbike only has about 5 inches of seatpost out (on a compact frame) and that worries me.

Those rims are cool and I'm not a pink person!

That's what I meant as well, With feet on ground the clearance should be at least 2 " but more is OK.

[VW Beetle]

I recently bought my first mountain bike, and although nothing is actually uncomfortable, I am beginning to worry that I should have purchased the smaller size. In particular, if you are new to mountain biking, your roadie instincts about proper fit may be very misleading.

I am 5'7 with a ~31.5"-32" inseam (long legs, short torso). The two LBS guys helping me with my purchase disagreed about whether I was a better fit for a 15" or a 17". I went with a 17" WSD Rockhopper, which actually has the reach of the 15" men's model, but the height of a 17" model. At the time I purchased it, I thought the reach was very close (almost too close) and my greater concern was that I might be buying a bike that was too small. (My understanding is that Rockhoppers are known as relatively short reach bikes, in contrast to Gary Fisher and others known for their longer reach). I have 3" of standover clearance and 6.5" of visible seatpost. I am not uncomfortable in any way, but I do have this nagging suspicion that the 15" would be more chuckable and nimble, as others have aptly put it.

PS: I have most often read 3"-6" of standover clearance is ideal, with standover measured by standing astride the bike, lifting it by the seat and bars, and assessing how far from the ground the wheels are.

[madisongrrl]

Thanks for all the advice. The bike I am looking at is a wsd Trek 6700. It comes is a 14, 16, and 18. I am 5'6" but I think my legs are short (30" inseam) and my arms are short, plus I'm round, so I feel like the young boys at the bike shop never really believe I ride. I think I road the 16 yesterday but I will try and make it back up to the shop and ride the smaller bike this week and maybe a different brand or two. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks, Jones.

I just pulled up the geometry for the Trek 6700 WSD. Is that 30" inseam with shoes or without shoes? The standover heights for that bike are 26.6, 27.9, 29.4 respectively. If your inseam is 30" with shoes then you want to have a standover height of no more than 28". If 30" inseam measurement is without shoes, you might be able to have a slightly larger standover height than 28". Even so...29.4" on the 18" might be too much for you.

As far as the reach is concerned maybe the top tube/stem length was not correct (maybe a longer stem) or you could maybe adjust the saddle height/setback differently or maybe the geometry of the bike is just not for you and you should look at different manufactures or models. Lots to consider!

So how much stand over on a mountain bike? How much is enough and how much is too much?

I know I have a lot of questions but I went to the shop again today and they say the 16" bike would not have enough reach and that the 18" is fine. I did ride another bike and it did have more stand over but I felt really stretched out on it. I am going to try and go again today and ride a few more.
I did have a tough time finding a road bike to fit me, I think my body geometry is just and in between size.
Thanks again for your help.
Jones

You probably want at least 2" of standover height. Some people like even more that that. It depends on your skill level, riding style, type of terrain or just your personal comfort level. Some of those crazy riders that participate in gravity sports like mountain cross and super D like 4" of standover because they are doing some pretty crazy stuff (taking on huge jumps and drop-offs etc). For me, 2 inches works just fine though.

Try to stick to bikes that have 2 inches of standover, see how you feel when you take a test ride and you will be the best judge if that is going to work or not... if not try something that has 2"+ of standover.

I think I'd walk right out of that bike shop if they are trying to put you on a 18". It sounds like they are trying to take advantage of you just to sell you a bike. I think that the most common mistake people make is buying a frame that is too big for them. So many people that I know have done this, suffered for it and swear that they will never make the same mistake again.

I find that this type of stuff happens a lot to me when I walk in a bike shop. I always get some guy trying to tell me what I need or tell me why or why something is good/bad. I very calmly take control of the situation and tell them what I want/need. If they persist, I'll often change the topic and ask them what kind of racing they do and ask them what bikes they own. (Usually they don't race and don't own very impressive bikes....especially in some of the chain store bike shops and the non-racers tend to back down a bit). I also do my research before I walk in the door so I know what I'm talking about and can ask intelligent questions. Works for me...

Which brand of bike did you feel really stretched out on....what size was it? Maybe we can pull up the geometry sheet and compare it to the Trek that you tested.

[shasta]

Ok, now I am curious. I am 5'11" with an inseam of 36. What size am I looking at?

I sat on a Trek 820 last night and liked it. No pink or yellow ones though!

[bcipam]

I recently bought my first mountain bike, and although nothing is actually uncomfortable, I am beginning to worry that I should have purchased the smaller size. In particular, if you are new to mountain biking, your roadie instincts about proper fit may be very misleading.

I am 5'7 with a ~31.5"-32" inseam (long legs, short torso). The two LBS guys helping me with my purchase disagreed about whether I was a better fit for a 15" or a 17". I went with a 17" WSD Rockhopper, which actually has the reach of the 15" men's model, but the height of a 17" model. At the time I purchased it, I thought the reach was very close (almost too close) and my greater concern was that I might be buying a bike that was too small. (My understanding is that Rockhoppers are known as relatively short reach bikes, in contrast to Gary Fisher and others known for their longer reach). I have 3" of standover clearance and 6.5" of visible seatpost. I am not uncomfortable in any way, but I do have this nagging suspicion that the 15" would be more chuckable and nimble, as others have aptly put it.

PS: I have most often read 3"-6" of standover clearance is ideal, with standover measured by standing astride the bike, lifting it by the seat and bars, and assessing how far from the ground the wheels are.

Sometimes you have to ride the bike awhile to get comfortable on it. You can also change out the stem length (shorten it) and pull the reach closer. I ride the 17" men's Spec. Stump and it fits me fine. I even have fairly short arms and I'm OK. I can't recall if I change out the stem. I might have. The 17 WSD s/b OK. If not, take it back to the shop and ask them to help you adjust the fit.

Now strangely my Fisher has a shorter reach but it is a slightly smaller bike (16.5") so maybe that's why.

[madisongrrl]

Jones,

I've just seen the geometry of the Trek and it is quite short at the 16", but the top tube length jumps when it goes up to 18". The non-wsd trek may actually be a better bet for you as you don't have the body proportions that the WSD is aimed at, I am the same - short legs, long torso and ride "men's" bikes. Its not compulsory to have a WSD bike even if they look better!

This is so true! I'm looking at buying a nice full suspension bike for racing purposes. I have it narrowed down to a few bikes. I was looking at the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert WMNS and also the Trek Fuel EX 9 WSD. I spent 2.5+ hours with my fitter yesterday discussing geometry and fit. What we actually found is that my most perfect geometry is with the Trek Fuel EX 9 men's 15.5" bike! The other bikes aren't total rule outs, but on paper, the men's Trek is looking like the best option. No WSD for me.

So certainly look to some of the smaller men's bikes also!

I think it is nice that some companies are doing the WSD thing, they are not always making intellgent design decisions. They make large jumps between some categories (between sizes) and little jumps in others.

This weekend, I'm taking my tape measure and level and I'm heading out to test ride those bikes. I'm going to take over the situation, set up my potential bikes to my fit sheet and I'm going to tell that bossy male bike salesman to back off! I can't wait, it should be fun.

[madisongrrl]

Ok, now I am curious. I am 5'11" with an inseam of 36. What size am I looking at?

I sat on a Trek 820 last night and liked it. No pink or yellow ones though!

It looks like the Trek 820 comes in a variety of sizes (you can check the website). Just find the hardtail mountain bike section. The 820 will be under the steel frame section. Then click on the geometry headline on top of the picture of the bike. The sizes range from 13-24" and the standover heights range from 23.5 to a whopping 34.3"

[shasta]

Thanks for the information Madisongrrl. I'll look it up.

[mellic]

Measure yourselves up on the following site and see what they say for a bike fit:

www.wrenchscience.com

This system takes into consideration most of the important measurements in a bike fitting, and I think it will give you a good indication of what size bike you should be riding.

[Jones]

OK, I have done all the measurements and I really think I should be riding a smaller bike than I was originally fitted( is that a word?) on. I have enlisted the help of a local ironwoman/extrerra triathlete to come to the bike shop with me. Maybe two women telling them the bike is too bike will make them pay attention. Thanks again for all the help. Jones.

[madisongrrl]

OK, I have done all the measurements and I really think I should be riding a smaller bike than I was originally fitted( is that a word?) on. I have enlisted the help of a local ironwoman/extrerra triathlete to come to the bike shop with me. Maybe two women telling them the bike is too bike will make them pay attention. Thanks again for all the help. Jones.

Good for you. Don't let those bike shop men push you around!

[mmelindas]

THAT IS EXACTLY WHY I WON'T SHOP AT A LBS!! I was afraid they'd put me on something (a) I couldn't afford (b) that I couldn't ride comfortably (c) that was too big or too small for me...

I think unfortunately some LBS's only care about profit and sales, not customer fit or comfort... one LBS sold me an Italian Gel saddle that was so uncomfortable I couldn't wait to get it off my bike! Went back to my reliable large "elephant seat" that let me slide back going downhill and was so comfy....

I am riding a 26 inch women's Mtn bike and raised the stem and the seat and now my reach is comfortable, as well as the saddle. It may not be a perfect fit, but my bottom likes it and I can reach the shifters/brakes just fine now.

What I can't do is stop gracefully and turn like a pro...I am still wobbly and scared of how BADDDDD that asphalt and rocks are going to feel when I hit them even going slow....nightmares!!!!

Remember when I was young and bold and nothing scared me. Now that I'm 62, everything scares me especially falling on my tuckus and tearing off my skin......achhhhhhh!

my blog/photos : http://losing-half-of-myself.blogspot.com/

[SilverBullet]

Melinda,

I'm glad that you're taking the initiative and trying to get your weight down to a healthly level. I must say though, that you are wrong about local bike shops. Yes, there are some sales people that are new and are still learning, but there are also some that have been in the business for a long time and would be more than capable of helping you find the right bike for you. I worked at a bike shop for more than three years, and I NEVER sold a bike for the money. If you didn't want to buy a bike from me, so what. I'd still spend an hour helping you out. If you wanted to but a $2000 bike, GREAT! If you were more comfortable buying a $300, even better! It means I helped one more person back onto a bike.

Just because you had a bad experience buying a seat doesn't mean they're all bad. And, personally, I think you did yourself a disservice by going out and buying a $150 Roadmaster. The quality is very low, and you should see the people they have 'assembling' them. For $150 - $200 more, you could have had a much better bike that will be easier to ride and will last longer.