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

[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.
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.