I wish I had friends that were bike nerds... hell I wish I had friends that exercised! I've got 1 running buddy but thats about it. I've looked for used (kijiji & CL) and I'm just struggling to find anything in my size/area.
So I was looking at the Liberty and as Slimrider said the sizing guide and they recommend the Small size and that got me re-reading everything I did the other day about the geometry (Which was quite similar to the Schwinn) to see which would fit the best so that leads me to questions which may dispel what I said about the Schwinn not fitting:
When I stand over the frame with flat foot how much clearance should I have between my groin and the frame? On the trek 7.0 which was a 20in I had close to no clearance . Now the bike store said that was optimal? Other things I've read say you want 1-2in min? With my short legs I don't think I'll really ever get much clearance tho.
I got someone to help me do the inseam test and I came in more accurately this time at a 74cm which would put me in the ST height of 480-490 not the 500 I thought. and the SO height at about 710? I assume I should then be sizing down to a 48/46.5 and not up to a 50?
With that being said and I appreciate the forth coming answers I will also be going into a different shop and trying a 48 and a 50 to see which one I like more.
Last question then maybe after tomorrow I'll make a decision: The Schwinn as Slimrider said looks like a great deal for the components and parts and fits in my budget, the Liberty is a good budget bike with decent parts and is the lower end of my budget. Should I prefer the 48cm size bike which one would be the better choice for someone who hasn't outdoor biked in awhile?
p.s I'm really hoping you say I'll be okay riding the schwinn if that sways your decision at all.
p.p.s thanks again and again and again for the help
Last edited by jm2hill; 07-09-12 at 03:07 AM.