Originally Posted by
ColtJ
Thanks a lot for your feed back.
Is there somewhere/link where i can learn more about the geo related lingo, etc...? For example, i'm a bit confused how the measurements directly relate to what bike i should get, etc...
The only thing that has been clear are the height by frame size measurements on bikesdirect.
Yeah, forget anything about height, inseam is usually irrelevant. The top tube measurement is what matters most. Here are the figures they're talking about
:
Top tube length is the effective distance of a horizontal line from the seat tube to the head tube.
Seat tube length (c-t (center to top)) is the distance between the center of the bottom bracket, to the top of the seat tube. c-c (center to center) is the distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the point where the top tube intersects with the seat tube.
All of the other figures can be changed by moving things; saddle setback, saddle height, stem length, etc, can all be altered after you get the bike.
The most important figure when doing a basic fit is the top tube length, which is a factor of your reach. You can raise/lower the saddle all you want, but its a lot more difficult to change your reach.
Inseam should only really be considered if something is a little strange. If you don't clear the top tube by like 4 inches, that's an issues. It usually isn't though.