Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Is my fixie too small for me? (swallowing my pride...)

Aside from the fact that I'm a huge fat A$$, I need to know if this bike looks like its too small for me, fitment wise. I feel comfortable on it but after seeing this picture, and being amazed that the bike holds up to my weight, I feel that the frame might be too small. I need the general opinion of the nice folks here on the board to tell me if I look like the bike doesn't fit.

Thanks.

http://r2.hostrack.com/ryko/ryko-fixie.jpg

Doesn't look too bad. Ride it for a while and see if you develope any soreness issues. Personally, I like to be a little more stretched out over the bars, but that's just my preference.

Doesn't look too bad. Ride it for a while and see if you develope any soreness issues. Personally, I like to be a little more stretched out over the bars, but that's just my preference.

You mean like a longer stem?
Edit: I've been riding this bike for some time, and am comfy on it in general.

it looks like you might have a lot of seatpost sticking out of the seat-tube, which might mean it's a little small, but as long as you're comfy, who cares?

I think i can make out 3 fistfulls of seatpost...probably too small. I am in a similar situationi have about 2 fistfulls of seatpost.

Makes for more track style geometry. If it feels good, i would say dont worry about.

whoa... team SF replies...

If you're comfortable, then no worry.
But I think it might be a tad small. the TT might be a bit short, and the stem might be a bit low (your arms look locked out - a bit of a bend is better) however, you can fix this easily.
My tips:
1. you stem looks really stubby. raise it + get a longer one.
2. your seatpost might be a bit high. your left leg looks quite extended.
3. (not really fit-related) pedal more with the balls of your feet and not your instep (left foot)

Yeah, a longer stem with some rise might help, and like baxtefer said, your leg does look like it's at the limit, you don't want to be locking your knees when you pedal.

Hey thanks alot guys, I appreciate it. As I get more into bikes, I realize there is alot that I don't know. I built up this frame because it was about the right size, but now I realize I'd be better off with a 62cm bike (this on is 59cm c-t) and maybe even a little bigger than that. I'm taller than my neighbor who has a 61.5cm bike that he had custom built. I'll try a longer stem, with a little more rise to it. I may just start looking for another frame, too.

rykoala, how tall are you? i have been thinking of selling an old ross frame and fork i have. the paint is in super great shape: black with gold outlined lugs. it's a 63 c-c. it's designed for 27" wheels. it came with 5 speed stuff, so the rear spacing would be nice and narrow: great for a fixie. no shifter bosses either. however, one sort of pain about it is the stem is .883", but i have a 100mm on there now. the steertube, or perhaps just the headset, will not allow a standard 22.2mm stem. pm me if you're interested.

I don't know it looks alright for me. I ride a 57 and I'm 6'2. Fits me just fine. I have longer legs but a shorter torso so blah :D, but if it feels good why stop?

regarding bike size and strength, all else constant, more compact frames will hold up better to weight than larger ones. I'm another big guy (6'1, about 210) and right now I'm riding a 61cm bike. I went with oversized steel tubing to keep stiffness up, but I'm afraid durability may suffer in the exchange.

eblaska: I hate riding frames that are too small. In comparison, I have a mountain bike that is a huge old school frame, and I love how it feels. I'd like the same out of a road bike. I didn't realize this was was so small on me until I saw the pic.

isotopesope: pm'd you

the seat looks pretty high there too, is your leg straight at the bottom of your stroke? lower it a bit might help along with a longer stem and a bit of ride on it.

OK I'll lower the seat tonight. Its high enough that I can lock my leg at full extension- I guess that's too high.

don't worry about being overweight, you say you're new to biking, I was pretty big when I started riding around 2 years ago and I've lost about 35 pounds since then

don't worry about being overweight, you say you're new to biking, I was pretty big when I started riding around 2 years ago and I've lost about 35 pounds since then

Well I've been biking for a little over a year, commuting to work and back every day that I can (that its not raining). I haven't been watching my food intake, but that is starting. I decided to go fixie so I could get more of a workout on my 5.5 mile commute.

stand with the top tube between your legs and lift the bike up, should have over an inch of clearance on either wheel from the ground (thats what I was always told anyways)

Looks a bit small but I would try keeping the stem where it is and moving the seatpost down and back.
Don't try a longer stem until you get more flexibility (i.e. lose some middle section) as that would put too much weight into your arms and wrists.

Well I've been biking for a little over a year, commuting to work and back every day that I can (that its not raining). I haven't been watching my food intake, but that is starting. I decided to go fixie so I could get more of a workout on my 5.5 mile commute.

yeah food intake is pretty key, I've just been maintaining my current weight for a while because Im back to eating whatever I feel like but the biking keeps it in check, I'll have to change that soon as I want to lose more.

there was a pretty interesting article in a recent TIME about fitness vs weight and how tons of attention is paid to weight but very little media attention is paid to fitness. it discussed being skinny and out of shape vs being over weight but fit. if you're commuting 5.5 miles (is that roundtrip or one way?) then you're probably getting a good bit more exercise than most americans and that's awesome. it's not necessarily being overweight that's the problem with most of america, but the effects of that like high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. commuting on a bike will definately fight that.

i'm about 15 pounds overweight but in pretty great cardio shape. i get tons of exercise and i'm vegan. i'm now starting to watch my food intake a lot more to try and drop a few pounds.

The commute is 11mi roundtrip. I am in much better shape than I used to be, but I still have a long way to go. I can barely do steep ascents, and a single flight of stairs kills me still.

Thanks for all the positive comments, I really appreciate it :)

Well you gotta look at where your using the bike mostly. A smaller frame is for my use on the street wheras I would go bigger if I was riding a bike path with no one in the way. So you gotta take in everything.

From what my friend at the bike shop told me, with your foot completely level, there should be a small amount of bend at the knee. Locking the knee out straight should lower the heel a very small amount (1cm tops?). Also, it looks like your elbows are locked. Is that just because you were posing for the pic? Your stem does seem to be crazy short, though. I'm guessing you can look down when you're in that position and see the hub well out in front of the bars. All that being said, if it doesn't hurt, why change it?

Assuming you're in the flats and you're using cycling as a means for weight loss, what gearing is best for this situation? Should you spin or mash? Spinning is obviously good for cardio and mashing for building muscle, but what for calorie burning?

Spinning (cardio) and mashing (strength) both burn calories. Recent studies have shown that anaerobic work (strength) burns slightly more calories/hour than aerobic (cardio), but of course, you can't do that for very long. The general concensus is that if you want to burn a lot of calories consistently, the way to do it is with long, easy to moderate effort, 3-6 times per week. Good luck and keep riding!

Here's a tip that I am surprised very few people know : go to bed hungry!

I don't have a lot of fat left on me, yet it is a sure-fire way of burning fat stores while you sleep. Your body generally uses 60-70 cals/hour for general maintenance. If your body does not have carbs (btw, carbs are good, they're your friends and you must love them ...) to get that energy, it will simply tap into your reserves. It's a fully natural way to loose excess storage.

While it is not a sure-fire way of slimming down and will never replace good old fashioned exercise, you have already made a giant leap in the right direction and should be proud of yourself.

there was a pretty interesting article in a recent TIME about fitness vs weight and how tons of attention is paid to weight but very little media attention is paid to fitness. it discussed being skinny and out of shape vs being over weight but fit. if you're commuting 5.5 miles (is that roundtrip or one way?) then you're probably getting a good bit more exercise than most americans and that's awesome. it's not necessarily being overweight that's the problem with most of america, but the effects of that like high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. commuting on a bike will definately fight that.

i'm about 15 pounds overweight but in pretty great cardio shape. i get tons of exercise and i'm vegan. i'm now starting to watch my food intake a lot more to try and drop a few pounds.

Anyone who is interested in the whole fitness vs weight thing would do well to read Greg Critser's excellent book, Fat Land. It deals with the modern history of obesity in America, starting with HFCS and palm oil, and ending with the degradation of PE in public schools. It's a fairly harrowing read, but quite engaging nonetheless.

HFCS is friggin' scary.

m.

OK I'll lower the seat tonight. Its high enough that I can lock my leg at full extension- I guess that's too high.
Yes definitely too high. There is lots of info on the net: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=bike+fit&btnG=Search

It's important too because you can actually cause injury with a bad fit. I say if you are comfortable on the bike then keep riding it. But since you are now questioning it then maybe it is time for a change. Sometimes you just don't know it but maybe if you had the right frame and fit you'd kick your self in the but wondering why you rode that small bike for all those years.

Spinning (cardio) and mashing (strength) both burn calories. Recent studies have shown that anaerobic work (strength) burns slightly more calories/hour than aerobic (cardio), but of course, you can't do that for very long. The general concensus is that if you want to burn a lot of calories consistently, the way to do it is with long, easy to moderate effort, 3-6 times per week. Good luck and keep riding!



As someone on the totally opposite side of the spectrum here (5'9, 125 lbs, 33 yrs old), I have also thought about these things, and I thought I'd give a slightly different opinion on this stuff. First off, from most things that I've read recently, and from talking to some personal trainers, it's becoming more and more general opinion that while cardio work helps to get your body in shape, general resistence and muscle-building exercise is actually a more efficient and better means to burning calories. The reason for this is that while your body burns some amount of calories while you're doing a cardio workout, this process generally stops within the first hour after you've finished working out. Weightlifting, or other muscle-building exercise, on the other hand, turns your body into a big calorie-burning machine that continues to work for something like 12-15 hours after you've done the workout. I have also done some 'hot' yoga recently, and I'm pretty sure that that is so intensive on the muscles that it has a similar kind of effect. Thing is, with cardio work, if you work out and then go eat a bunch, it's harder to put your body into a deficit, as you'll get hungry again later and not be burning calories. With resistence work, you may be hungry or even hungrier a lot, but your body will keep burning those calories even when you're at rest. Also, while your weight might not go down as quickly if lifting weights or something, as fat weight in the body gets converted to muscle weight, it will become more dense, effectively slimming your profile (:)).

Secondly, there was an article in the NYTimes a couple of weeks ago done at the Mayo clinic. The doctor basically found that a key factor in the weight gain and loss of both overweight and underweight individuals was what is described as NEAT, or 'Non-Exercise Activity.' Basically, the researchers completely controlled how many calories slightly overweight and slighty underweight people took in in their normal days, and meanwhile measured the number of calories they burned throughout their various daily activities. They then increased the calories and measured the effects in weight gain. What they found was that overweight people tend to be less active in their daily lives than underweight people. Now before you go and say, 'duh,' realize that in the study, after raising the number of calories across the board, they found that underweight people gained less than their overweight counterparts. Basically, they found that underweight people are more 'fidgety' than overweight people. In the past, it was assumed that being overweight made a person less active, but in fact, they found that actually the inverse is true, overweight people, for probably genetic reasons, just have a natural physical tendency towards being less active. This is probably a big reason of why people become overweight. As a very skinny person, I found this very interesting, because I have always had a huge problem in being able to gain any weight. I realized that a big reason is that I'm kind of an antsy, fidgety person.

Anyway, the doctor who did the study had a bottom line: another good strategy is to focus on your NEAT. He actually decided to do as he preached, and he installed a slow-moving treadmill in his office. He decided he'd try working while walking at an extremely slow pace, rather than while sitting. He says it really helps him. I have a friend who has the great idea of using one of those large balance balls as a chair in her home/at work as a way of burning calories: the constant micro-adjustments in balance that your muscles do while sitting on those are also a good way of burning calories throughout the day.

I'd say, start using the bike for everything, and not just for the commute. Ride it to the market or the bookstore or whatever, use it for errands and such. And work on 'tricks' and other things that challenge your muscles.

Now, proviso on what I wrote earlier: I don't necessarily think that riding a higher gear would be good, even if it provides resistence to your muscles, because it also puts stress on your joints; when at a greater weight, this could lead to injury. But it's also fairly accepted practice to change your workouts after extended periods because your muscles adjust to routines and become more efficient at the workout When this happens, the muscles/body end up working less after a while. When you feel like you've plateau-ed on your gear--both in terms of cardio work AND your weightloss (i.e. when it seems like you're not losing much weight anymore)--then switching gears will put your body into another figurative gear. Point is to keep the muscles working and overworking on a continuous basis.

Diet's something else you can think about--not necessarily having to eat less, but eating in a way targeted towards your activity. If you're about to go on a ride or exercise, then carbs/sugars are ok, because they're easily digestible and are basically good, high-octane fuel; but if you're going to be sedentary for several hours, try fruits/vegetables and proteins. Personally, I think refined sugar can really f-up a person's weight, but that's just from watching my ginormous father drinking and eating all kinds of sugared stuff all of the time.

Okay, I know that it's probably kind of absurd and maybe annoying to be getting unsolicited advice from a skinny guy (who has nothing to offer on bike-fit), but since people were posting general tips about weight loss, thought I'd throw in my .02.

Rykoala, I applaud your working on this and wish you the best of luck. The fact that you're biking regularly can only be good.

BTW, I think you look kind of cool on the bike; a lot better than my twig-like profile on my twiggy bike :).

As far as seat height goes, I use the heel flat on the spindle of the pedal. When my leg's straight in this position, I use this as my seat height. It's worked well for me.

As someone on the totally opposite side of the spectrum here (5'9, 125 lbs, 33 yrs old), I have also thought about these things, and I thought I'd give a slightly different opinion on this stuff. First off, from...

...Rykoala, I applaud your working on this and wish you the best of luck. The fact that you're biking regularly can only be good.



Good post, Thanks.

Okay, I know that it's probably kind of absurd and maybe annoying to be getting unsolicited advice from a skinny guy (who has nothing to offer on bike-fit), but since people were posting general tips about weight loss, thought I'd throw in my .02.

Rykoala, I applaud your working on this and wish you the best of luck. The fact that you're biking regularly can only be good.


Thanks for your post! You offer some good ideas, and I'm going to have to read up some more on that research.

It certainly makes sense to me. I'm a skinny boy too (about the same weight and height as you), and I'm always pacing around the house, running up and down stairs, even just figiting at my desk. I get weird feeling if I don't get a certain amount of general purpose physical activity, and it comes naturally to me.

Fitness isn't just something you do at the gym, and it isn't just what brand of frozen dinner you buy, its a whole lifestyle adjustment. Many small adjustments can mean a lot, which is something many people don't understand. I've got a coworker who is trying to lose weight, so every day for lunch she brings in a Weight Watchers Pepperoni Pizza. Then complains LOUDLY about how this diet crap is worthless and how she never loses any weight. Of course, she doesn't exercise, and she doesn't understand that just because it says 'Weight Watchers' on the package that it is still pepperoni pizza, and isn't something you should eat every day.

Anyway, kudos to the people losing weight by cycling. I've always felt strange when I exercise just for the sake of exercising. I tried a gym for about a week, and it just felt strange to be doing so much work, but accomplish nothing. I don't 'get' stationary bikes... Cycling solves that problem for me because not only do I get my exercise, but all of a sudden I'm enjoying the river, or I've done my shopping, or I've gotten to and from work. I could never keep up exercise for exercises sake, and I think many people are the same way, which is why many people have a hard time with their fitness plans.

I still have a ways to go for my fitness, I'm skinny, and am in good cardiovascular health, but I definately need to work on my strength and muscle tone. To that end I'll probably drop from 52/19 to 52/17. ;)

Rock on cyclists, and remember to have fun.

peace,
sam

I find the post about skinny people being more "fidgety" to be quite amusing. Not for the obvious reasons, but because it really is dead-on. I'm 5'8, 125 and my friends seriously ask me "dude, do you EVER SIT STILL?!?!?" Fact is, I don't. Nearly every skinny person I know is the same way, too. I wonder what it is that causes slimmer people to be pre-disposed to being fidgety? Or is it the other way around? Those that are fidgety are generally going to be slimmer? I have a friend who is 450 lbs and trying to lose weight. If he's just sitting around relaxing, he's just plain not moving at all. Me sitting around relaxing, I'm still playing with pens and various other objects which happen to be within reach.

A couple of thoughts:
First, if the bike feels comfortable to you, that's what is most important. The notion of it being too small just because it looks to small is something you should not worry about too much.

Second, a lot of riders, especially newer ones, focus too much on the seat tube length. While important, the top tube length is more important for your fit. On your current bike it looks pretty good. Ideally, you want both dimensions to suit you for your type of riding, but it's easier to raise a seatpost than it is to lenghten your cockpit.

Get your seatpost height dialed in (sounds like you have it a bit too high) and go enjoy your ride!

Wow, thank you everybody for the great posts. I learned alot more in this topic than I expected to. I apprecaite the encouragement, too. I am trying really hard to watch what I eat so that I get more of a swift kick with my excersize. I am an overeater, I was raised that you eat everything on your plate. Unfortunately it got worse after that and I got to eating 2 meals at every sitting. I'm cutting back quite a bit now, I think that'll help.

I lowered the seat post about a half inch, and it has really helped. I've noticed that its MUCH easier to spin now at the higher RPM's when going down hills etc.

Again, thank you VERY much for everyones helpful words of advice and encouragement.

Oh, and as it goes with the bike fit, I am going to keep riding this frame. I have some hand pain issues to deal with, so some dialing in is going to happen, as I will raise the stem a bit. Or get a taller one. But I have been riding the bike and feeling generally comfortable, so I'll keep riding it for now :)

Thanks again!

RyKo,

I'm in the same boat as you, my name Fatn40 tells all. Good job on turning the tables, I have dropped 40 since January 1 on a low carb low calorie diet. It's the double ****z in that I turn 41 this year and am only 5'-6" tall and was packing far to many pounds to live much longer. I believe I have 60 to go and it's gonna be a long haul but well worth it.

I ride my Dyno Glide frequently, my Fisher Aquila infrequently, and will be starting my PXN-10 fixie project soon. I put a wider gel seat on the Aquila, some riser bars instead of the flats, rapid-fire shifters replaced the grip-shift and some Frogs will replace the SPD's pretty soon. I mention the MB because it happens to be the reward to myself when I lost 68 back in the mid-90's. I will put in more time on the Aquila as I get closer to 200.

Stick to it man!

Thanks Fatn40, I appreciate the encouragement. Sounds like you've done a good job losing 40 since Jan! That's awesome! I wish I could say the same for myself.

To all who recommended a longer stem- I just got one. Inherited an older Schwinn mtb complete with Acera derailers, biopace rings, thumb shifters, and a massive long stem. Long live parts bikes!

I would say things like working on your bikes when not riding them counts as some very good 'NEAT.' This is definitely how these kinds of things work synergistically--you become more interested in your ride, you start working on your bikes and thinking about them more, you don't even realize that you're burning more calories just because you're being active when you might normally be sedentary. Kudos to both of you guys and my wholehearted support for your approaches--seems a lot of overweight people (like my dad) are kind of paranoid of getting on a bike.