Recreational & Family - What's wrong with my bike fit/posture?

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA
civic
03-17-11, 11:00 AM
Hi. I'm a rookie and cycle leisurely. I'm 6'4", this is a generic bike on 24"(I guess), and that's me below in my pajamas =) Is the fit wrong? What's wrong? I feel the need to sit straight up and stretch my back after cycling for some time. Thanks in advance.

10 Wheels
03-17-11, 11:04 AM
Bike is Too small
masiman
03-17-11, 04:14 PM
...way too small

This site (http://www.smartcycles.com/fitting_explained.htm) has some pretty detailed info on bike fit that you can use as a guideline. It is a more traditional fit but some folks do not like this posture. They like a more upright position like your currently have except with maybe their hands higher. For more comfort on longer and faster rides you will likely want to use the more aerodynamic positioning.

To really get a good fit, I'd recommend a local bike shop with a Fit Kit or other tools to figure out what you might want.

bassjones
03-19-11, 03:42 PM
At your height (I'm 6'5" so I understand), you're not going to be able to ride generic bikes. Go to an LBS and get fitted and be prepared to spend some money. $500 or so should get you into something. On a road bike you're probably looking at 60/61 cm frame, maybe a 63 depending on your leg length. On a hybrid or MTB probably 23" frame or so. Those LBS bikes are a lot better than the generic department store bikes anyway, so you won't regret it. Also, be sure to check out the clydesdale forum as they have a lot of good information for us bigger guys.