Mountain Biking - matching frame size and height

I thinking of buying a marin point reyes but have noticed that the largest frame size is 20.5 inches. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall. Since I will have to travel in order to test ride one, could anyone tell me whether that is definately likely to be fine/too small. I have a number of bikes I'm interested in and won't be able to travel around to test them all so I'm looking for criteria to rule bikes out/in.

Any thoughts?

Darren

I heard one of the things to consider when matching frame size is the length of your inseam.

ITs going to be tough. Mountain bikes don't fit like road bikes, you really can't just order a frame without knowing what geometry you like. Height plays a part but more importantly reach does. The old theory that inseam should determine bike size is a throw off from road bikes. This doesn't apply to mountain bikes unless you are xc racing. And even then that still isn't 100%...

You could use http://www.wrenchscience.com/WS1/default.asp to help figure out what size to get. It will likely be 80 to 90% accurate based on the type of riding you want to do ect.

See this thread regarding Marin fitting:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=98336

Also, I did the wrenchscience fitting for fun and it came out pretty much spot on for me.

FWIW, I am 6'0" with a 32" inseam and went with a 17.5 Marin XC.

yea its tough to size a mtb bike that will be used for road. Heck i know im doing that now. Im 6' and currently running a 19" frame. Its a good mix for my XC and road habits.

To contrast that (no one is wrong btw) I am 6'5 and ride 2 19" frames and one 15" frame.

I'm 6' 0" and ride an 18.5" Marin.

I'm 6'2" and ride a 19.5". It really depends on how you intend to ride the bike more than anything. The next size up in the bike i ride (trek 4300) leaves me with only about 1.5" of standover clearance. I can ride a 21 fine and the longer top tube stretches me out a bit more but that really isn't a problem.

I don't want the larger frame because i like to have a bit more standover when i fall off the seat and land on my feet. A smaller frame is typically recommended for more aggressive single track type riding, whereas a larger frame would be more for road and less aggressive trail riding. It would give you more of an upright posture as well.

My NRS is a 20.5, and is great for XC.

When I get my 'tomfoolery' bike built up I'm gonna run a 17 or 18" frame.

I'm 6'2 by the way. 60cm is my 'ideal' road bike size BTW.

I'm 6'0" but I have a pretty small inseam...less than 32" so that comes into play big time for me. My marin is a 17.5 and just barely gives me enough standover clearance. Luckily, I prefer a bit of a smaller bike so it works out for me. My girlfriend who is 5'6.5" rides a 16" frame, but she's all legs and her inseam isn't much less than mine.

more anectotal: I'm 6'3" (barely), have a 32" inseam, I ride a 60cm roadie and an 18" mtb (though I'm thinking a 19 would be better).

Back in college, I went and bought my first mtb. The LBS trusted my feel more than actually fitting me properly. I ended up buying a 22" frame. Two years later (and much smarter and tired of what felt like an RV on the trails) I bought a 20" DB Apex frame and swapped shizzy over. The moral? Go test ride a bike as similar as you can. It may not be identical, but you'll have a better ballpark than just reading about it....

I'm 6'4" and ride a 20". The seat tube AND top tube are the main factors of sizing. You should definitely take into consideration the type of riding you want to do, and how comfortable you want to be doing it. The seat tube length should be tall if you're riding XC, and 20.5" sounds fine for your height. If you're going to be freeriding or all-mountaining, you should consider a smaller frame so you can move it around better. Many people don't like to be cramped in the frame (myself included) though, so top tube size is pretty critical. But that can be changed cheaply via stem and seatpost setback.

Wow! Thanks guys, thats gives me plenty to think about. Very much appreciated.
Darren

SO Iam like 5'5" and I would get like what a 15 or 17? 18?