See this video for stopping and starting. Notice how the bike saddles are higher than the girl's derriere when she's standing and straddling the bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pexggcTo3Xs

This makes sense. I am barely 5' 10" and thought I would have made the cutoff but after sitting on the bike I was unsure. I am thinking that with the 17" I could at least raise and lower the seat but with the 19" it is all the way down and I still get almost full leg extension with the pedal at 6 oclock. I stated that I could reach the ground with my tippy toes and was told that the seat is too low, but if I raise it any more my hips will be shifting when I ride.

your preffered riding position will likely change as you ride more and become stronger. generally lower over time; consider revisiting it or similar geometry bikes in a year.

only danger i can see with a comfort bike; is if the comfort aspects outweight performance to the point that it becomes a barrier to becoming stronger; and you then are trapped there

mom is a good example of this, being new to cycling she felt comfortable with a noseless cruiser 'couch' saddle slammed as low as possible; unfortunatly this also limits her to about 5mph, and shes not gaining the strenght needed to support herself on a normal saddle....

The 17in frame is fairly small but it will work. The noticeable difference will be in the reach to the handlebars. This distance will be shorter. Mountain biking requires smaller frames so the standover height to the top tube will be lower so you can navigate rough terrain with alot of body movement. Road riding is better done on larger frames because it will ride better and as long as your handlebar reach can be adjusted so they're not to far you will be comfortable. And yes alot can be done with handlebar and saddle adjustments. So to sum things up, 17 and 19 in for mountain bikes doing off road and trails and 19 -21 in for road is a good ball park area for average height people like in the range of 5ft 8in to 6ft tall. Best of luck and enjoy!

Seat should be high enough that your leg is almost fully extended at the bottom of pedal stroke. Means knee slightly bent (20-30 degrees), ankle pointed just a bit. But like you said, hips should not be rocking as you pedal.

This means you will not be able to put both feet flat on the ground when seated. If you can just manage to stretch your toes to the ground, that isn't a big deal. This bike might have a fairly low bottom bracket and you might have flexible ankles.

This bike has an adjustable stem. So you can move the handlebar down and forward, to get more room in the cockpit (saddle to bar) and also to get a lower body position (stronger pedaling position, less air resistance). I imagine the bike is currently set up for a very upright riding position. As you get stronger and ride faster, you should try placing the handlebar at roughly the same height as the saddle.

Looks like a fine bike to start commuting on.

In the Northrock lineup, why not get the URB? IMO, that would be their ideal commuting bike. Suspension forks and seatposts are designed to absorb energy, including the energy needed to move forward. Rigid forks and seatposts may seem uncomfortable at first, but you'll quickly get used to them. You may find that kind of bike easier and more fun to ride too.

That one looked ideal, but unfortunately my neighborhood Costco does not stock them.

This is exactly the information I was looking for. The biggest difference I will encounter between the two frame sizes. Thank you.

It sounds to me like you should be getting the 17" frame. If you cannot raise the seat without making your hips rock and it is all the way down (or almost anyway), the frame is likely too big to ever feel really natural. As a beginning rider, feel is very important so you ride happily and often.

As others have pointed out, once you get stronger, you may want to lower the bars a bit to get a more sporty position. If you do this with the almost-too-big frame, you may start to feel stretched out because the bars move forward as they go down. Another reason to get the 17".

I'd like to chime in because I disagree on saddle height. If you're uncomfortable with it that high, make it lower at least to start. I think it's very sensible for a beginner to put the seat low enough to put a foot down at stop lights. After you're more comfortable with riding in general, then start doing things to improve efficiency.

This - I adjusted the saddle on my wife's bike up higher at first, but when she first got on it she thought it was way to high even though it wasn't. She wanted it lower so she could put a foot flat on the ground. Of course this is her first adult bike, first bike in 20+ years, etc etc, but yeah many beginners are like that.

It does feel better for a beginner to put their foot/feet on the ground while in the saddle. My main problem is that with the 19", I am at my full leg extension with the peddle at 6 oclock with the saddle at the lowest position. So there wouldn't be any raising it even when I'm more experienced without hip shifting. The 17" however, I'm able to raise the seat to get proper leg extension but I feel cramped on the frame. I can never win...

Don't worry, you can always install on that 17" frame a longer stem to increase the reach of the bars. Bike fit is about getting 3 points - saddle, handlebars, pedals - in the most comfortable orientation. Pick the frame that gets you close, then adjust the 3 points.

true. no doubt. but i fear that this advice if taken by most would ruin the cycling industry as we know it.:)

i still have underwear that i purchased during the Reagan administration. :lol:

One more recap. Saddle must be at lowest position for proper leg extension. This frame has a seriously sloped top tube:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=303077

These two together, in my humble opinion, mean that this frame is definitely too big for you and you should get the 17" or you'll have all sorts of ergonomic problems.

uhhh... nobody needed to know that, seriously dude :twitchy:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=303201 The 17" is definitely too small. I just think that I have to get used to a proper sized bike which, in my case, is the 19". The last time I rode a bike was when I was 10, so it's understandable that the bigger size feels intimidating to me.

You will love the 19in in time. I feel you will outgrow the 17in quickly as you gain experience. You should be able set your saddle all the way down and then adjust your handlebars for a comfortable reach. I'm only 5ft 8in with fairly short legs and I ride a 21in. I have always had large bikes and prefer being high but I'm used to navigating fast start and stop in traffic so it serves me well. Give yourself some time and be patient and you will get better as time goes on.
That measurement is generally the distance from the the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube. It is sometimes also referred to as the length of the top tube which in most cases corelates with the seat tube measurement, hence the bigger the frame, the longer the reach. You will also see this measurement expressed in cm. Like a 17in frame is a 43cm and considered a small frame. A 19in frame is a 48cm and considered medium.

Better Costco, than Walmart. They pay and treat their employees well.
The bike should be fine. Have a bikeshop take a closer look just incase something may have been overlooked at the store.

They really do. Excellent place to work and I couldn't be happier. Plus if I EVER have a problem with the bike, 2 months or 2 even years down the road, Costco will take it back no questions asked. Thanks everyone for the help and if the rest of the cycling community is anything like all of you, I am glad to be joining the lifestyle.

I stand corrected, the 17" is way too small indeed. Got any pics of you on the 19"? It's strange that the 17" is positively tiny under your ass but the 19" is so big the saddle needs to be way down :/

That frame looks pretty nice by the way. I like steep frames like that.

I also stand corrected. If the 17" has that much room (from top of seatpost to saddle) even with the saddle too low (as shown in the pic), then you need the 19".

Remember the stem is adjustable.

By the way - I will not shop at Wal Mart but we shop Costco all the time, because of Costco's policies toward their employees.

Looks like a nice bike, anything will do for such a short trip and since you're just starting out small trips are the way to go. (You will ache)Eventually you might want to swap the saddle for something less padded. I would just leave the knobbies on for such a short commute if you hit the trails often.
My comfort bike is an 18'' IIRC and i'm 5'11'', the suspension seat post kept coming unlocked and i ended up swapping it for a solid one.
It takes some getting used to being so high up on a properly adjusted saddle, but in time you will love it, sticking all the way up in the air like a bird ready to fly :pHeck you will eventually stand up on the pedals without fear at speed (but of course this shouldn't be done a lot!) Check out sheldonbrown.com

For the longest time I rode my MTB with the saddle much too low, without realizing it. Then I was properly fitted to my road bike, and rode that for awhile. Then when I rode my MTB again I was like WHOA this saddle is low! I had to get a new seat post because the old one had been cut off such that I couldn't get it high enough. Now my MTB saddle is the perfect height, around 35-36" from pedal spindle to saddle surface IIRC. I was running it probably 32" or so before.

op keep the comfort bike but get a road bike for commuting