chevahh

the reason for the "not that it really matters" part was because I already bought a bike, so there isn't much I can do about it. BUT. just a question: i'm 5'10" and got a large schwinn madison and I think it may be too big for me. what size bikes did you guys get and how tall are you?

GeoLes

Are you saying that size does not matter?



Seriously. Size does matter. Especially when in comes to your knees. When pedals are in the 3:00 and 9:00 positions, the knee cap should be directly over the pedal spindles, or you are inviting knee problems. In riding postion, you should be able to drop a plumb line from your nose to the stem. Seated too far forward, lower back pain, too far back, upper back pain. Just a few measures of good bike fit.

If these measures don't exist in your setup, you can make stem/seatpost/saddle postion adjustments (within reason), but an overly large frame can make a painful ride in the long run. I would drop by a quality bike shop and ask them to "eyeball your riding position" on a trainer. They can suggest the size and raise of stem to make a more comfortable/energy efficient fit.

By the way, when you consider the amount of time you will be spending on the bike, it is not a bad investent to spend some $$ on a bike fit. Better bike shops offer it for various prices.

chevahh

hmm. interesting. I never knew any of that. is schwinn the only company that has bike sizes? and do any of you have a schwinn?

SaiKaiTai

"is schwinn the only company that has bike sizes? (sic)" This *is* a trick question, right?
What's really interesting is that ONLY thing you capitalized was "I"

And, no... my LeMond is 55cm. Wait. Sorry. my lemond is 55cm. better.

BarracksSi

The Schwinn I have now is a mountain bike that I bought in '99. It's just the right size, too -- I tried out three different sizes of the same model of bike before choosing this one.

And, yes, size matters. A lot. Even not counting pedaling efficiency or ideal aerodynamics. I find myself in pain if I'm on the wrong size of bike.

When I'm on the right size, though, I can ride for several hours; basically, I can ride until I'm tired of riding.

kk4df

I'm 5'9", and a medium would fit me; I ride a 55cm. Many manufacturers use a measurement in centimeters, usually measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the center or top of the top tube (or the "effective" top tube for those with a sloping top tube). Giant and others (Schwinn) just do small, medium, large, etc.

Tourmalet

Here's my $02. Return the Schwinn. They aren't taken seriously. Go to your local bike shop and get fitted. Get a low end sub $1000 Trek or something similar, in a size recommended by the shop.

Homebrew01

I'm 5' 10" and I ride a 56 cm Cannondale. Feels perfect.

EffSizzle

I'm officially 5'9.75" and I ride a 54cm Cannondale. Feels perfect.

BarracksSi

6'2" when I'm in a good mood (helps me to stand straighter) with up to a 34" inseam; couldn't fit on a 56 cm Cannondale CAAD8, but now I'm on a 60 and feel much better. Probably could fit well on a 58, too.

chevahh

alright. so. I see guys riding bikes and they are able to stop and put a leg down and just stand there. i'm not able to do that. does that mean the bike is too big? cuz i'm freaking out. do you guys know if i can return a bike after having it for like 4 days?

BarracksSi

On my bikes, I can't put a foot flat to the pavement unless I either get off the seat or lean the bike to the side.

For the others that you're seeing, they're either riding with too low of a seat or they have a "relaxed" frame geometry -- that is, the seat tube angle slopes back more than usual, and that sets them farther away from the pedals and more upright.

Scooper

The Madison has traditional geometry with a horizontal top tube, but the Schwinn specs page on the Madison doesn't provide the seat tube length for the different sizes (XS, S, M, L, and XL). It does provide the standover, and the standover for the L Madison is 33.1 inches. Depending on your body proportions (legs:trunk), at 5' 10", the Large Madison may be too big.

I'm old fashioned, but the first thing I'd do is measure the seat tube from the center of the crank to the top of the seat tube, and the next thing I'd do is measure my leg length by standing barefoot against a wall with my feet a foot apart, and shoving a coffee table size book firmly into my crotch with one edge flat against the wall and the other edge shoved into my crotch. Hold the book in place against the wall and measure from the floor to the top edge of the book. That's your leg length. For safely riding a bike, you should be able to straddle the top tube with both feet flat on the ground; if you can't do that, the frame is too big.


Use the following table to find a starting point for fitting the right size frame. Find your height along the left column and your leg length along the top. The frame size is the seat tube length center-to-top.

LittleBigMan

Just what I've been thinking, lately.

oilman_15106

Yikes a 22 pound fixed gear! You get a gold star. YOu bought the bike first then asked for BF advise.

bikeM3987

I am 5'10"-5'11" and I ride a 54" litespeed. Now granted, I am on the border of a 54" and a 56" inch, but the 54" feels better to me, as I was looking for a smaller bike. Ride whatever is comfortable to you, and have your lbs size you on it. There is no definitive height to bike size scale, you will have to find out what fits you personally best. Just my $.02....