Hi, I was thinking of buying a new fit van homan frame. I have read that the frame comes in three types a 20 , 20.5 , and a 21. I was just wondering if some could tell me the differences in these sizes and what i would notice in riding them. I am around 5.8 feet and weigh around 9.5 stone (65 kg i think) if that helps or matters at all. thanks MAVE

9.5 stone? I've never heard of that one.

Anyway, the 21" would probably be the best for a guy of your height.

why have you never heard of 9.5 stone? what do you wiegh your self in?

in england every onw is weighed in stone or occasionaly lbs

in america we weigh ourselves in pounds

every one else uses the metric system so they weigh themselves in kilograms

I'm 5'8" and ride a 20 inch top tube.

that is what those numbers mean (20, 20.5 and 21)

the longer the top tube, the more room you have between your bars and seat/cranks. most people run 20.5 or 21 but I like a tad smaller frame because I'm weak.

u should have a 20 or 20.5 , if u are 5ft8 i think im 5ft 9 i ride a 20.5 how old are u cus u might need a 20.5 cus u might grow loads if u are liek 14 or summit

i'm 6'2ish and ride a 20.5

20.5 to 21 would be good I'm 5-8 and run a 20.5

14lbs = 1 st
It's the same thing.

Yeah you should probably feel better on a 20.5" frame maybe bigger, although I'm 6'2" and ride a 20", but i just ordered my Federal T-nez in 20.5.

sorry. i didn't know a stone equaled 14 lbs. i guess i do learn something new everyday.

haha, why are you sorry?

figure of speech. kind of like when u say "sorry, my bad" but your not really sorry

Top tube length is in inches and is ENTIRELY personal preference.

There is no reason someone 6 and a half feet tall can't ride a 20 inch top tube or smaller, it is just personal preference. The length of a top tube affects how responsive the bike is in the air. The longer it is, the more stable it is, the shorter, the more responsive it is.

In the end, it ends up being personal preference what you like and what you get used to. I would recommend something in the middle (20.5) if you are unsure so you can get a feel for what you do like as far as top tube length. You may end up feeling like the bike is to sluggish to respond - to stable - so you may go with something shorter. Or... you may think the bike is to twitchy and go with something longer later on.

It has very little to do with rider height though and a lot to do with how the bike feels to you - personally. So, when someone says 'this is what a person your height/weight should get', they are wrong. You need to get what you feel comfortable on and if you are unsure then you may want something in the middle to start off on - unless you think you know you want something longer or shorter.

Thanks BMXTRIX that was exactly what I was looking for. (The bit about the twitching in the air and the stability and stuff)