fireworking

Hello!

I have been cycling on a 56 cm vintage bike that I feel very stretched out on. I am looking to buy a bike that fits me well. As I shopped for bikes that would fit me better, I measured my height and inseam:

Height: 5' 7.5"
Inseam: 33"

I am a teenaged male.

Looking around in many posts in which others posted their height and inseam, I couldn't find a single person with the same inseam ratio.

I measured using a 3 ring binder applying pressure with the flat part, holding it parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the wall, with feet 8 inches apart. Every time I measured, I got the same measurement.

Is my inseam-height ratio out of the norm? Or is this just how my body was built?

Also, are there specific brands that would cater to my size better? Or would I just need a small frame? Or should I even go as far to also look at WSD (women's frames).

Thanks for your help and suggestions. They are much appreciated

fietsbob

You Buying Pants?.

NightShift

Arm length is more likely to be proportionate to leg length than torso length and will effect your reach/desired top tube length. Try riding a few bikes and see if your proportions actually create an issue before you start worrying over how to compensate for it. Most taller women I know ride "men's" bikes so I'm not sure women specific design (for 17" or larger frames) makes much difference.

MichaelW

Long legs and short reach should be fitted to the reach. You can raise the saddle and bars if required. Better still, you could switch to longer 175mm cranks to suit long legs.

fireworking

Interesting, I always thought that arm length was proportional to height or torso length.

I also measured my femur-tibia length by sitting on a stool with my thighs parallel to the ground and tibia perpendicular to the ground.

Femur: 23.0 inches (58.42 cm)
Tibia: 20.8 inches (52.8 cm)
Ratio: 1.1

So if I got a shorter stem length for my current bike handles (which I feel stretched out on), would that benefit me in any way?

Hmmm, maybe I can see if my LBS would allow me to replace the crankarm.

Thanks for your help.

LesterOfPuppets

I have 32.5 cycling inseam and 5'6" in height. I also have monkey arms which somewhat makes up for my short torso. I like 52cm x 52cm road bikes with zero offset seatpost, 120mm stem.

If I was your size I'd probably roll 54cm x 54cm classic road bike.

Shorter stem on current bike might work or it might feel like you never have enough weight on the front wheel.

Fargo Wolf

You're like me. All my height is from the hip, down. (33" inseam) If you're looking to get a bike that would fit you, head to a reputable lbs and have staff there fit you for a bike. That's what I did when I got my Trek 820. Took about an hour to get everything adjusted properly.

onevoice

A lot of normally proportioned people underestimate the difficulty in proper fitting. Long legs become a big problem because you can raise the seat a huge amount on a typical bike, but there is only so much you can raise the stem. Easy to get the seat height good, and the reach good, but you can end up with ridiculous seat to bar drop. For my long legs, I ended up with a custom frame that essentially combined the seat tube and head tube of a 62 with the top tube of a 58.