mcnuggets

I live in New York City and I'd like to get into the single speed bike scene. I'm fairly inexperienced with road bikes. I'm 23 years old and my height is 6'2" with a 33" inseam and I weigh about 195 lbs. I'm currently riding on a 19" Specialized Rockhopper Comp which fits me perfectly but is a bit slow and heavy.

I'm looking for a commuter bike most of all. I'd like to go from Queens to Manhattan (about a 6 or 7 mile commute) and also occasionally take it to the track (I live close to the Kissena velodrome). I'd like the bike to be agile and to be a single speed (I want to use both front and rear brakes). I've tried riding my friend's fixed and I don't like it. I'd also like to build up my bike for the fun of it over the winter.

So what I think I want is either a Mark V Pro, a Soma Rush or a EAI Bareknuckle. How do I figure out my fit for these bikes? I feel bad about going to a bike store and trying out their bikes when I know full well that I'm not going to buy from them (because I'm cheap and I don't want to pay their relatively high LBS markup on top of the 8.625% sales tax). So do these articles about road bike fitting also apply to single speed bikes? Another question I have is that when riding I often come out of the seat and pedal standing up. Would a short wheelbase frames, like the ones I mentioned I suppose, have a problem with this. I get the feeling that my knees would knock into the headtube or the handlebars. Anyway I appreciate any help .

dylandom

there are websites that help u measure ur inseam and other measurements needed for a fit. i forget what they are, but i'm sure someone will know.

spacehippo

Take a book and a measuring tape. Put your feet 6" apart on the floor and wedge the book up into your crotch to simulate a bike saddle. Make it a rather tight fit. With the back side of the book against the wall, measure from the top of the book (point highest on the book... nearest your junk) to the floor. This is your biking inseam. Now take this measurement (in CM) and multiply this number by (.67)... This determines the length of your Seat tube in C-T (top of seat tube to center of BB). Hope this helps.

I'm about the same size 6'3" and my proper size is a 63cm seat tube. (I have long legs.)

curiousincident

Just so you know, I doubt they'll let you into a velodrome on a single speed with breaks.

Also, once you get on a road/track frame, you usually want to stay in your saddle while riding as much as possible. I am all about going with your own riding style, but if you stay out of the saddle too much you're going to tire yourself out much quicker than if you let your saddle carry some of your weight. This will most likely be an adjustment you'll naturally make once you stop riding a mountain bike.

As far as fit goes, do some searching on this forum or google and I'm sure you'll be able to come up with a guide that can help you, sorry I can't think of where to find them off the top of my head at the moment.