Originally Posted by
Rootman
I am 6' tall even. I've got a 32" trouser inseam and probably a 35" standing inseam. I'm thinking about getting a new bike. The first bike I bought was a Giant Sedona, in a LARGE frame and it felt too small. The seat post was close to the limit of it's extension. I then bought a Giant Roam 2 in an XL and the seat post was at a far shorter height, but still up about 4" from the seat post end. The reach seems OK on the Roam XL but since it's flat bars on the Roam and comfort bars on the Sedona, totally different.
The bike shop is hem hawing about L vs XL but leaning towards the L frame. I am more inclined to get the XL. The bike I'm looking at is the Trek XM700+, and is a big investment, so I want to get the right size. From the charts it looks like just a few more centimeters stand over height and a few more in reach.
Any opinions or rules of thumb anyone can offer?
For me, I generally go for the larger frame, but that being said, it depends on the bike. By and large though, (pun intended) I go for the larger bike in cases like yours. For the XM700+ I am pretty sure I would go with the larger bike if the seat way adjusted all the way up with the smaller of the two. Then again, be sure the seat was properly set, I often see bike shops setting seats too high for the average person. It may have been too high. Your height fall is on the upper end of their recommendation for the large, and their recommendation starts at not quite an inch over your height. You could make either work. There is a rather big jump in standover, though. As long as that isn't an issue you should be okay. For me, as long as I can straddle it flat footed, I don't care if I am touching the top tube slightly. On my Surly, I touch, but can pull the bike up a bit, so I'm okay. The large standover height is 32.95" and the XL is 35.57."
With commuters and touring bikes, I prefer larger frames. I can more easily get the bars higher if wanted, and I can be more stretched out. YMMV