A twenty-inch will be fine.

But so would a 17.5. You're right on the fence.

Most important about fit is comfort and efficiency.

Go to another bike shop and get a second opinion. I'm 6,0 (okay, okay, 5,11.5) and have a 32 inch inseam and everywhere I go they say twenty inch.

The larger bike won't go faster, though. Most of the geometry is the same.


But a 7.5? That's a nice bike. You'll fly on it. Carbon fiber forks. Light.

One thing I did read, however, was that when on the fence, go with the smaller size. I read that on this website in the FAQ section or Bike Basics (I don't remember the title of the thread but that's the gist).

I don't know where you live, but in Atlanta there's a bike shop that gives a 90-day satisfaction promise. If you don't like it, bring it back and exchange it. That's one heck of a confident policy. Maybe a bike shop near you has a policy like that.