Surly Big Dummy Sizing
 

Cross-posting from Utility, since that sub-forum doesn't get a lot of traffic.

I'm 5'6" I typically ride a 52cm road frame.

Test rode a Big Dummy in "Small" (16 in.) yesterday. It felt kind of, well, small. The shop insists that it's my size, and Surly's quick reference size chart would agree. But I still think it felt small.

I think maybe the shop is insisting it's my size because it's what they have in stock. Or maybe it's just that I'm used to a more stretched out position on road bikes.

Thoughts?

You can obtain the best answer by test riding the next size up.

Sure. Haven't found one yet. This particular shop is reluctant to order one. They insist that the small is right for me.

It's hard to translate size between bikes with different riding styles, but based on what you said about riding a 52cm road bike, I would say the small Big Dummy looks like the right size. However, based on the fact that it felt too small to you I would say it definitely is not the right size.

Does the shop have other bikes with similar geometry to the Big Dummy (minus the cargo tail, obviously) that you could test ride? Also, switching to a 110mm stem with just a little more rise would closely approximate the fit of a medium Big Dummy. They ought to at least be willing to do that for you. You might even find that you can make the small Big Dummy feel right just by changing the stem.

I wonder if it's just that I'm so much more accustomed to lower and more stretched out road geometry. I don't have an MTB, so I don't have a good basis of comparison for good fit, ad far as the feel of the cockpit goes.

Just poking around for a comparison, it's pretty comparable to a Troll at the same size, if they have some of those in medium or large for you to try

With a longtail like a Big dummy, going a bit small is way preferable to going too big. I have an 18" Big Dummy, and I'm 5'9". It's just about right for me.
Mine is the older model with the swoopy top tube, and if there is any cargo on the back, like my grandkids for example, the only way to mount the bike is to hoist a leg over it.
If it was a size bigger, I would have a problem. Seats can be raised, and longer stems installed.