Inakamono

Last year I picked up a medium size 2015 Schwinn Cutter from a second hand store for a good price. I was interested in trying a fixed gear bike, and even though I knew it was too big for me, I thought it would be a good experience. I have ridden it for about a year, and some maintenance issues that could be quite costly have come up.

Normally I wouldn't mind getting the repairs done, but since they might cost almost as much as I initially paid, that has got me thinking about upgrading to a bike that better fits me (and admittedly get a much nicer bike).

The medium size is intended for people 175CM to 190CM tall. I am 165CM tall, and I can tell the bike is quite big for me. The seat post is basically all the way down in the seat tube, and there is very little clearance when I stand over the top tube. However, other than that, riding the bike has been a great experience. I can reach all the points on my bull horn handle bars with little issue. As far as I can tell, I have no undue pain, although the saddle is not particularly comfortable. I do sit very upright because the seat is so low though. Also, I have ridden hand me down bikes most of my life, so I may be more used to larger frames as a result too.

I think that if the repairs come out to be very expensive, I will upgrade regardless. But, if the costs are relatively low, I am still debating if I should upgrade or not. Would a better fitting frame be that much safer or get better performance?

I would really appreciate everyone's advice, suggestions, and insight. Thank you all so much.

10 Wheels

Bikes are like shoes for a long walk.

They need to fit.

supton

I'm not sure it's wise to compare the repair prices against the purchase price. If anything, compare repair price against true replacement price. If you can find cheap bikes all day long, great; otherwise compare against new or at least what used bikes go for on the used market. Then decide if new is better.

Although, on a fixed gear bike, just what could be all that expensive to repair?

Anyhow, bike has to fit, first place. A too large bike could hurt if you land on the top tube. Once past that, a too big frame that feels good to you and can be easily dismounted isn't too big--bigger than normal fitting, sure, but if it works, it works.

All things equal, apart from weight differences, a too small and too large frame would only be "slower" because of poor fit. But if they were fitted (different stems, seatpost, etc) then I don't see how one could be faster or slower.

Inakamono

So I have been having issues with the rear hub, the wheel has some lateral play along the axel. I live in smallish city in Japan, and my LBS told me the whole wheel would need to be replaced. I also showed it to another LBS, and the guy there straight up told me "the end" (of the bike) in English. I ended up going down to Tokyo and explained my issue to a shop called W-base that specializes in fixed gear and BMX. They told me I could bring the wheel with me and they can look at it. They didn't think the issue was too serious, but worse case scenario, they could replace the hub for about 15,000 yen. I paid about 20,000 yen for the bike in the first place.

Even in a worse case scenario, the 15,000 yen is not unmanageable, and in all likelyhood is something much more benign (my bet is the bearings are worn out). It also would be much more economical than buying a new bike. But, I have reservations about sinking money into a frame that doesn't properly fit, and I wonder if it is wiser (albeit a much more expensive) investment to get a bike that properly fits.

fietsbob

How tall number is a total of several variables, above the hips; torso + arms, and legs , notably femur length.

have influence on how you get a bike that fits or a made to measure hand made one that will fit.

forresto2

You know the bike is too big and you will always be reminded of it.
Get a bike that is comfortable and doesn't risk swishing your privates, you will be happier.

Inakamono

Thank you everyone for the advice. I was able to finally take my wheel down to a guy in Tokyo that is comfortable with fixed gears. He gave the wheel the clean bill of health, and we did some minor maintenance.
I was also able to get the seized seat post unstuck. Now that I can adjust the height, I am hoping I can get the bike to fit a little bit better.

For the time being, I will keep fiddling with my bike and experimenting with fit. If I come across a bike I like that fits, I might pick it up and try to pass on my old bike to someone bigger than me. I really do appreciate everyone's advice, and I have learned a lot more about bike fitting through all of this. Thank you so much everyone.