Hi !

Here my 1st post.

Ok, I order a Trek Marlin 29er @ my local bike shop and I have a question about frame size.

I am 5'11 and my inseam is 33. The guy @ the shop told that he recomends a 17.5 frame for me, but I've been reading about frame size and by chart look like for my numbers a 19 is what most charts recomends.

Seems like I'm in the borderline of both frame sizes. I went and order the 17.5 as the bike shop guy told me.

My question is this recomendation is genuine? Will i feel a 17.5 too short?

Any comment will help.

Thanks

Excuse my bad english writing. My 1st language is spanish, I live in the Caribbean.

First of all your English is better than most....... I feel your correct in the 19" frame. I am also 5' 11" and ride a 19" frame.


Mountain Bikes - Finding the Right Size
Your Height Your Inseam Length Bike Frame Size
4'11" - 5'3" 25” - 27” 13 - 15 inches
5'3" - 5'7" 27" - 29" 15 to 17 inches
5'7" - 5'11" 29" - 31" 17 to 19 inches
5'11" - 6'2" 31" - 33" 19 to 21 inches *************
6'2" - 6'4" 33" - 35" 21 to 23 inches
6'4" and up 35" and up 23 inches and up

I'm not too experienced with mountain biking but I usually like a smaller frame. From my limited experience a smaller frame feels quicker and more aggressive, but it probably has more to do with geometry.

I would probably err on the side of the 19" but YMMV.

If you want a big sloppy bike, trust the chart.

FYI, Fishers have pretty long top tubes for their given size. I'm 5'11" and I have a 17.5 Fisher Wahoo and I find it just right for XC. I could not imagine having the top tube any longer. If you can test a 19.5 Fisher hardtail frame, you will get an idea if it's too stretched out or not.

I like to ride the smallest frame possible. It sucked in the late 80s when top tubes were generally short and I had to ride 20" frames. By the mid 90s I could find 15" frames that fit and I was fully stoked.

Generic charts that tell you what size frame you need are almost worthless. Ride all the bikes you can before you buy.

If you get the 17.5, make sure the seatpost is long enough. Riding with the post over max height could ruin the frame.

I am 5'9" and require an extra long post on a 18" frame, and my legs are not particularly long.

One option is the longer bike with a shorter stem. The 19 with a 70mm stem is probably exactly the same length as the 17.5 with the 100mm. In my opinion the long top tube-short stem combination is a nice handling set up.

Frankly though like a lot of folks you probably want the 18 they don't make any more.

I ordered the 17.5 29er

Thanks everyone!