Hi all,

I'm considering taking up mountain biking and am looking to purchase this bike:
https://bikesdirect.com/products/wind..._cliff4900.htm

However, I'm not sure whether to get a 17" or 19" frame. I'm 5'10" with an inseam of about 32.5", which seems to place me in between the two, though I've read that erring on the side of smaller is preferable. I know the sizing varies from bike to bike, but I really don't want to order the 19" and find that it's too big and then have to eat the shipping costs in order to exchange it. I also know that going to the LBS and getting fit is the best option, but I simply can't afford the extra that they want for a comparable bike. Any help is appreciated.

Top tube length is arguably the more critical dimension here - there's about a 1" difference between the two frames you're looking at. Be aware that you may need to be a little more stretched out / less upright than you might be used to (unless you have serious road biking roots)
Loosely speaking I'd lean towards the larger frame for better climbing ability and long distances, smaller frame more for jumping and DHish sort of stuff (with the caveat that this is NOT a DJ or DH bike). So if you really are in between sizes then it kinda depends on what sort of riding you see yourself mostly doing.
The only way to be sure is to test ride bikes of similar dimensions and see which fits you better.

I agree, top tube length really is the more important factor. Standover clearance doesn't really matter once you're actually moving on the bike. Try putting in your measurements at the Competitive Cyclist fit calculator (https://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO) and see what top tube it recommends.

If you really are exactly between two sizes, I'd err on the side of the smaller frame because it's easier to make a small bike fit a bigger rider by swapping different bits, than make a big bike fit a smaller rider. But really, you should try out some bikes to see what fits you best. I recently bought a bike and I also fell just about exactly between sizes according to the charts, but after shopping around and trying out a number of bikes at different shops it was clear that the smaller size was obviously a better fit.

Thanks for the responses and that link. It turns out my inseam is actually 34". I measured everything according to that site and the calculated top tube range it gave includes that of the 19" for this bike. I think I'll take a chance on it. Thanks again.

You should be fine with the 19" frame.