Does size really matter?
 

I know a man who prefers to cycle a bike that's a little too small, or perhaps i should word it as he prefers to ride a bike size which is smaller than recommended. He's a little taller than me, i'd say about 6.1 and he rides a 50cm. He's much older than me, my mates dad. Both my mate and his dad have told me about his travels and i've seen the photos. He seems to get about no problem. I did have the conversation with him about why he cycles a bike that he even looks too tall to be riding and he says his first bike was giving to him when he was in his early twenties and it was a little too small, but he liked it and he found the riding position very comfortable. Ever since he's only bought a bike that's a little smaller than recommended.

I cycle a 50cm and i'm 5.11. I was not fitted for this bike and it wasn't recommended. I seen it for sale, i bought it, took it home and readjusted the seat and handlebar and that was it. I find it to be perfect and i think i will continue to ride a 50cm.

What height are you guys, what size to you prefer and how much does size matter?

Perhaps he likes a REALLY upright position. Unless he has the seatpost waving up in the wind though, I have to imagine that it's murder on his knees if he goes any significant distance.

For what it's worth, I'm 5'6", and I prefer my touring bike to have a 52cm top tube. I find it's just about perfect for my relatively relaxed posture. My "go-faster" bike, OTOH, is 50cm, and it's perfect for the riding I do on that as well - a lot of it has to do with the particular geometry of the bike in question.

I'm 5'9" and ride a 54cm frame. My 6' friend usually rides 58cm or 60cm frames depending on how the bike fits. If he were riding a 50cm frame, I imagine he'd be knocking his knees into the handlebars or falling over constantly due to toe overlap problems. Aside from that, it feels to me like a properly-sized frame makes it easier to put more power into the pedals. And a larger frame with a correspondingly longer wheelbase may provide more stability when touring.

I have to agree with sstorkel. My wife is 5' 3" and rides a 50 cm frame. I am a little over 5'11", and when I try riding it on a short test ride after maintenance, I feel like my knees are going to hit the bars. I don't think I could ever get the seat high enough to ride comfortably or efficiently. My current bikes have 58 cm frames, but I was fitted and rode quite comfortably a 62 cm bike when I was younger. I prefer the slightly smaller 58 cm frame size for the type of riding I do today.

I believe bike fit is probably one of the most important factors in comfort and efficiency. Fit really comes into play when riding 50-60 miles a day on consecutive days for long periods of time. My wife averaged 50+ miles a day for 74 consecutive days on a professionally fitted bike and had no issues. She was fitted by a physical therapist who specialized in bike fitting because she has leg length differences and a torn ACL. Fit really makes a difference.

Having said all that--If the bike is comfortable for you and you enjoy riding it, ride it.

Well, there is more to it than just size, since some folks have different leg/torso ratios and longer or shorter arms. Different spokes for different folks, and all that...

Im 5'9" ish and I have a 56cm x 56cm Road bike, horizontal top tube,

My touring bike has a sloping top tube so the 'size' is smaller,

Though the TT length, as a virtual level line is actually 56+..

so both need to be known.. Height & Length.

Anyone who tells you size doesn't matter is trying to convince you that theirs really isn't too small.

:roflmao2:

5"9 and I ride a 55cm

Just over 6', and I have a 23" mountain bike, 61 cm road bike, and 63 cm road bike all setup for me comfortably. The 63 cm is my favorite, however. 5'11 on almost any 50 cm frame is going to be pretty cramped. Before I knew better, I rode a 54 cm for a bit and couldn't believe the difference in comfort and performance when I switched to a bike that fit me. Night and day difference.

Meandmybike, I'm 6' and I generally fit a ~58 cm frame. A 50 cm frame seems exceptionally small for you both (excepting mountain bikes).

Exceptions in my household are a 56 cm crit bike (for quicker handling) and my son's French Fit 64 cm frame. I've never understood the reason for a French Fitting bike, but those that prefer one seem adament. I suppose it can account for those that prefer much smaller frames than what would be the norm and I'm unaware if there is a term, or nick name for that preference. ;)

Brad

Does size really matter?
 

5'8" ride a 57cm as my legs are proportionally longer than most males'.

After taking the plunge last year and having my bike professionally adjusted (fitted) , I found out that my body dimensions are particular; in other words, my lower torso is shorter than my upper body. I'm 5.11" and although I feel very comfortable on my 54cm frame with 172mm cranks when riding, when I stop and slide off the saddle, my groin touches the top tube (just barely).

Gotta play the devils advocate here and disagree. Anyone going to suggest Moultons arent good touring bike? As a mostly tarmac tourer with say no more than three days in between water i think they are great touring bikes. So good in fact I've retained one for approx 17 years.
Not much cop for challenging off road conditions though which is why I've just bought a Surly Ogre frame to build up and explore some Australian outback conditions where the Moulton couldn't cope nor carry enough water for me for the extended durations in between settlements/water.

The Moultons one size fits all frame, has a relatively short cockpit. The effective top tube is only 55.5cm which makes for a very upright position for my 5" 11' height and my inseam of approx 87.5cm or 34 inches when I do the book between the legs thing and mark against the wall.

Comparing Moulton to the Ogre, the Surly's smallest size frame has a ETT of approx 57.6cm. The size large frame which I've taken loads of advice on before whipping out the credit card is much larger with an effective top tube of 616.3 so the stretched riding position is going to be a shock and take some getting used to after the Moultons very upright position.

I've been very very comfortable on the Moulton whose wheelbase is longer than the Ogres but I need the water baring and off road ability that I'm confident the Ogre can provide.

I'm going to have to shorten as much as possible the Ogres cockpit by using a short upright stem, straight seatpost and short railed saddle (Brooks B17 Special) and whilst I have no doubts that it ticks the boxes for off road expedition, I have serious misgivings about my riding comfort.

Size doesn't matter at all. It's all in how you use what you have........... The same works for bikes, too,

Your one-size-fits-all frame sounds like it's about a 56cm. If you walked into a bike shop, they'd probably put you on a 56cm or 58cm frame. There's no genius here: you just got lucky.

Effective top tube isn't the whole story. Keep in mind that mountain bikes tend to use zero- or minimal-offset seat posts and shorter stems than a road bike of the corresponding size. On a road bike, my theoretically ideal top tube length is 545mm... but that theory assumes I'm using a 110mm stem and a seat post with 25mm of setback. Taking this into account, the distance from the seat post to the bars is: 545+110+25=680mm.

My mountain bike has a 587mm ETT, which seems impossibly long when compared to the "ideal" 545mm! Unlike the road bike, the mountain bike came equipped with a zero-offset seat post and a 90mm stem. So the distance from the seat post to the bars is: 587+0+90=677mm. Pretty darn close to the "ideal", despite the seemingly long ETT!

Additionally, the mountain bike frame has more "stack" than the road frame, so the riding position is decidedly more upright even though the reach to the bars is about the same.

I think you're right. Although the right size would help with positioning. I do find that my shoulders are very high, like a hunch back on a bike sort of thing. My mates dads bike hasn't got drop handle bars so it might make a difference. I'm getting a new bike and i think i'll go for a 21inch frame.

I wouldn't pick out a frame size until you've tried a few bikes and found what fits best with the help of an experienced bike fitter.

+1 Try riding a 23" frame too.

I'm 5'10"ish and my drop bar bike has a 54.5 tt, with the stock stem around 100mm, and I'm really comfortable on it.

I am 5 foot 7 and ride a 54 cm lht. I am not tall, but have long legs. picture a frog on a bike.

I can picture that.

Me6"1- In a traditional straight top tube bike i ride between 61cm and 25in. On a 58 I bang my knees we ease which is why i bought a travel bike.

Dad 5"10 - 54cm to 56cm

we don't look related... I asked one day just to make sure we were.

192cm and my ideal frame size is 21 inches. I have two other bikes that have frames that a tadvtoo small, but flat bars ad extra long seat posts make them comfotable. What I can't ride is a bije with drops and a top tube thats too short. No comfortable grip positons at all