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What size Bicycle is good for me?
We hear that question daily during bicycle season. It comes mostly from people who are not “into” cycling, or people who have not been on a bike for years. The simple answer is the one that fits you. And just how do you figure out that? It is the size of the frame. And since there are several schools of thought on how a frame is measured. This is an attempt to make that simple. When setting up a road bike for racing or distance touring it is crucial to get the most efficiency out of your body and your bicycle. Those longer distance riders looking for speed and efficiency will assume more forward leaning positions. For those riding say less than 5 – 7 miles it won’t matter much. So for starters, since most of our customers are everyday commuter or urban rider, let’s begin there. You have to be this tall to ride this bike! First, stand over the cross bar (male frame only). There should be at least 1 inch clearance (no hard contact or anything important touching) and no more than say 2 or so inches max of clearance. Women’s frames have no cross bar and do not have this convenient consideration for sizing. If you are touching or too close to the cross bar the frame is too large and there is a potential for nasty injuries. More than 3-4 inches and that frame is probably too small. Mountain or hybrid bike fit allows for larger clearances over the cross bar. So take that into consideration if you really like that style of bike and plan on a bit of off road riding. Women’s or step through frames, sit fully on the saddle. If you cannot rest the balls of your feet on the ground, even with the seat lowered as far as it can be. That frame is too large for you. As a matter of general reference frames are measured by the distance from the crank to the top of the down tube either in inches or centimeters. Not to be confusing here, there are many ways bicycle frames are measured and unless you know how the frame you’re looking at is measured by the manufacture the numbers posted are useless. So to be honest…it’s all about the fit of how you are going to ride. Unless you are looking for something specific, we always ask what type of riding you are going to do before we talk about which bicycle might be right for you. A few miles to the train station or to the store for milk VS 10-15 miles to work each way and weekends on the road…completely different bikes and different “fits”. Seat Height The height adjustment of a seat is mostly about your leg extension. To find the right height, sit on the saddle, with both feet on the floor. Adjust the height of the seat so the balls of your feet are frimly on the ground. When you can "stand" like this it give your good control of the bicycle while still in the saddle. This will also give you a slight bend in your knee when you place your foot on the pedal in the correct pedaling position. However, a slight tick up or down for your comfort is fine. Some folks have a toe down stroke which would make a difference in seat height. In the end though, you should be able to pedal without completely straightening your knees and without rocking your hips from side to side. Check out this link for some other illustration of the importance of proper seat height. It should be noted that the crank arm length also comes into play here but for most of our customers we are not fitting cycles to that level. We strongly recommend for the urban/commuter rider that the safest maximum seat height be used. That is while seated you should be able to, using the balls of your feet, place both feet on the ground. This position will give you good control of your bicycle when you come to a stop, especially those sudden and unexpected stops. You can remain upright and seated and not have to step out and catch yourself after you stop. This becomes extremely important when stopping in traffic in an urban setting. Otherwise if you need to step out to one side you can get slapped by a passing mirror or worse. (That is not to say an experienced urban bicycle messenger won’t have some large frame, fixed gear, drop handlebar bike that they get around on just fine.) Besides that safety factoid, why is it important to set the seat in position to create proper leg extension? Because when the leg length is set properly, you will be pedaling with just a slight bend in your knee at full extension. There is testing that shows that optimal oxygen consumption and efficiency results at 96% to 98% leg extension. Then you will have a combination of optimal oxygen use and optimal power. So if that is important to you, now you know! Ok, so, the seat height gives you the leg extension you need, but you feel like your knees are in your chest or they are going to hit the handlebars. Then the frame is probably too small for you no matter how high the seat can go. The larger the frame, the greater the distance between seat and handle bars, thus accommodating the taller person. Frame fit has as much to do with the distance between the handlebars and the saddle as does the seat height. Bike riders come in all shapes and sizes, leg and body lengths can sometimes make it hard to find a bike that fits. A short body with long legs, or the opposite, can make thing difficult but not impossible. Handlebars Consider this point; it is about your comfort when riding, no matter what kind of handlebars you have. One way to look at this is you support your body with the seat and pedals, not with your arms. You do not want to feel like your back, arm or wrists are straining while riding. Thus there is no “correct setting” on handle bar height, it is what feels comfortable to you. Some like to lean forward a bit while others will like to sit more upright. The height of the handlebars in concert with the seat height will determine just how far forward you will lean or how straight you will sit. Although you can sit too straight up and diminish pedaling effectiveness it takes some leaning forward to get good power to your legs. Handlebars adjust in two ways, straight up and down at the head set or neck, and the angle of the bars (level or angled up or down). With some handlebars such as drop/racing bars and straight bars, the angle is not much of a concern. Height is more important. Again, this is all about your comfort, but too much angle in either direction will throw your riding position off and perhaps you’ll need to investigate a different style of handlebars. It may take a few tries and several test rides before you find what suits you. ALWAYS REMEMBER...(this very important safety note): All handlebars have a minimum insertion mark. Look on the side of the goose neck or stem and find that mark. It is vitally important not to go above the mark. If you do, it may allow for the goose neck to break or come unhinged and be the cause for a very nasty crash. The actual fit of your bicycle depends upon the type of bicycle you have and the type of riding you are doing. Road, mountain, and 3-speed commuters bikes all would be fit differently. Unless your riding efficiency is critical (long distance, speed, off road power) a good fit is a compromise between your comfort and the efficiency of the bicycle. So look to be as efficient as possible at a comfort level you can live with, which certainly can change over time. This page is meant to give riders a place to start; it is by no means the definitive article on sizing a bicycle. I suggest those who want to continue into the world of the perfectly fit bicycles, a great place to start is an article written by the late Sheldon Brown. Also check out Measuring a Bicycle Frame on YouTube.com for an even more in depth understanding of frame sizing.  September 11th Always Remember!
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