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What's the best bike for someone on my size to get?

S

SuperSnake2012

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 11, 2005
824
19
NY
I am looking for a new bicycle because gas is too expensive and my old bike is broken :cool: I am 6'1 right now and when I bought my last mountain bike I was under 5 feet tall :eek: I am looking at some bikes and they have frame sizes up to 26", and I don't know what I should be looking at. :confused:
 
How much are you looking to spend on a bike?

Size wise, I'm afraid I only know in cm. I have just gotten a new 58cm Trek, and I am 6'1". It fits me great. The step up from that was 63cm.. so for big big people. :p

I'm not sure what that is in inches..

EDIT: Yes, as Lau says, local bike shop is the way to go! Try try try before you make a decision.
 
SuperSnake2012 said:
I am looking for a new bicycle because gas is too expensive and my old bike is broken :cool: I am 6'1 right now and when I bought my last mountain bike I was under 5 feet tall :eek: I am looking at some bikes and they have frame sizes up to 26", and I don't know what I should be looking at. :confused:
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Is there a local bike shop you can go to? It's well worth going along and seeing what feels good and talking to the staff. Also, if you had a bike in the past, frame shapes have changed, so the sizes that fit you may have changed. :)
 
Bike frames generally come in up to 30'' frame sizes.Find someone to measure you up for the correct size(someone you know quite well possibly) basically measure from your pubic bone to the heel of your foot with your knee slightly bent.
 
Local bike shop is the way to go. You should be able to straddle the center bar w/your feet flat on the ground and not rack yourself, but just getting the right size doesn't mean the bike will "fit". The relative position of the seat, pedals, handlebars and wheels will all make a difference. I went bike shopping a few months ago and probably test road a dozen or so bikes before I made my choice.
 
The best way to know is really to try one out. Different manufacturers will vary slightly in their sizing, so even if you get, say, a 60cm bike, it could be different according to the brand. It's weird like that. I ride a 58cm (or 57, I forget), and will probably be going up to a 60cm or 63cm next time I build a bike. I'm 6'2".

Hope that helps a little.
 
Thanks guys. I just needed an idea of what sizes I should try so I wouldn't have to try every single bicycle :p I'll probably see if I can head over to a bike shop, because I am so tired after work. :rolleyes:
 
Just found an example of what I was saying earlier about frame sizing changing. I've never wanted a girl's bike, in that I rarely wear flowing skirts, and much less often cycle in them :p , and so have always had men's bikes. My old mountain bike was more like this shape, with a very flat crossbar:

cb3.jpeg


but my current bike is this (without the front suspension), and so has a much more sloping crossbar.

m358_7100fx-susp.jpg


Because of this lower crossbar, I feel comfortable on a slightly larger frame. I wouldn't have known this unless I had tried it out, because frames had changed so much since my old bike. If there is any way you could get to a local bike shop I'd definitely advise it.
 
Lau said:
Because of this lower crossbar, I feel comfortable on a slightly larger frame. I wouldn't have known this unless I had tried it out, because frames had changed so much since my old bike. If there is any way you could get to a local bike shop I'd definitely advise it.
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You should get a bike fitted to you. Try a few out. I went for large hard tires first (27 inch) They are mostly smooth because I ride mostly on paths and roads. Very quiet for a tire.

My bike is a Giant Cypress. It didn't cost much more than a department store bike - but a nice "comfort style" bike. The addition of a $90 pannier set lets me go shopping on it.

I love cycling.
 
You need to be fitted for a new bike. No one will be able to tell you what size you need just by height. Fit is very important in a new bike, your local bike shop will be able to help you.
 
medea said:
You need to be fitted for a new bike. No one will be able to tell you what size you need just by height. Fit is very important in a new bike, your local bike shop will be able to help you.
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Yes. This is very important. Go to a neighborhood bike shop (I love Performance Bike...very friendly), and ask to be fitted. They will make you hold a ruler perpendicular to your pelvic bone, and a lot of other things.

I got fitted and I chose a wonderfull bike that serves me extremely well- the Fuji Absolute 3.0. I highly recommend this flatbar road bike.
 

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muffinman said:
Yes. This is very important. Go to a neighborhood bike shop (I love Performance Bike...very friendly), and ask to be fitted. They will make you hold a ruler perpendicular to your pelvic bone, and a lot of other things.

I got fitted and I chose a wonderfull bike that serves me extremely well- the Fuji Absolute 3.0. I highly recommend this flatbar road bike.
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I had a flatbar road bike once, a Felt SR91, but I recently sold it. It was definitely nice but I my real road bike is nicer so I rarely used it and don't have enough space to store multiple bikes right now. :(
 

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I got a Trek FX 7.7.

It's very good to ride (I do 24 km to work and 24 km back home most of the working days), very light, good components (except the saddle, which I exchanged with my old one Selle Italia) and unfortunately a little bit expensive.

I think it depends how much time and money you want to spend on your bike as well.
 

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I got a bike last night, got a 21.5" scale bike and it fits like a glove :D I have to fix it though, on my way to work the chain fell off the pedal :rolleyes:
 
I'm glad to hear there are fellow cyclists on this board :)

I have a Fuji Track and a bmx bike.
 
SuperSnake2012 said:
I got a bike last night, got a 21.5" scale bike and it fits like a glove :D I have to fix it though, on my way to work the chain fell off the pedal :rolleyes:
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So what bike did you get? And where are the mandatory pics?
 
It's a black Columbia Trailhead Sports. I can't find any good pics though :(

B000BFPA2M.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1132599968_.jpg


That's my bike but it's in a sleek black with yellow text :) I wish they had it in white so it would match my Macbook :p
 
Blah, the bike broke already! :mad: I just took it back to the shop and they refunded our money. So much for buying at a big store :rolleyes: We're gonna stop at the local bike shop, they'll probably give us better service.
 
Um yeah I didn't reply after you posted the pic because it was obviously a mart bike and I didn't want to offend you. Mart bikes are basically one size fits all and complete crap.
Go to a local bike store, you can get a bike that is probably still close to your price range and the store will actually be able to service it for you. Most bikes come with some sort of free maintenance plan be it one free tune up in a month or several free tune ups for a year or whatever else. I'm relieved the bike broke so early for you because you might have been stuck with a big pos after a few months.
 
medea said:
Um yeah I didn't reply after you posted the pic because it was obviously a mart bike and I didn't want to offend you. Mart bikes are basically one size fits all and complete crap.
Go to a local bike store, you can get a bike that is probably still close to your price range and the store will actually be able to service it for you. Most bikes come with some sort of free maintenance plan be it one free tune up in a month or several free tune ups for a year or whatever else. I'm relieved the bike broke so early for you because you might have been stuck with a big pos after a few months.
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100% agree with what has been said here. Even if the LBS is a little bit more, its worth it for the aftercare, and better bike that you will get in the long term.

I have just recently got a Trek Pilot 1.0. I love it. :) I took some random pics of it here.
 
I went to the bike shop near my house and I saw really nice Trek bike (I forgot the name but the model number was 3700). It was candy apple red and it rides really smoothly. The brakes don't squeal like the bike that broke on me! :D It was $300 and some change and the shop covers the bike for 3 years too, so I might have to gobble it up :cool:

Ah, found a pic!

3700_RED.jpg


What a sexy bike! :)
 
If the bike fits you then get it. Pronto!
LBS's usually also throw in something like 10% all accessories when you buy a new bike, ask them if there is anything they can do for you. You could get your helmet, gloves, etc for a bit cheaper. Oh an it looks like you are in NYC eh? Get a friggin huge bike chain and lock if you plan on leaving it out of your sight for even a minute to take a piss.
 
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