Jan 24, 2010
How Do You Tell What Size Mountain Bike You Need?
I am 6′ 4 and 250…im a very athletic person and I want to know the proper sized Mountain bike to buy. Any ideas?
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very likely that you will need a 24″ frame size with a standard 26″ wheel size for your height. Your weight will be fine and is not generally a consideration for a mountain bike as most good bikes (not wal mart, kmart or Target, Dick’s sporting goods or anyother like those) will be fine for you. Make sure that the store you get your bike from sells ONLY BIKES and nothing else (other than accesories for bikes). You inseam determines standover height only and other aspects of the right fit are determined by your reach to the bars (stem length) and the handlebar style and what height your seat is at when sitting on the bike. GO get fit as that is first before anything else. Almost any brand out there will work for you and not too many shops ever have your size in stock and they will be able to order it for you if they dont have it on the floor but you will have to ask for it. Assuming your inseam measures between 32″ and 35″ this would be the appropriate size for you and the only other size would be a 21 or 21.5″ size for an inseam under or right at that minimum 32″ inseam.
Short answer: A reputable bike shop can fit you. If you really want to “dial in” the fit, some shops use a precision setup called a “Fit Kit”, though that’s used more for road bikes than MTBs.
Longer, more DIY answer:
On a bike with a top tube that runs basically horizontally, a.k.a. a “diamond frame” bike, straddle the top tube with both feet flat on the ground. You should have at least 2 fingers of clearance between the top tube and your crotch — a bit more if you’re going to be hitting technical trails and coming off the seat a lot. That determines the “frame size” — how long each of the 3 long tubes (top, seat, and “down”) need to be to make the main triangle of the frame “diamond” big enough so your leg can extend properly to pedal efficiently, and so your reach to the handlebars will be neither to long nor too short. At 6′-4″ you’ll need a big frame, i.e. the top tube, down tube and seat tube will each be proportionally longer than a bike for someone shorter.
OK, you found a frame that fits. The “frame size” is the number of inches, or centimeters, between the center point of the pedal axis (that bearing is called the “bottom bracket”) and the top of the seat tube (the fixed tube that’s part of the frame, not the adjustable height “seat post” that sticks out of it).
Now to set the seat height. Sitting on the seat with the bike (and you) leaning against a wall, if you put the *heel* of your shoe on the pedal, your leg should be perfectly straight and your knee locked if the seat just supports you without it feeling too high. Then when you move your foot into the actual pedaling position (ball of foot centered over pedal), your knee will be slightly bent for optimal pedaling efficiency and knee health.
Selecting the right frame size and setting the seat height are the two big items. From there you get into second level stuff like choosing a handlebar shape, stem height and angle (to position the handlebars in space), and seat fore-aft position on its rails (look under the seat). The shop where you buy your bike can do all this. If buying a bike used, have it — and the way it fits you — checked out by a reputable shop before paying the seller.
Your weight won’t be a problem with a real mountain bike — its tube diameters will be sized for strength, to take the stresses of downhill bumps and jumps, and you’ll have suspension. You’ll want at least front shocks if not full (front and rear) suspension if you’ll be riding challenging single-track terrain.
John Ciccarelli, cycling coach
http://www.BicycleSolutions.com
http://www.TeachStreet.com/teacher/john-cicca…
San Francisco
Go ask at your local bike shop. People could tell you all sorts of methods, but they will make little sense without a bike in front of you.
There are multiple factors that come into play here, and it will be very difficult if not impossible to give you a good answer on here. Consider the factors you need to consider: leg length, torso length, arm extension, riding style, riding terrain, cost, etc.
Go to a good bicycle store and talk to them. There are a lot of different factors to consider.
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There is no substitute for actually trying a bike out for size by sitting or riding on it. Visit your local bike shop and they should be happy to advise on the right size and let you try a couple out for comfort, you don’t have to buy from them.
Visit the local bike shop and get fitted. You wont find a bike at Walmart or department store that will fit you.
Take your inseam x .59 to get the correct size for a mountain bike.
Google bike shops for your area.
you measure your inseam and ask the people at the bike store to show you those that fit…make sure someone other than YOU measures your inseam. You can’t do it properly.
The size of the frame of your bike is based on mainly your height. Go to a bike store, they can help you out.
YOU GO TO A BIKE SHOP
THEY WILL SHOW YOU SOME BIKES
THEN YOU SIT ON IT IF YOU LIKE IT YOU BUY IT OR ELSE YOU KEEP LOOKING
You go to the store and sit on it LOL