Is my bike to "wee" for me?

Aud Reekie MTB

Hey,

I saw the thread on bike fit but wanted to get opinions from y'all directly.

Am 6'2" and 85kg and previous had a 21" Cannondale Scalpel, described as a "large" by Cannondale.

Bought a Scott Scale 35 carbon frame a couple of weeks ago., size large, which is a 19" from bottom bracket to seatpost on the Scott website.

I'm wondering if the bike is bit small for me. There's 3 inches standover height on the top tube adjacent to the seatpost (none at the headset). If I have the seat at a height where I can stand with the balls of both feet on the ground, my knees feel a bit scrunched up when I pedal as if there isn't enough room to use my legs properlywith my knees feeling like they are going too high.

I can pedal ok only when I have the seat at a point where I can only touch the ground with both feet on my absolute tip toes.

Does that suggest to you that the bike is too small?

Tell you what, it does feel very light and agile !

Andy

nicklouse

how does it feel?

How do the top tube lengths compare?

Aud Reekie MTB

Feels lively but that I'm not extending my legs fully.

Dunno what I'm looking for re the top tubes - you mean to measure them on each bike?

robertpb

Your saddle and the pedals are the only things that are related, the ground has nothing to do with it.

Take your inside leg measurement add 9% set the saddle, this measurement from the pedals to the top centre of the saddle.

This will give you a very slightly bent leg when your foot is at the bottom of the stroke.

When I'm sat on my bike my plates of meat are about 5" off the ground.

colt

It's simpler than that, when your sat on the saddle your knee should still be slightly bent when your foot is at the bottom of your pedal stroke, without feeling as though you have to stretch to achieve it. Simples!

Aud Reekie MTB

robertpb wrote:

Your saddle and the pedals are the only things that are related, the ground has nothing to do with it.

Take your inside leg measurement add 9% set the saddle, this measurement from the pedals to the top centre of the saddle.

This will give you a very slightly bent leg when your foot is at the bottom of the stroke.

When I'm sat on my bike my plates of meat are about 5" off the ground.

Hi Rob!

What do you mean by that - that you can't touch the ground with both feet when you're sat on the bike?!

Andy

nicklouse

Aud Reekie MTB wrote:

Hi Rob!

What do you mean by that - that you can't touch the ground with both feet when you're sat on the bike?!

Andy

correct.

Anonymous

Aud Reekie MTB wrote:

Hi Rob!

What do you mean by that - that you can't touch the ground with both feet when you're sat on the bike?!

Andy

Not for the most efficient pedalling, no.

robertpb

Aud Reekie MTB wrote:

Hi Rob!

What do you mean by that - that you can't touch the ground with both feet when you're sat on the bike?!

Andy

The tyres touch the ground but your feet touch the pedals, it's only this relationship that matters, if you look at this way you'll get along fine.

That's also why you have 3" of clearance on your crossbar so you can slip off the saddle and plant your feet on the ground and keep the meat and two veg safe.

Anonymous

3" clearance?
I prefer to have MUCH more clearance on an MTB.
The important measurment on a mountain bike is the length of the frame.

robertpb

The OP said he had 3".

A vertically challenged person as me at 5' 5" struggle to find small frames with the required stand-over and I've got a 31" inside.

It's the problem with short top tubes the rise to the head tube is steeper.

I'm lucky I'm still a tenor, they don't call me cheap for nothing.

Sir HC

I'd tend to ignore bb to top tube heights. The effective top tube length is more important, you can always make a smaller frame feel bigger with longer seatposts, but it still allows you to run shorter stems which are far better when it comes to singletrack. I ride an 18" inbred, it looks tiny, but it has a longer top tube than most, which allows me to run a short stem. If I went for the larger frame, the reach is too long even with a short stem.

nerak

I've recently bought a new bike and trawled through the variety of advice on offer both in person and on the forum. I had the opposite, my bike felt too big.

Here's my thoughts, and I am by no means technical as I'm a rookie:

1. Standover Height
Is one of the most key aspects. If you can't get off your saddle without walloping your bits its wrong. You should have a minimum 1" when stood over. If not you'll be in deep sh*t as a bloke if you come off that way.

2. Own Comfort
After the standover height your own comfort is the next key to success. Don't take anyones word for what is the right size, go get a feel for it. Borrow if can. Make sure it feels like a part of you. If it doesn't feel right it probably isn't right.

3. Floor (Myth?)
Don't get hung up on being able to touch the floor from on your saddle. Quite often this is not the case. The feel and the motion are your guide on this. If you can test you can see. If you can execute a safe getoff forwards without hitting the crossbar that should suffice whether the seat is right down or in the sky.

4. Reach
Streatching is a really bad thing. Again, if you are not comfy its not going to be right.

If you are not sure of your own bike I'd suggest (even if you can't change) you go around and play like you are buying all over again but take your own comfort into account and try try try. At least that way you will quash your doubts (and prob end up saving for a new bike like I did)

Anyone else care to back up or pull my comments to pieces? (ie. have I got it right for me now! lol)

Regards, Karen

stu8975

Rule of thumb as far as setting correct seat height - place heel of foot on pedal when its at its lowest point, raise seat until your leg is straight (but not stretched), place ball of foot on pedal and you should have a slight bend in your knee..job done..your can fine tune it up or down from there.

blister pus

Get the top tube length right ...or you're playing cockpit adjustment wasting time and money on stem lengths, laidback seatposts etc. Get it really wrong and you'll end up selling the bike. First thing I look for is actual and effective top tube length.

The rest usually follows if the overall frame geometry is right for you.