Bike Frame Sizes

MrChrisP

Hello all.

I'm asking this on behalf of a friend who is contemplating buying a 15.5" Kona Stinky 06 Frame off Ebay.

The problem he is having is he does not know if this size frame is too small for him (He is approx 5'8" in height) and sadly my knowledge of bikes does not extend far enough to be of any help.

I know that official guidelines as a general rule of thumb state that a 17" frame is reccomended for people of his height but what I don't know is if this includes full suss frames or not.

I myself and the same height and ride a 17" Kona Dawg and it is perfect, but I understand it is different for everybody.

Bit of a hard question to answer but any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
Chris

supersonic

Until he builds it and rides it, nothing really he can do. Many people opt for smaller frames for harder riding, but it maybe too short. If he knows what geo he likes he should have looked up the Stink's angles and tube lengths.

nicklouse

forget the size. he needs to look at the rest of the geo and compare it to a bike he knows.

comparing a Dawg to a stinky is like comparing an Apple to an Orange yes they are both fruit but thats the end of it.

but as the 15.5 is the medium it is the size that may be the best.

http://www.klassickona.com/oldgold/2006/stinky.htm

freeride-mike

im 5ft 11 and ride a 14" frame....... im currently looking for a bigger xc frame as if feels too small :?

it really depends on what type of riding he will be doing, if its general xc etc... IMO 17 - 18" frame would suite 15.5" maybe a tad small

MrChrisP

Cheers guys. I knew Geo would come into it but again that is something I know nothing about.

He currently rides a GT Ruckus 2.0 if that is of any help. Also it'll be used mainly for XC I suppose. Red route on Glentress will be about the extent of its use for a while, possibly giving the odd black run a try too.

To be honest I reckon it'd prob be best for him to leave this one and first try riding a few different bikes and frame sizes before he decides on what he wants.

Cheers for the link Nick though, I've seen that site before but couldn't remember the address.

On the upside though this has given me lots of new stuff to try and learn. Seems there is a lot more to biking than simply getting on it and going down hills very fast until you fall off 8)

nicklouse

Also it'll be used mainly for XC I suppose

Then he does not want a stinky frame as it is the wrong bike.

mooseontheloose

t'is me!! i'm the friend haha.

To start with, im about 5,9 - 5,10.

For anyone who has done Glentress before, its uphill uphill uphill, and then a long long blast downhill. Could always take the car up instead of riding up :P .

The GT i've got at the moment has about 16" seat post, but 21" top tube, which compared to the Stinky i'm looking at has 15.5" and 22.6" respectively. They are pretty similar, so I think it would fit me quite comfortably. Quite flat fork angle as well on the Ruckus, not as much as the Stinky, but again, they might compare. Biggest difference I think would be the weight. Does anyone know what a stock 2008 Stinky weighs in at? Would it be like humping Dawn French or Paris Hilton?

But yeah, at the end of the day it'll be a case of getting my carcass onto a bike and trying it, but seeming as the Kona dealer in E'burgh doesn't have any in stock and won't for a while, I cant actually try one out. If it fits, wahey, if it doesn't, well, I'll flogg it off to MrChrisP

Cheers for the input everyone!!!