Wrong frame size ongoing nightmare...

mattrgee

Hi all,

I posted a thread back in February about my riding position, the general concensus being that the frame looked a bit short. After moving the seat back a bit this was the final result:



A number of people said it still looked a bit short Having done a fair bit of riding in the last 6 months I'm finding that:

1. The steering is quite twitchy/sensitve (100mm stem).
2. I'm very nearly catching my knees on the handlebars when going round tight corners.
3. I'm finidng it very difficult getting the front wheel off the ground.
4. There's only an inch or two of seat post in the frame.

I started looking at alternative frames but the steerer on the fork is cut quite short with only a 5mm spacer and a lot of XL frames have much longer headtubes. Therefore, finding a frame to transfer all the parts on to is proving difficult.

Is there anything I can do to alleviate the issues mentioned above? Longer stem, a seatpost with more layback, wider bars? Or should I just try and sell the bike (Rockrider 8.1 2010) and get something new? Not that I should be spending money on bikes when we should be saving

All very anouying.

leaflite

mattrgee wrote:

4. There's only an inch or two of seat post in the frame.

Make sure it is in to the minimum insert line else you risk damaging the frame. If you havent already, try a 400mm post rather than the usual 350mm

specializedsteve

How tall are you and what size is that frame?

im 6'4" and ride a 2010 specialized hardrock disc in XL size i think, and i think i have more room than you and the seat isnt near its limit.
Though it took some looking round, and that was the comfiest one for me.
just as info, not a dig or anything.

mattrgee

specializedsteve wrote:

How tall are you and what size is that frame?

im 6'4" and ride a 2010 specialized hardrock disc in XL size i think, and i think i have more room than you and the seat isnt near its limit.
Though it took some looking round, and that was the comfiest one for me.
just as info, not a dig or anything.

I'm 6' 2" and the Rockrider is a Large (19") frame, the top tube is 595mm.

Cheers.

specializedsteve

might be worth popping round some shops trying 21" frames.
an extra 2 inches makes a big difference, size does matter!





. . . . . cue the dirty minded comments . . . .

HebdenBiker

I like to ride a small frame with a lot of seatpost and a long stem.

If you are riding a 100mm stem and still finding the steering "twitchy", try a 120mm stem. Due to the leverage, shorter stems make the steering more immediate (twitchier) whilst long stems make the steering harder work but more stable. And add some bar ends for a better position when climbing.

mattrgee

HebdenBiker wrote:

I like to ride a small frame with a lot of seatpost and a long stem.

If you are riding a 100mm stem and still finding the steering "twitchy", try a 120mm stem. Due to the leverage, shorter stems make the steering more immediate (twitchier) whilst long stems make the steering harder work but more stable. And add some bar ends for a better position when climbing.

I thought 100mm was pretty long already tbh.

The Northern Monkey

mattrgee wrote:

specializedsteve wrote:

How tall are you and what size is that frame?

im 6'4" and ride a 2010 specialized hardrock disc in XL size i think, and i think i have more room than you and the seat isnt near its limit.
Though it took some looking round, and that was the comfiest one for me.
just as info, not a dig or anything.

I'm 6' 2" and the Rockrider is a Large (19") frame, the top tube is 595mm.

Cheers.

Is that effective or centre to centre?

I'm 6ft 2 and ride anything between 585mm to 605mm ish effective depending on the type of bike.

mattrgee

The Northern Monkey wrote:

mattrgee wrote:

specializedsteve wrote:

How tall are you and what size is that frame?

im 6'4" and ride a 2010 specialized hardrock disc in XL size i think, and i think i have more room than you and the seat isnt near its limit.
Though it took some looking round, and that was the comfiest one for me.
just as info, not a dig or anything.

I'm 6' 2" and the Rockrider is a Large (19") frame, the top tube is 595mm.

Cheers.

Is that effective or centre to centre?

I'm 6ft 2 and ride anything between 585mm to 605mm ish effective depending on the type of bike.

595mm is the effective.

mr joey

that looks a tad tooooooo small to me!

mattrgee

mr joey wrote:

that looks a tad tooooooo small to me!

Indeed

NatoED

have you looked at kenises frames . they tend to have shorter head tubes than some companies?

mattrgee

NatoED wrote:

have you looked at kenises frames . they tend to have shorter head tubes than some companies?

I have, but they're a bit pricy tbh.

mattrgee

Would replacing the seatpost with one with more layback be an option? I know 'knee over spindle' is somewhat disregarded these days but there must be a limit to how far behind the BB you can sit?

I guess the I could replace the stem for 110mm or 120mm but is this just going to cause new problems?

I don't think the Rockriders fair to well on the second hand market should it come to that

HebdenBiker

mattrgee wrote:

HebdenBiker wrote:

I like to ride a small frame with a lot of seatpost and a long stem.

If you are riding a 100mm stem and still finding the steering "twitchy", try a 120mm stem. Due to the leverage, shorter stems make the steering more immediate (twitchier) whilst long stems make the steering harder work but more stable. And add some bar ends for a better position when climbing.

I thought 100mm was pretty long already tbh.

Why would you think 100mm is "pretty long"? If you are banging your knees on the bars it is not "pretty long" - it is "too short".

You have bought a frame that is too small for you. You can either sell it on Ebay and get a bigger one, or you can try and make it work for you. If you are banging your knees on the bars, you need a bigger bike, or a longer stem.

NatoED

what size frame is it . it looks more like a medium than a large. or buy a Brand X frame from chain reaction

bails87

NatoED wrote:

what size frame is it . it looks more like a medium than a large. or buy a Brand X frame from chain reaction

I agree, I'm suprised at just how small that looks. I know you're tall, but it looks like you're 6' 8" and on a tiny bike, rather than a more normal 6'2" on a large frame.

Fenred

Start looking for a new larger frame...Take note of the diameter of seat tube/bottom bracket, headtube length etc so you can keep your cost down, then just swap your bits over. My view is that even with a layback seat post and longer stem you'll still not be 100% happy with it and that'll niggle you....

paulbox

I personally don't think it looks too bad, I'd definitely try a longer (and one with more rise) stem and seat post before binning the bike.

Surely this has got to be worth a punt (FSA 120mm 17deg rise for £6.92): http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=59568

I'm 6'4" and ride an XL frame, but I still have a 110mm stem and 400mm post.

Longer bars would mean that the end is nearer to your knees when turning so wouldn't bother with that, but as someone else mentioned, try some bar ends to give you another option when climbing.

lostboysaint

That looks WAY too small.

I'm 6'4" and ride an XL Yeti (90mm stem, 6deg rise and 350mm post) and the biggest On-One Inbred frame (400mm post, 100mm, 6deg stem) and both work for me.

As has been suggested it's worth looking at longer frames particularly as you look very cramped. Great for descending and getting the weight over the back, pretty crap for everything else!

mattrgee

bails87 wrote:

NatoED wrote:

what size frame is it . it looks more like a medium than a large. or buy a Brand X frame from chain reaction

I agree, I'm suprised at just how small that looks. I know you're tall, but it looks like you're 6' 8" and on a tiny bike, rather than a more normal 6'2" on a large frame.

I think the issue probably lies with Decathlon's frame sizes. They offer Small, Mediium, Large and Extra Large. The large being 19" and the XL being 21", so perhaps the Large is smaller than other 'Large' frames?

mattrgee

Fenred wrote:

Start looking for a new larger frame...Take note of the diameter of seat tube/bottom bracket, headtube length etc so you can keep your cost down, then just swap your bits over. My view is that even with a layback seat post and longer stem you'll still not be 100% happy with it and that'll niggle you....

I tend to agree.

NatoED

plugging for a longer stem with more rise will help you and handling shouldn't be effected to much . even try some flat bars so there is less sweep back .

mattrgee

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think its going to be best to upgrade the frame to a larger frame. However, that creates another problem. The head tube on the Rockrider is only 110mm with only one 5mm spacer. The majoirty of 20"+ frames I've seen have at least 120mm headtubes which means the fork is going to be too short

Are there any tricks/tips for getting round this problem? i.e. the steerer being too short?

Thanka again.

cooldad

Nope. New steerer will be almost as much as new forks.

lvquestpaddler

I think the frame looks too small. I agree that it would be best to take some sizes and start shopping for another frame. I did this when I changed to an Inbred and only needed a new BB. If it feels instinctively not right then as others have posted it will be an ongoing pain tweaking it and never being happy with it really.
I had this problem a few years back bought a Dawes galaxy tourer online from Spa cycles, which was the opposite turned out to be too big and the top tube length was making it murder to ride(fine on the legs but I've probably got a short torso- didn't know at the time the top tube length was more critical than C-T). I tried an adjustable stem, moving the seat, all the usual but in the end just ebayed it and put it down to experience....

lvquestpaddler

What is the effective top tube length on the bike now? On one have detailed geometry charts and the difference in this on the inbred 2generation from large to xl (18" to 20") is just 10mm less- but the head tube on the 18" is 105mm, and it's 120mm on the 20".
Surely if you got an 18" frame from them the forks would be ok still, and 10mm could be easily gained through a stem?
You would really need to measure your current bike to see how the new 602mm length would compare though, if the difference is minimal would probably be a waste of time.
I'm 5'7" and got a 16" Inbred. My inside leg though is 33" and the seatpost on this now projects a fair bit, but the reach to the bars is spot on(90mm stem)

02gf74

The Northern Monkey wrote:

I'm 6ft 2 and ride anything between 585mm to 605mm ish effective depending on the type of bike.

my mtb frames vary from 595 to 620 mm (virtual top tube measured horzntally frm cnetre of head tube to centre of seat post)

I am 6 ft 1 in tall.

If your frame,measured as described above, is 585, then that is going to be a Medium, not large.

mattrgee

lvquestpaddler wrote:

What is the effective top tube length on the bike now? On one have detailed geometry charts and the difference in this on the inbred 2generation from large to xl (18" to 20") is just 10mm less- but the head tube on the 18" is 105mm, and it's 120mm on the 20".
Surely if you got an 18" frame from them the forks would be ok still, and 10mm could be easily gained through a stem?
You would really need to measure your current bike to see how the new 602mm length would compare though, if the difference is minimal would probably be a waste of time.
I'm 5'7" and got a 16" Inbred. My inside leg though is 33" and the seatpost on this now projects a fair bit, but the reach to the bars is spot on(90mm stem)

Thanks lvquestpaddle that's not a bad idea, but unfortunately the Inbred large is only 7mm longer in the top tube than the current frame which is unlikely to be enough. Their XL on the other hand is 17mm longer in the top tube which is more like it. The head tube on the XL is only 10mm longer than the current frame so there's a chance it may work depending how many spacers are currently in use. I'll go and check in a bit!

I've spoken to On One and there is a new Inbred due out at the end of this month, hopefully the geometry won't change much as the current version is out of stock

lvquestpaddler

So it's 595 at the moment? And that's the effective "virtual" horizontal measurement not the actual top tube length(sorry, just checking).
If that's the case then that's the lower of the sizes posted by 02GF74? and he's 6'1"? Looking at the photo again and bearing this in mind the 20" On One would probably have to be the one, but I reckon you'd still be looking at a bigger stem with it maybe 110-20?
Good luck getting something that works for you :P