big or small

It would serve you better to take the time to find a bike shop or three that has your bike in stock so you can try it for size. The experts will be along shortly with lots of advice

If you really have to have it, and you can't try one, then slightly too small is better than slightly too large. Maybe a different make/model might suit you better

rally200 wrote:

If you really have to have it, and you can't try one, then slightly too small is better than slightly too large. Maybe a different make/model might suit you better

Agreed. My current ride is supposed to be a bit too small for me, but i've tried a bit bigger and i feel too stretchted out.

snig wrote:

is it better to error on the side of big is better whenpicking what size of bike to get?

I'm buying a cannondale bad boy ss online so cant try,their web site does not have any help apart from saying it is imprtant to get it right and try before you buy(which sounds like good advice but I'm not able too) and it only seems to list the sizes as s m l x but not what sizes they are?
I;m just about 6^ and in side leg 32 and on a few other sites I've checkon this seems to be dead in the middle of L or XL so not sure which way to go as my last bike the handle bars wouldnt adjust so I need to get it right this time. cheers for any help

The inside leg measurement was a whole lot more important when bikes had horizontal top tubes. Modern bikes are almost always built with a sloping top tube that relegates the old seat tube measurement a good deal less important, hence they use Small Medium and Large rather then quoting semi-meaningless numbers.
The catch is every bike is different, depending on the rest of it's geometry. You might find you need a Large on one model and an XL on another, yet a Medium on a third. The best way to see what size you need to is sit on one and see.

If you have to only use one measurement, then the virtual top tube length (not the real one either) is the one you should go with. You can always raise or lower the saddle to suit your legs (within reason) since there is no top tube sitting there to straddle. Where the handlebars are in relation to the pedals is less flexible.

Go get properly measured. I didn't realise how many of the little aches and pains I used to get were from bikes that were not right, never regretted it.

I reckon there's more you can do to make a bike a bit bigger than there is to make it a bit smaller.