[Closed] Help with bike size PLEASE!!!

I'd say for your height the 15" would be borderline too small, though it's difficult to say without seeing you on it.

Most of the bikes I've sold to people about your height (I worked in a Specialized dealer until a month ago) have been 16/17" models. While a smaller bike will handle better to an extent (it makes it easier to move the bike around on descents) when it's too small your movement is restricted and it can hurt your back.

My girlfriend is 5'4" and used to ride a 17" Specialized Myka, and I'd say (with this being a woman's bike) that she looked about right on it. She currently rides size small Giants.

The best thing to do is go to a decent local bike shop, somewhere small and with interested staff, and ask them to have a look at you on it. If it's to small (which it probably is) then they'll at least let you sit on other sizes and possibly ride them up and down the street to see how they feel.

Some bike shops do trade ins, but you'll be better off selling yours second hand. If you're new to riding I'd say it makes sense to take the hit and replace it with a new bike from a shop- having a shop there to look after you will help when things go wrong (which they will- your gears will go out of line quite quickly on a new bike and so on). You may lose £50-£100 but it'll be worth it in terms of servicing and possible future discounts if you get into it.

Also, at your height, don't be talked into a women's specific bike if you don't like the look of it. You should be happy on either a men's or women's bike. However the women's bike will have softer suspension, brake levers closer to the bars and a different position which may be of benefit to you. But get whichever FEELS best.

Hope that helps.

Hi I am a 168cm female and I have a 15" hardrock

I'd find a local shop that do proper bike fitting - this sort of thing [url= http://cyclefit.co.uk/cyclefitting ]http://cyclefit.co.uk/cyclefitting[/url]. It'll probably cost £50 - £100 but could save you a lot of money and shops will often take the price off a bike you buy from hem.

It'll give you a start point for looking at your current bike setup and any future purchases.

As above, don't get hung up on female specific stuff.

My wife is about your height, she started off with a 16" blokes Kona, and has had several mens bikes since. Last mtb she had the choice of mens small or female medium frames, and she chose the mens as she finds most female specific frames too short.

She has just bought her first women specific bike, but its a road bike so a little different.

effective top tube length is a much better measure of a bikes size than the frame size. look at the geometry pages and compare the ETT (also called top tube - horizontal)

http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=62179&scid=1100&scname=Mountain

😀

It's a tough one to call, but I've been there myself with an otherwise excellent frame that was a smidge too short and I've not regretted sizing up.

A decent bike shop will let you have a test bike for a decent ride so that you can get a proper feel for it. Trek and Kona have a wide variety of sizes too so you can fine tune the fit, but as others have said don't be afraid to try mens' frames out. Better to have to fit a short stem to a frame that's ever so slightly too long and reap the rewards of more positive steering than to have to fit a longer stem onto a frame that's slightly too short for you and upset the handling.

You might also give Specialized a call and explain the situation to their customer service dept - they might offer you a deal on a larger Hardrock frame. Marin offered to do this with me when I had a similar issule.

[i]everyone recommeds going for smaller sizes for better handling[/i]

I think this is, to an extent, b0ll0cks, and it's a mistake I've made in the past. You get the best handling from a bike that fits you. The fact that your seatpost is maxed out suggests that the frame is too small.

FWIW, my other half is about the same height as you and has a 17" Cube. Fits her perfectly.

I would recommend borrowing another bike to try first.

You could also try pushing the seat back and putting a longer stem, but it sounds too small. 15 Women's hardrocks are quite short

My wife is the same height and recently changed from an 04 15" Rockhopper to a 16" Men's Kona Steely. It's about 3 inches longer and puts here in a much better position. However, it really depends on the relative length of your arm's, body, legs etc, which is why it's important to try a few different bikes first.

Hey Leila, all good advice up there ^^^^. But just to reiterate - at your height you don't need women specific, just something that fits. Sizing is so variable between manufacturers that you really do need to go into shops and sit on stuff - bearing in mind that geometry will affect how the bike feels for you and stem length and seat (post) position will all be variables that you can fiddle with to get it right. But yes 15" is probably too small for you, whereas 16/17" bikes would probably be better. I'm 5'4" and have always ridden stock 'smalls' which are generally around 16" but for e.g. I have 14" inbreds - as the top tubes are longer. Bike geometry has changed a lot since I first started riding but I still find effective top tube and standover measurements a useful guide when sizing.

Thanks everyone!! Wow its really useful having a forum to put questions too! No doubt there will be more questions! 🙂

Leila

She currently rides size small Giants.

Hi I am a 168cm female and I have a 15" hardrock
Not what I originally read!

Too much 😆