Hi Guys, hope your sundays been well!

I am about to jump in and buy a new 26″ hardtail, but given the dimensions of the frame on the website, I am still confused trying to find the best frame size. Purchasing online, I have no chance to try frame size and i know you guys are a wealth of knowledge

I have been a long time viewer of this forum, first time poster 🙂

I have measured 177.5cm (5 Feet, 9 7/8) tall with shoes, 82.5 inside leg and 182cm wingspan. The bike will be used for AM and but a majority of the time on light trails
Looking to also purchase 35mm stem and 760 wide bars and 150mm travel fork

There are 2 sizes I am confused with;

– 17.5″ (Medium)
Top tube length: 570cm
Seat length: 444.5cm
Wheel base: 1084cm

– 19″ (Large)
Top tube length: 590cm
Seat length: 482.6cm
Wheel base: 1104cm

Which of the two do you think would fit best given the type of riding and my height/wingspan ect?

Thankyou!

Can you post a link to the frame?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/fire-eye-hot-tail-hardtail-frame-2015/rp-prod118455#

Hi Devash, Found it on this website

Cheers just had a look at the geometry chart now. That frame has a really short effective top tube relative to the seat tube. If you weren’t planning on riding any significant mileage and were just going to use the bike as a play bike / park bike / jump bike then I’d say the medium would be the one to go for.

If you want a do-it-all bike for general riding, full days out, putting in the mileage then the medium with a short stem would be way too small. The large with a 35mm stem would be perfect but you might have some standover issues i.e. the top tube might be uncomfortably close to the family jewels when standing over the frame.

If you’re looking for a cheap long travel 26″ frame then something like an On One 456 might be another option;

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/ZXSTEEL456EVO/on-one-456-evo2-steel-pick-n-mix-bundle

What bike, size & geometry are you currently riding? What attributes do you want from the new frame. Shirley your current ride is your benchmark to guide you.

Thankyou for the prompt reply and reccomendaton, The One One looks awesome, but really due to budget constraints i’d probably still go with the Fireeye

I’d say average rides should last 2-3 hours, i’m looking for something to have fun on and not so much a touring style bike. Do you think a medium frame with 35mm stem would suit? or would i be better off with a large frame and 35mm/medium with 50mm stem

Really appreciate the help

Qwerty, I have only ever ridden BMX’s, this is my first mountain bike purchase so i really have no idea what im doing haha

What parts have you already got for the build?

Purely going on your height i’d say the medium would be the better fit but with a slightly longer stem. No need for a 35mm stem on such a short frame IMO.

No parts yet, once I select the correct frame i will build around it but i have decided on 150mm travel fork and 26″ wheels aswell 🙂

Would you suggest a 50mm stem? and in your opinion would it slow down responsiveness of the steering? I’ve done a bit of reading and have read moving to a longer stem does that

In the grand scheme of things 50mm is still a short stem. I wouldn’t be worried about it slowing down the handling especially being your 1st mtb, plus you could always find a cheap 2nd hand stem at a later date if you want to test it out.

I’m 6ft and have an Enduro in med (17.5ish) with a 50mm stem and a Meta ht in large (19ish) with a 35mm stem, both fit nicely and handle great.

A shorter stem does speed up the responsivness it can also make a bike a bit more sensitive especially at low speed. 50mm is a normal length stem 35mm is quite short. 35mm stem on on technical climbs means the front wheel moves around a lot unless you work hard.

If you haven’t got parts then that on one is still is cheap because it is a bundle includes a lot of stuff.

Roughly about £100 of stuff with it

headset £20
Saddle £20
Bar £20
stem £20
Seatpost £15
Seat clamp £5
Grips £5

I’d rather get it right the first time, thats true didnt notice that package included everything! Would you happen to know the recommended fork travel? and size? closest offered was an 18″

Sorry for all the questions, just reading up on the topic i feel didnt gave me enough to properly fit myself on a bike

Yes it is 26, decent reputation considering the price point the 456 stands for 140 , 150 or 160 so 150 fork would be perfect.

I thought it was 4″, 5″, 6″ ie 100mm to 150mm

Hi Burton72,

I love a long forked HT of the kind you’re looking at, great for getting into MTB-ing, they really can do it all.

26 inch wheels are a good choice, at the moment 26 inch wheelsets are cheap from Superstar in both their custom packages and pre-built sets and 26 inch tyres are cheap at the moment too…the frame you linked to can also take 27.5 wheels if you decide to upgrade later on and with 26 inch wheels in there you’ll have masses of clearance for big tyres and muddy days.

The frame you linked to is versatile in that it can take an older style 1-1/8 steerer and also a more modern 1-1/2 tapered steerer, the back end looks like it can take a 10mm screw through axle too if you find a rear hub that takes a 10mm fitting, the seat tube is large enough to give you the full range of dropper posts out there.

In your price range dont discount the On-One 456-evo-2, i had the 456-evo and it was great…that bundle of saddle, grips, headset etc will save you about £100 over buying the Fire-eye and then buying all the bits separately…only thing is that the 456 limits you to older style 1-1/8 steerers but the RockShox Sektor still comes with a straight steerer and is a great fork in your budget.

Also look at the Dartmoor Hornet on Slam69’s website, it is similar to the Fire-eye you linked to but made from aluminium, it’s maybe £30 more and also takes 26 and 27.5 wheels, you may feel the lighter weight of aluminium is worth slightly more money over the steel Fire-eye.

Ebay is worth looking at, obviously if you want new then discount that suggestion but quality long forked HT frames like the Dialled Alpine, Cotic BFE, various Ragleys, Stanton Slacklines etc all come up from time to time and with steel the frames are resilient to crashes and can genuinely last a lifetime so second hand buys are about as ‘safe’ as used frames can be.

Now, back to your original question re. sizing…at your height (i’m pretty close at 5ft 9ins) i’d always get the medium, my HTs have always been 16-18 inches and for the kind of riding i like doing it gives me confidence that the top tube wont smash me in the plums and that i can get my weight all over the bike to help out any way i can, you’ll find your body language becomes far more exaggerated on a HT than on full suspension.

I have run a 16 inch HT with very short 35mm stem but it was only for one weekend of DH racing, for everyday use it shortened the bike too much and would be cramped on normal trails, i also have a 50mm stem that gives the bike the room necessary for more comfortable all day riding.

At your height i’d get the 17.5 one and buy two stems, one of 40mm and one of 60mm and swap between the two depending on whether you’re riding trails all day (60mm) or on an uplift day (40mm)….your bar width is fine, some people like narrower and others wider still….i have some Renthal-lites at 740mm that i tend to use on all day rides (with longer stem) and some Funn Full-ons at 780mm that i put on for gravity type stuff (with 35mm stem).

Fork length is subjective too, i’ve had 150mm forks on a couple of HTs and didnt like it, some people love it and some on here have gone even longer at 160mm!….each to their own, the sweet spot for me seems to be 140mm.

Choose your forks wisely, if you go for coil spring forks it is usually really easy to vary length simply by changing springs, i’ve done this on my Sektors. Some manufacturers like X-Fusion also build into their forks the ability to dismantle them and change the length internally….this is different to some forks that allow the height to be changed while riding externally, these are generally referred to as dual position and unless the performance of said forks has improved in recent years they tend to be not quite as good as fixed length forks….in my opinion anyway.

Anyway, back to the frame (again)…from an aesthetic point of view the 19 inch frame will look like a gate….yuck.
Part of the appeal of HTs is their simplicity and inherent beauty, the 17.5 one will look great.
Also think about how much clearance you’ll want when dropping the saddle for rough stuff, the bigger frame may not allow you to get the seat down and out of the way enough but the medium almost certainly will.

If the medium Fire-eye was a 16 and the large Fire-eye had been an 18 inch frame then i would have suggested you go for the larger size as you’re knocking on the door of being 5ft 10ins but with the medium at 17.5 i reckon its a safe bet for you to buy the medium and be comfortable on it….the caveat being that you may have to ditch the idea of a 35mm stem and go for 40-45mm instead.

Be sure to post up pics when its built!

I’m 5ft 9in and ride a medium in all the makes I’ve had,Spesh,Evil,Saracen,Dartmoor,Kona,Titus.My On One 456 is a 16inch with a 50m mm stem.If you are in the North West then you are welcome to try mine for size. I also have a couple of sets of decent 26 inch wheels(Hope Hubs,Mavic rims)and a 150mm Rockshox coil fork going and some Avid brakes if you’re interested.Email in profile

Thank you for the responses! the hospitality is great here

@Deviant, you’ve convinced me to get the 17.5, and a 40mm stem to start! Having found a decent stem for a cheap price, will consider the 60mm after I learn how to ride a MTB properly haha

Are the Coil Sektors any good in your opinion? they’re the ones i’m planning to purchase as well, looking for something that will need low maintenance, cant have everything i guess

Will definitely post pics when built, thanks again for the help 🙂

@Nick1962, Thanks for the offer! sounds like a fun bike, sadly im in Australia.. just browsing from a land far away haha

Great advice from Deviant. I’d be doing the same, the 17.5″ frame and a couple of stems to try.

I’m 5’10” TT on mine (different bike but you get the idea) is 580mm and using a 50mm stem. You’d get that 19″ to fit you, but it would be close on standover. and a too big bike will always feel “too big” If you get what I mean