[Closed] 5 ft 6 bloke (yep im tiny) 14.5" or 16" frame?

a mate of mine is the same height as you and he rides the small (womens) 2011 anthem with fw inches out of the post and a 60mm stem.

i'm 5ft 5 (and a quarter 😉 although i haven't ridden a trance my 10 anthem x2 was a small.didn't have any problems riding it 🙂

I'm 5"8 ish, inside leg about 30", riding an 18" chameleon with a 100mm stem (would prefer a shorter one) and about 9" of seatpost sticking out.

14.5" would be ridiculous.

islabike? 😆

sorry!

Another vote for 16" tbh as the missus is about 5ft 1" and rides a 15" specialized rockhopper with a decent amount of seat post showing.

tbh though you need to go try one.

16" would probably be alright. I'm 5'9" with a 29" inside leg and find a 16" good but maybe a bit short on the TT, and I also have loads of post out of the frame. So for your height probably ideal. But would be worth having a go on one if you can..

yeah i tried a 16" and loved it, just saw a great priced 14.5" but turns out its not a trance x after all.

Cheers though guys. The search continues.

worth just trying them. Different bikes size up very differently - I'm 6'3 and ride a 16.5" Wildcard. Very long toptube on them so it fits me perfectly

I'm 5"8 ish, inside leg about 30", riding an 18" chameleon with a 100mm stem (would prefer a shorter one) and about 9" of seatpost sticking out.

maths disagrees with this. assuming your saddle gives you 2" of extra height, and your shoes have a 1" sole the only way this would work is if you were riding along with 50mm cranks!

My mate's missus is about 5'4" (sorry ladies keep getting used in your height comparisons) and rides an XS Trance, the sizing looks spot on for her, small enough to drop the saddle for descents, enough room in the cockpit for climbing etc. I would guess the small (16" would be ideal for you, but without trying it you won't know for sure. It also depends on how/what you like to ride. It's generally easier to make a frame that is too small more comfortable

If you don't go for the Giant, be aware The difference between brands is vast, it's not all about seat tube length, more about top tube length and angles. You don't really want to be changing the stem length drastically to make a bike fit, only if you want to change the handling / intended riding style.

I'm a smidge over 5ft7 and had a 16" Anthem X which had loads of seatpost out and felt spot on but I could have ridden a medium 18" fine (now riding a medium 18.5" framed bike). The 16" felt small for it's size I thought - I had to put a layback seatpost on it. I think the Trance sizing is similar to the Anthem X.

Try a 16" and don't worry too much about the amount of standover (I've got almost none on my bike) as you don't get as much on a trail bike. I suspect the 14.5 would feel cramped on climbs.

I am roughly the same size .I think it varies on the bike and particularly the length of the top tube. What I find is that because I have a long body and short legs I can feel cramped on a small bike with restricted cockpit area. I ride a 16 " orange 5 which suits me fine but I think you have to test ride a bike and get the feel of it to really know .hope that helps , Mart

I'm 5'9" with 30" inside leg and ride a 18" Trance.

Be aware the top tube is relatively short (at least on the 18") so the 16" may be better on these grounds especially if your body/arms are relatively long.

Alternatively, because of the bend in the seat tube, the post won't drop all the way down, probably less on smaller frames as the pivot point will be closer to the top of the seat tube. Check this when you try different sizes.

It is a cracking bike though!

I always prefer a smaller frame. Being 5'11" and riding a small BFe... (16")

5 10 on a medium trance x with 50mm stem.

5ft7" here and ride a medium Anthem X with lots of seatpost and the stock 90mm (I think) stem. Sizing is spot on, but I like quite a stretched out ride.

I think you'll be fine on the small, but since every man and his dog sells Giant, you really have no excuse for not riding one round the shop car park. Enjoy.

I'm the same height as you, but stumpy - short legs and arms with a long back. I've never had a frame that was too small...
So I would go for the smallest size you can get.

I would go for the smaller frame too. 5'7" and a bit.

5ft5 and a half me - small cotic soul with quite a lot of seatpost showing - is perfect, wouldn't want to go smaller or larger.

5'6" here with a 29" inside leg
I ride a 16" Ragley Blue pig with a 50 or 60mm stem and plenty of seatpost showing....

GF is 5'1" and rides an XS Giant XTC, I can ride it, but its like a BMX for me

5'6" here. My first real bike was a 15" rockhopper and it felt too small no matter what I did - longer stem, layback post, nothing made it feel right. Then got a medium stumpy and all was good.

These days I'm on a 16" Orange Five <ducks> and a small (16") Soul and they both feel just right.

Can you get a demo of each size?

I've been on 15.5 and 16 every time. I've gone for a 16" this time and it feels just right.

I think I tricked myself that 14.5 was ok because a frame was cheap.

I'm a similar height with a 29" inside leg. One bike is a 15" one a 16". I'd go on the virtual top tube length myself if I were between sizes. I've an old Marin East Peak that's 17.5 because when I tried the 15.5 it felt too short even though they came with 120 stems back then. the frame design meant no standover issues.

I'm 5ft7 and all my bikes have been 16" C-T and around 13" to 14" C-C and I've always needed a 410mm post to get the right height.

I have always paid more attention to the top tube length though to be honest.

With a 22.5" effective top tube, I have run with a 90mm stem and with a 23" effective top tube, I've found that a 70mm is around about right.

Im 5"6 with a 29 inside leg and i ride a small or 16"frame .
have a titus and maxlight in small(16) for sale if ur after a complete bike ?