So I finally hit buy on a new bike. I followed advice off here and elsewhere size wise as I was right on the cusp of med/lge. However after a quick pavement spin tonight it feels big when trying to manual it. I did a few random measurement checks such as distance between the bars and bottom bracket and bars to seat clamp and they are very similar. However the bars on the new bike are 760 wide as opposed to 660 wide. I rode the old girl for 5 years so is it just a case of getting to know the new bike?
Probably worrying too much, sounds like quite a different set up. Presume same wheel size?
Yup. Sounds like it. 🙂
Just ride it.
What bike is it?
What feels too big? Wider bars at a given stem length will give you more reach. Shortening the stem should bring the feel in but may make the bike a bit more twitchy - this is currently quite a popular setup.
Size is a bit of a tricky one for mountainbikes. As you head for more pedally things then efficiency and therfore traditional bike fit becomes more important, but if your interests are more trail/gravity/singletrack then you may go smaller by habit as many do.
Before you start changing things, do you have an option to return and think again on size?
Test ride, I assume? 😉
I've gone to the dark side that is 650b or whatever it's called now. Not through any fad choice as I was also looking at 26 ers. Nukeproof tr, couldn't find one anywhere to test so plumped for crc and the bargain. Now I can send it back at a cost of 25 quid. The stem is definitely shorter than my original on on the spesh I was riding. Several reviews I read said the bike came in quite small sizing wise.
I do actually trust the opinions (sometimes) on here so before I hit the woods just after a few opinions.
Chop the bars down a bit?
Maybe move the controls in first, along with the grips and see if it feels better at, say for eg 740mm, before cutting them down.
You can always try shorter stems and wider bars do have an impact too.
I've got a mega am in large and am only 5'7 - they do come up pretty small.
Thanks steveh, real world user makes me feel happier , I probably did right then as I'm just short of 5'11".
I had thought about cutting the bars down actually, on mentioning this to mrsws, her stare nearly melted the ****ing tyres! Time to get it dirty and learn to ride it I reckon!
New bike time for me soon, riding a 10yr old Kona. Think new 650b will be a tad different 8O. Wheels on the ground rider so not worried about whether I/it manuals one way or 'tother 😉
5ft7 on a large! Blimey. I'm also 5ft11 and have a medium AM (26in tho so sizing might have changed for 650B). I also have pretty short legs (31inch)
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/13924809195_33dd692d33_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/13924809195_33dd692d33_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/nduhDa ]Mega[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/60876362@N00/ ]Alex Leigh[/url], on Flickr
As you can see I run quite a lot of post (and that's a 150mm dropper) but since I bought the bike mainly for alps/uplift I went with the smaller one. But I've used it as a trail bike and it's absolutely fine in those dimensions. Personally I wouldn't have wanted a large.
Not sure if that helps or hinders!
So I've been out for another pavement pootle this morning and I just think its a very different bike. Did some further random measurements and my chest is actually closer to the stem than on the old one. The actual wheelbase is 30 mm different but the "bigger" wheels make it longer overall. I now definitely think I'm reading too much into this and just need to get out on it!
I now definitely think I'm reading too much into this and just need to get out on it!
I think you've answered your own question.
Sounds like you're comparing apples and oranges.Of course the new bike will feel wrong, it's different, get used to it.
Ps im on a large mega tr and a hair shorter than you.
At that height its always going to be a tough call size wise. I'm a short 6ft and over the years I've ridden anything from a 16 to a 20. Although the 20 was definitely too big for mtbing, it would have been fine for road work.
These days I'm generally riding large size bikes. Both my MTBs are equivalent to 19", but I'm riding more technical terrain than ever before. This would seem to be against conventional wisdom but IMO it's all about front-centre, stand over and BB drop.
[i]I'm a short 6ft[/i]
i.e 5'10" 😉
182cm
changing your units of measurement mid-thread won't help 🙂
short stem and wider bars are the way to go, much more control 🙂
I was trying to avoid saying 5ft 11 and 2/3 of an inch and sounding like an eight year old, but there, you made me. 😉
My current bike is 10 years old with 680mm bars and when I was demoing bikes all this summer, it was really strange to jump onto 780mm bars and that not be the defining characteristic!
However, I did 3 demos in a row last month without riding my bike in between. Then jumping on mine was [i]really[/i] odd!
How long is your stem?
If it's 50 or 60mm then if, after a while you still think it's too long, you can always drop to a 35mm.
As long as the seat mast isn't too high for a 5" dropper, they you'll probably be fine.
Just to compare. If your tt is 610mm, that's 10mm shorter than the Bird Aeris Medium, but also 25mm longer than the SC Solo Medium - lots of variance!
Whow whow whow, new bike thread and no photo. Have you not broken some kind of rule. The least you could do is post a photo of your garden to critique.
Reckon it's new bike jitters. I've had it on almost every bike I've purchased. Get it dirty.
5ft 11 and 2/3 of an inch
0.995188101 fathoms
Ah 1.069 smoot.
Just ride it, give it a few rides and then see if you need to change anything. It's too tempting to get on a new bike and change stem, bars etc because it feels different. If it didn't feel different then you might as well have kept the old one.