How to Choose the Correct Bike Size!

[@Onigure]

Get 4 bikefits, get 4 diferent opinions.

[@DaveCM]

Truth!

[@medtxastratospore5729]

A Wiseman once said "get a bike fit" or something.

[@glennoc8585]

Another fit that's sometimes overlooked is the longer higher fit, think a moderately extended endurance fit. I've found it's worked for me as I have the normal arm length but a long torso to the average.

[@treyquattro]

great info, especially the parts about abilities, history, and accidents! Those things aren't typically taken into account by retail bike fits in my experience.

[@schrodingerthecat]

Great video! Thanks for this - I, like many, have trouble sizing myself with the online sizing charts. Personally, my issue is that I have long arms as a shorter person, so I don't fit right on the smaller frames. I have changed out stems for longer ones to get the proper reach feel. The biggest difference was on long rides I have noticed my neck, back, and arms are all not hurting, that's when I knew I was in a proper posture. I also went to narrower handlebars which helped with should fatigue a lot.

[@JourdainColeman]

Thanks for sharing! Hopefully you have found a position that works well for you

[@EBR846]

I've yet to find a fairly comprehensive and thorough video on all the basics of bike sizing/ positioning of a person on a bike. I was already aware of some of the differences (like noted by Romain) based on ratios of a person's inseam:height or wingspan, flexibility, riding goals/preferences and they are all relevant and important bits of info. I'm not racing/nor do I want to at this point. I've found enough sources that suggest how to find saddle height. What I haven't seen enough of are people with credibility talk about bend of the arm at the elbow and it's kind of disappointing and surprising but actually not that surprising in this age where people maybe don't have enough income as in the past and the market has a shorter attention span/less freetime. I'm beginning to see that KZbin for a lot of people is a source of income; in some cases even a primary source of income and are trying to please the algorithm/get views and are not going to be quite comprehensive (not every video needs to be comprehensive thorough but I'm having a hard time finding even just ONE on KZbin). Same way reviews to me are not as credible as much as before with a conflict of interest where if you click on a link in the video description on KZbin, the channel owner takes a small cut of the sale from Amazon. I've some idea of the appropriate bend but some "wise" person on KZbin might think "look for pictures on the internet." To that I say: How am I to know that what I see is in a recommended range of arm bend just by looking at a picture or video of someone riding? That's not giving me much to go off of other than assuming they are riding correctly. I don't need to watch a bike race for reference (I'm not looking for a road racing bike) and know such a rider will be on a racing bike and likely a position that has their arms bent at a sharper/smaller angle. It's very time consuming to go through all these videos and oftentimes I'm watching some of the same basic info I don't need to watch anymore. For example, I feel confident that saddle height info is likely credible info based on a number of people saying so by now and that facet makes plenty of sense. Anyone has any good recommendations on some good sources for bike sizing, let me know. I need a bit more than what I've found so far.

[@basengelblik5199]

Me too

[@Bodkin_Ye_Pointy]

You guys have pretty much confirmed what it took me ten years to realise. My frame is too small. Though I am only 165cm and was put on a small frame by the bike shop. It resulted in me getting a sore neck, not being able to peddle on the drops because I am likely to knee myself in the chin, and my knee being slightly higher than my hip when the peddle reaches the top of its arc. A real pain when climbing hills. What is really annoying was the technician that set the bike up for me had the rear wheel on a mount and the front wheel on the floor meaning his set up was way out and he did not notice the issues above.

[@MSM5500]

WTF are you talking about??? Every contemporary bike has got a bunch of freedoms to adjust in each component. A saddle for instance has got 3 freedoms of adjustment such as forward/backward, up/down & tilt. If you're not happy with a particular seat then get another one. The same about a handle bar which can be either risen or dropped. If it's to far away/too close then just change the stem , that's it. A bad technician??? I've been capable to hold a wrench in my hand since 3 years old. Just make an effort to setup you bike on your own as it's not a rocket science at all.

[@bookle5829]

​@@MSM5500 Yeah. I thought a small frame means fixing this is easy. Get longer stem or one that's angled, adjust the seat, all that. Something you can't do on a larger frame.

[@nicokop7078]

Nice advice, i think i need a slightly narrower handlebar🤔

[@JourdainColeman]

Give it a try and see how you get on 👍🏽

[@jakou31]

1:20 i'm French and i recognize his accent ^^

[@getabikefit]

ha bon?! un francais ici?! 🤣

[@christerlundgren3805]

📹 Is very helpful to get on top off problems and issues during a bikefit. Shot from rear, side and if possible from above. Rolling on the saddle, twistin upperbody, back is bent, neck looks like a compressed hook, cleet position and other stuff.... Not many has same lenght in arms and legs at the same heght. The pedalstroke as fluid as possible, breathing without restraint and relaxed position on the bike can be fiddly. Took me quite a while

[@ziyanide]

What I am always wondering and what was never answered in all the videos I've watched is: what about everything that is behind or infront of the reach measurement? Reach does not account for head tube and seat tube angles. I remeber someone mentioning as a rule of thumb 1 degree stepeer seat tube shortens reach by 20 mm or so. So how come everyone is SO focused on reach and stack? Effective top tube length (horizontal line from head tube until imaginary extension of seat tube) seems to be a far superior measurement or am I worng? Please correct me becuase as Romain correctly said, geometry charts (and everything geometry related) are sometimes hard to read/interpret😅

[@JourdainColeman]

Yeah, the geometry charts are simply the frame, how that relates in the real world once the bike is built with different seats, bars, stems etc is a different story. With Romain, the measurements he takes are all from specific points which can be transfered to any bike. You get a long list of measurements at the end of the bike fit. These measurements are the perfect measurements for you... then you just need to replicate this on you next bike as best you can. 👍🏽

[@basengelblik5199]

​@@JourdainColemanYou are still forgetting that reach doesn't take the seat tube angle into account. Horizontal top tube is a much better compareable measurement. This was really poor advise.

[@garysladek9110]

Solid advice, Cheers.

[@JourdainColeman]

Glad it was helpful!

[@michaellynn9763]

I have a 58cm BMC but not one metric out of the smoker’s board of numbers they provide is 58cm! At 6 feet 3, I have very long legs and short arms, which assuming the seat is at the correct height, causes issues when trying to reach the hoods. I reduced the stem by 2cm and OMG…the difference is night and day. I would suggest that when comparing two frames, assuming that the top tube is very similar in both sizes, go for the larger size, which will reduce the drop between the nose of the seat and the handlebars.

[@glennoc8585]

You could probably get away with a 56cm if your arms are short and you torso is average to your height. Ideally a 57 too tube frame would get you into the right ballpark with a 11 or 12cm stem.

[@MTBScotland]

Going to disagree with the reach comment. Reach is important for standing up. stem length, height of bar, seat post length, seat angle will affect the position sitting.

[@basengelblik5199]

Exactly my point

[@Daniel01_B]

So, people with longer legs and a short torso should take the smaller frame right? That's where bike fitters are telling me completely different things. One person told me, I should aim for a bigger frame due to a taller head tube, another bike fitter told me, to take the smaller frame due to a smaller top tube and reach. People on the internet are also telling me completely different things. What's your advice for Long legs/ short torso and arms cyclists? Size down or up when inbetween sizes?

[@TheRealMaxDrax]

Are you looking at endurance bikes, road race bike, aero bikes, gravel race bikes? Each category from each company has different geometry so there can't be one answer. Generally you would need a shorter reach. The higher your seat is, the lower the stack will effectively be for you. Try out a few bikes if you can't get a bike fit.

[@basengelblik5199]

Long legs short torso here ... I take a normal size frame and shorten the stem from 110/120mm back to 80mm. This usually works fine. Taking a smaller frame you should take an endurance frame or gravel bike which has a higher stack/headtube. I have now decided to go for a custom frame which has a higher stack/headtube and a steeper seat post to avoid me hanging to far over the rear wheel. This also makes it feel like a better climbing bike for me.

[@jesseschenendorf2896]

How would your recommend accounting for stem length? I ask as I put a longer stem on my bike so when I look for a new one would I add the increased length of the stem to the manufacturer reported reach?

[@getabikefit]

As an easy anser, yes. BUT it is not that simple. head tube angle, stack and spacers will impact the reach so it is a simple has adding a section of the stem to the reach of the frame. It gives you an idea and should get you near but it may still need some adjustment. handlebar size, orientation and shifters' position also impact the overall reach.

[@CruiseLifeASMR]

Have you ever heard of measuring the inseam then taking is (in cm) and multiplying it by .9 then + 16 to 19 for their stack?

[@Czechbound]

I sat on a Medium Triban RC 520. I left like I was perched "on top" of the bike. I tried the L, and felt more 'part' of the bike. I'm 178. The L is supposed to be for heights 180 to 188. TBH, it feels fine, but I guess it's just too big maybe. Oh well ... goodbye knees ?

[@easonwuc]

thanks. great video.

[@swiss_2k]

".... if you are between sizes its better to go for the smaller" - that was the cue for me )))))))

[@Suadetimbs]

can you cut track bike frame?

[@M3GRSD]

I accidentally bought the wrong size handlebar width that my fitter suggested (42cm vs 40cm) Now I have to go through the hassle of ordering the right size, re-bleeding the hydro disc brakes, and re-taping the bars 😑

[@mlee6050]

Maybe you learnt from that mistake always fit often just handle bars and levers without doing gears or brakes if got a trainer at home as can test it without having issues on retape and sort brake and gears

[@JourdainColeman]

Hopefully you managed to get this sorted!

[@monkmchorning]

I've never bought a bike without replacing the handlebar, stem. And saddle. It just comes with the territory. Only now it got more expensive.

[@DannerPlace]

Summary: It depends on many variables in both the rider and the bike.

[@Fletchlie]

I'm looking at a new bike on offer right now. Only thing is it is the next size up. Seat tube length is 25mm bigger, head tube length is 15mm bigger, seat post angle is 5° greater also.. but the top tube is 5mm shorter. I'm wondering if I'd still achieve a good reach on it. It's too far to travel to try it out. What do you think, it's not massively far out from my old one and I'm thinking the shorter top tube would compensate somewhat for the specs that are bigger?

[@tonygenovese6239]

I think find the bike you like for the riding your doing and price range then get the fit because the more spend on a bike the more measurements play a factor …

[@JFomo]

Is there a way to estimate Reach by measuring from my hip to my hands if I hold my arms above my head?

[@michaellynn9763]

The reach will be approximately correct if you hinge from your hips when holding your arms out completely horizontally; if your palms land on the hood, it is expected to be within tolerance.

[@JourdainColeman]

Have a watch of my full bike fit with Romain, that should help you understand the "correct" reach so to speak - kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5-qhH95bqunhKs

[@Speedy.V]

What if i want to get a smaller frame to get a longer seatpost hight for added flex while riding gravel. Is that something that you would recommend?

[@markusseppala6547]

I think it's better to find a frame that fits large enough tires, they give much more comfort.

[@mlee6050]

Carbon seatpost soak a bit comfort but always aim 28 or 32 or so on tyre size, the wider the better as can lower tyre pressure for even more comfort

[@JourdainColeman]

I would say get a frame that fits you correctly and then look at the tires for comfort (as others have suggested). Being in the perfect position is the thing that will make you most comfortable, then go form there.

[@medtxastratospore5729]

This should not apply for pro who is willing to get used to uncomfortable positions for performance gain.

[@edgarmenezes8957]

Just sit on the bike and test ride it If it feels good go for it , damn everything.

[@kalijasin]

You Forgot wheel size. Wheels can make a bike shorter or taller.

[@monkmchorning]

Wheel size doesn't affect cockpit dimensions.

[@007kggaming2]

Please help me to get my bike size...?? My height is 168cm

[@anthonyduncalf-uk]

I'm 168cm in height most size charts say Small but if you want a more aero position XS or even XXS (44-46) will fit. I ride XXS with a 49cm top tube and it's fine. One company Argon18 recommend XXS (44-46) for my height and leg length and after not being able to get the reach close enough on a XS or Small frame I took their advice and it's great. Everyone's body proportions are different though.

[@GOLTEB]

Choose 1 size smaller on what the bike manufacturer recommends

[@einmesh]

I am in the pity of having long long legs and a short upper body, it's a real problem, sometimes also for the aesthetics

[@bobwilliamson5574]

Can i get a frame fit for my Brompton ?

[@basengelblik5199]

Reach is misguiding. Very poor advise here. Let me explain. When your seat tube angle changes by 1 degree your actual reach increases about 2-3cm. Horizontal top tube length is a much better indicator.

[@Johnwis-gp9yy]

Best comment here. Effective top tube, seatpost angle in combination with headtube angle are more important in my opinion. most people use at lease 2 cm spacers under the stem which also shortens reach, especially on endurance geo

[@vg3222]

Is that an SL8….?! 😂

[@mlee6050]

My light weight road bike is a 56cm as I'm 177.8cm and inseam is 84cm (unsure if should measure with or without shoes on for these) Looking at Trek Emonda ALR Disc is 54cm good still? Can't quite get in drops on 56cm but hard to get white era paint job now unless 54cm and below or 58cm and above

[@malanthrope]

too small is always better than too large

[@JourdainColeman]

Agreed!

[@MatthewAdamAda]

I learned this from going with Large over Medium specialized

[@seanmccuen6970]

this comment should be pinned.

[@cielle6825]

Not everyone can afford bikefit...

[@techguy9023]

Go to a shop and try several. Go to other shops. Don’t decide based on one experience

[@seanmccuen6970]

frame sizing- go smaller instead of bigger. duh...

[@techguy9023]

Knees almost hit. Raise the handlebar?

[@DaveCM]

Just do what I did. Pick a world tour pro that is fast and the same hight. Buy the size they ride and replicate their position. Just kidding of course.

[@JourdainColeman]

🤣🤣

[@monkmchorning]

That's what I did 45 years ago. My model was Eddy Merckx--about 6 feet, long arms and legs. I finally got comfortable. It was different then.

[@MSM5500]

But the reality is that you'll end up choosing from XS, S, L, XL anyways . No one is going to craft a unique bike for your purpose for the price that the most people are ready to pay.

[@cliftongarrett8564]

❣️ 'promosm'