How Do You Know What Size Bicycle to Buy

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Ordering bikes online is becoming more and more popular because there are no shop-keeping or warehouse costs making the cost even less!

Don't worry about the fact that you might think you have to try your bike first because I can assure you it is overrated. And very highly.

Salesmen only tell you this to get more money from you!

You should try your bike first! FALSE

Asking why? It's because that is only told by salesmen who know that there are decent bikes on the online market. There are many good methods to choose a good bike. I'm gonna show youTHREE (actually SEVEN!) METHODS if you don't know, how to measure a bike.

Feeling more confident? Good. There are actually three (now SIX!) options: you can calculate or use the bike-size charts below. The bike size is measured from where the seat post starts and to the crank. So if you don't know, what size bike do I need, here are the answers.

Let's start with the easiest.

Method One: Bike Height Chart – The Easiest

Your height / Bike Size

• 4'11" – 5'3″ = 13 – 15 inches
• 5'3″ – 5'7″  = 15 – 16 inches
• 5'7″ – 5'11" = 16 – 17 inches
• 6'0″ – 6'2″ = 17 – 19 inches
• 6'2″ – 6'4″  = 19 – 21 inches
• 6'4″ and taller  = 21+ inches

Voilà!

Method Two: Calculating the bike size

1. Take off your shoes and stand with your legs about 15-20 cm(6" – 8") apart. Measure the height from the ground to your crotch.
2. Be sure of the type of bicycle you want: Mountain bike, city bike or road bike. You can read about the different bike types from here.
3. Now you can take your calculator and calculate the right size:
   

City bike – Leg inseam (cm) x 0,685 = Your frame size
Mountain bike –  Leg inseam (cm) x 0,66 = Your frame size
Road bike – Leg inseam (cm) x 0,70 = Your frame size

(If your leg inseam is 76cm, then your right mountain bike size is 50 cm (20"), road bike 53cm and city bike 52cm)

Third Method: Bike Size Chart (advanced):

Mountain bike size chart

Rider height		Leg inseam		Suggested Frame Size
Feet/Inches	Centimeters	Inches	Centimeters	Inches	Size
4`10"-5`1"	148-158 cm	24-29"	61-73 cm	< 14″	XS
5`1″-5`5″	158-168 cm	25-30"	63-76 cm	15" / 16″	S
5`5″-5`9″	168-178 cm	26-31"	66-78 cm	16" / 17″	M
5`9″-6`0″	178-185 cm	27`-32`	68-81 cm	17″ / 18″	L
6`0″-6`3″	185-193 cm	28`-33`	71-83 cm	18″ / 19″	XL
6`1″-6`6″	193-198 cm	29`-34`	73-86 cm	19″ +	XXL

City bike (Also commuter/hybrid bikes) size chart

Rider height		Leg inseam		Suggested Frame Size
Feet/Inches	Centimeters	Inches	Centimeters	Inches	Size
4`10"-5`1"	147-155 cm	24-29"	61-73 cm	14"	XS
5`1`-5`5`	155-165 cm	25-30"	63-76 cm	15"	S
5`5`-5`9`	165-175 cm	26-31"	66-78 cm	16"	M
5`9`-6`0`	175-183 cm	27`-32`	68-81 cm	17″	L
6`0`-6`3`	183-191 cm	28`-33`	71-83 cm	18″	XL
6`1`-6`6`	191-198 cm	29`-34`	73-86 cm	19″	XXL

Road bike size chart

Rider height		Suggested frame size
Feet/Inches	Centimeters	Centimeters	Size
4`10"-5`0"	148-152 cm	47-48 cm	XXS
5`0″-5`3″	152-160 cm	49-50 cm	XS
5`3″-5`6″	160-168 cm	51-52-53 cm	S
5`6″-5`9″	168-175 cm	54-55 cm	M
5`9″-6`0″	175-183 cm	56-57-58 cm	L
6`0″-6`3″	183-191 cm	58-59-60 cm	XL
6`3″-6`6″	191-198 cm	61-62-63 cm	XXL

To make it simple – Bicycle Guiders' bike size graph.

Open me!

Got the right size? Nice! And now go cycling!

Please note that frame sizes fromXXS – XXL don't have the same meaning for every manufacturer. Those sizes (like on clothing) show current model sizes.

BONUS:

• Forth Sizing method: Amazon Fit Guide
• Fifth Sizing Calculator: Competitive Cyclist Fit Calculator.
• Sixth – Jenson USA Bike Fit Calculator (Beta)

• Extra – Professional Bike Fitting Service – Order From Amazon!

Voilà!

Read next: How to fit a bike

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The right saddle height has a very important role. If it's too low, you won't have enough power in your feet. In mountain bike racing,I have experienced that when the saddle falls one inch down from normal, I lose about 25-50% of my force. I better stop and let the group go, then fix it and lose 15 seconds but I docatch the group and can even get the next group ahead. So the right saddle height plays a big role!

Need Professional Fitting Service? Order From Amazon!

The easiest way is to

1. Lean to the wall with your elbow sitting on the bike (or let someone help you as shown on the picture)
2. Put your leg to lowest point but parallel to the ground.
3. Move your saddle up or down until you have a nice bend behind your knee. It should be something around 30 ° but don't waste too much energy finding that exact angle.

Go out and ride. Does it feel good? If not, then adjust. Also, you can adjust the seat to front and rear.

But… which brand to buy? See our Best Bike Brands

TIP: If you got the right height, mark it down with some sharp object. That's the best size chart ever 🙂 Some bikes have centimeters marked there, then keep this in mind.

Currently Hot:

If I Got My Bike Size Wrong?

Then ask your merchant, if you can send your bike back to get the right one. If you don't want to do that, then you can do thefollowing things:

• Move your saddle to the front or rear
• Buy a longer or shorter stem. It changes your body position
• Buy a longer seat post

Give it time to get the feeling right. I remember when I got my first 29er mountain bike. It felt like a ship and seemed difficult to ride innarrow trails of the forest. Now I start laughing when I sit on a 26″ mountain bike because it looks so tiny.

Read Next:

• Best Mountain Bikes
• Best Road Bikes
• Top Gravel Bikes
• Best Folding Bikes
• Best Hybrid Bikes
• Home…

How Do You Know What Size Bicycle to Buy

Source: https://www.bicycle-guider.com/bike-articles/bike-size-chart/

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