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Frame Sizes


sir trial a lot

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I am shortly going to buy a mountain bike. it will be for getting around on and doing jumps etc. The only problem is the one i want they have stopped producing in the larger frame sizes. Im just 6 foot, maybe a little more and the bike i want is 15" frame. Is there a big problem with buying a lower frame and putting the seat really high? I have a mate thats slightly taller than me and he rides a Giant Acid which i do believe are fairly low frames. so yeah, are there any big reasons why i shouldnt go with a 15" frame bike?

Thanks...

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If your looking at doing dirt jumping on it i would say a 15" seatube is really the biggest you'd be comfortable with. I'm 6 foot 5 and my current dirt jump bike has a 14" seat tube and i still think this is a bit big. I find it much more comfortable to ride my friends 13" 24sevenas things like can cans are easier on it, its also easier to do things like tweaks and tabletops ;)

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I want it to be very comfortable for long distances etc but also usable on jumps. i know low frames are cool on jumps but my main worry was riding 10 miles etc on it, i suppose aslong as the seatpost was long enough to get it high for me it would be ok wouldnt it? like sitting down for ling distances but then dropping the seat for the odd jumps session would be fine by me, im just worried of my legs being cramped sitting down, if you know what i mean :S

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Yeah, that was the plan for moving the seat, but with the seat fully up in the frame will it be far enough away from the pedals for long legs?

:huh: It doesn't have to be a specific height or else you can't ride it. Mines got a 14" seat tube and a seat post thats fits down to the very bottom of the seatube, when its pulled out it puts the seat height at something like 22" which is more than adequate. I can't stand to ride bikes with a seatpost that is so high you might as well be standing up, they just irritate me. And yes i ride about 8-10 miles on mine to get to bradgate park to do some downhilling and i dont have a problem.

Stop asking loads of questions, go by a frame and enjoy it ;)

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Let's be honest here, riding a bike in comfort isn't just about saddle height, but also the reach to the bars. If you get a jump bike, it's likey to have a short top tube and stem, so putting the saddle upto a 'correct' height will leave the bars about 6" or more too close to be comfortable for any reasonable length ride.

The requirements for a jump bike and XC bike are totally different. Just like you can't have a trials bike which you can also do dirt jumping and riding to the shops on*. To make it good for one comprimises the others.

If you want a jump bike, buy a good jump bike, then modify it as best you can to make it as comfortable as possible for riding places. It won't be comfy comfy, but you'll have a lot more fun on the trails!

* I realise you can take a trials bike jumping and ride down the shops on it, but you can't have the ideal bike for all three rolled into on. Otherwise you'd end up with a 40lb trials bike, front suspension, dual chain rings and a rack on the back...

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Yeah its just i dont wanna pay nearly £300 for a bike thats no use because im too tall for it hehe. i've just rang my lbs who said im more than welcome to a ride round their workshop on the bike to check im happy with the size so all is well (Y)

You wont be too tall for it, with a 15" frame and a full sized seatpost your seat clamp is going to be around 21-23 inches above your bottom bracket... which is going to be more than enough to comfortably ride around on.

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I want it to be very comfortable for long distances etc but also usable on jumps. i know low frames are cool on jumps but my main worry was riding 10 miles etc on it, i suppose aslong as the seatpost was long enough to get it high for me it would be ok wouldnt it? like sitting down for ling distances but then dropping the seat for the odd jumps session would be fine by me, im just worried of my legs being cramped sitting down, if you know what i mean :S

10 miles is easy if you have a seat, i can ride 10 miles on my trials bike ( in a harder gear ) and think nowt if it it, and im not particually fit

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mountain bike geometry is at its best when the seat is up high anyway the same height or higher than the bars. I have a scott YZ which is supposed to be a sort of jump bike and i have a medium which in the scott range is a 18", its alright for jumping about on and when i wack the sea up it's alright for distances.

You will be surprised how easy distances are once you get going.

So yer, basically have a ride about on it and if it feels right, go for it. Pretty much reiterating but felt like posting

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