small frame bike vs large frame bike for my 330 mile trip, help me out?

Question

I have a small frame bike - a raleigh venture
- the top tube comes up to about 3 or more inches below my crotch area
- the seat, when i stand over it, is in just the right place

the guy who was trying to sell me bikes told me that this would just not do, that a person my height (5'10.5", 29 inch inseam) would be crazy to ride the small frame over a long distance... but me riding it around now, i don't see the big deal... someone tell me why it would be such a problem if the seat is in the right place.
i mean, he took one look at it and said "take it back, get rid of it, get a large frame bike, this won't work"

do i need to go out and pick up a new 400 dollar passage or can i ride this venture i have now?

Answer 1

The big issue of course is comfort. If you're comfortable on the bike over long distances, there's no reason to replace it.

A smaller frame will be inherently stiffer and lighter, though generally not so much that a casual rider would notice. Still, this can translate in increased performance. The current rage in frame design is the sloping top tube - a.k.a. 'compact frame', and you will see that the top tube on a compact frame versus a regular frame is significntly closer to the ground at the seat tube. The correct saddle height on these bikes is achieved by a longer seat post. In fact, several companies only make frames in 4 or 5 sizes these days, and expect the consumer/shop to get the proper fit with seatpost height and handlebar/stem rise and length.

To follow up on CT's advice, take the bike to a shop that offers fit services. They will either be able to put the correct stem and seatpost on to give you the optimum riding position, or show you that the frame is simply too small to get the proper accessories for proper fit.

One last bit, If you're comfortable on the bike now, and have done long distances already, don't make any changes until _after_ your long ride. You should make changes to bike fit only when you have the time to go out a do increasingly longer distances to makes sure the new configuration is appropriate.

Answer 2

It depends on the type of bike. If it is a mountain bike, it should be okay, they are made to fit about 3" of clearance between the crotch and frame (estimate).

If it is a road bike, the frame size is too small to support the intended geometry. They are supposed to have about 1" of clearance (estimate - proper fit is around 2/3 of inseam).

If the fit is a little off, you might not notice it biking around, but if you do a long ride, suddenly little annoyances become big problems.

I would bring it into a shop (another shop) and have them look at the fit. If you really don't want to replace the frame, there are other things that can be done to make fit better, such as replacing the stem or handlebars, getting seatposts with offset, etc...

Good luck.

Answer 3

I think CT has it right.

But more than the inseam height, the horizontal distance between saddle and handlebars is more important, IMHO.

It just depends on what you want to do, but for long distances a longer top tube is better, and for freeriding or singletrack a shorter one.

Answer 4

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