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Mountain bike sizing - cm / inches / sm/med/lrg -what's what?

  • 06-11-2014 6:14pm
    #1
    fat bloke
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,971 ✭✭✭


    I get road bike sizing, but mtb sizing escapes my tiny, cholesterol-short-circuited brain. I know there are so many different mtb models and geometries but is there a basic rule of thumb?

    Like what's a 49cm mtb??? -Can I translate that to inches? Is it any way comparable to a 49cm road bike frame (which would be tiny).


Comments

  • #2
    ravendude
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 589 ✭✭✭ravendude


    fat bloke wrote: »
    I get road bike sizing, but mtb sizing escapes my tiny, cholesterol-short-circuited brain. I know there are so many different mtb models and geometries but is there a basic rule of thumb?

    Like what's a 49cm mtb??? -Can I translate that to inches? Is it any way comparable to a 49cm road bike frame (which would be tiny).

    No, there isn't really a rule of thumb. A medium can vary wildly across different brands, - in size, feel and riding et experience.

    Mountain bikes can vary on nearly every geometry measurement (top tube, reach, stand-over, bottom bracket height etc. etc.), -then you have the angles.
    Reach and effective top-tube are generally the most important.
    Many have a sizing chart, - which will more or less see you right, - though some manufacturers are notorious for "coming up small" (eg Canyon, Santa Cruz, though they are changing) etc.
    Also, it can be difficult even to compare against bikes a few years old, - as very newer bikes tend to be longer and lower.


  • #3
    C3PO
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,795 ✭✭✭C3PO


    fat bloke wrote: »
    I get road bike sizing, but mtb sizing escapes my tiny, cholesterol-short-circuited brain. I know there are so many different mtb models and geometries but is there a basic rule of thumb?

    Like what's a 49cm mtb??? -Can I translate that to inches? Is it any way comparable to a 49cm road bike frame (which would be tiny).

    Very unusual for a new mountain bike to be sized in cm/inches these days - usually Small/Medium/Large etc. And as the previous poster says sizes vary significantly from make to make and from discipline to discipline. If you can't actually sit on the bike you can use the geometry chart.


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