How to Buy a Bike That’s the Right Size for You

Have a good trip appropriate bike it may not be the only difference between comfort and discomfort (which is probably the most important factor in what you want to ride). It can also mean the difference between hurting yourself or not, as spending too much time on a bike that’s too big or too small for you can lead to a variety of ailments.

Whether you ride regularly or are just getting into cycling, there are a few tips you can follow to make sure you buy the right bike and tune it to your body in a way that will give you endless pain-free hours in the saddle. Because a bike that fits you well shouldn’t hurt you at all.

If you feel pain, discomfort, or numbness anywhere, your bike fit is off. Of course, pain and numbness in your butt after a 60-, 70-, or 100-mile run are inevitable and have nothing to do with fitness. But cycling any distance should not cause pain or discomfort in the joints, neck, back, or anywhere else.

If you want to spend more time on the bike or drop big bucks on a new bike, the best way is to find a professional bike fitter, which is a way for a professional bike expert to look at your body, your riding style, even your desires, and fine-tune your bike to fit you better. My friend Joe Ray can giving advice in finding a suitable specialist.

It’s also important to note that the rules for finding the right fit vary depending on the type of bike you want, what you need for your trip, and how much you want to ride. If you want a motorcycle like a road or gravel bike, a mountain bike, or a hybrid bike, the handlebar setup affects other things like the size of the frame and the height of the saddle. Also, as men and women tend to be built differently, the design of bicycle frames and their components should be considered. Other types such as Liv or Juliana they are made especially for women, who tend to have smaller shoulders and shorter bodies compared to their legs than men.

Size Story

It’s easy to wander deep into the grass, but there are some important things you can do to make sure you’re riding the right bike. Following these guidelines should help you make important decisions.

Start with something big! That is, your skin. There is no bigger part of a bike than its frame. It is one of the only parts of a bicycle that cannot be changed. Your frame is always the same size, and there is no change. So you want to start with the right framework before anything else.

Many manufacturers size their frames using small, medium, and large sizes (with some models offering XXS to XXL) or using measurements in centimeters. Generally, road bikes come in S, M, L, while road bikes use centimeters.

A good place to start is to look for a height chart. Considering that not all bikes are built the same—not everyone’s “big” frame is the same, for example—it’s really helpful if you can get a chart from the brand you want to buy.

Here is a good example from the mega-brand Specialized. If I, at 76 inches, would have liked the Aethos model, I would have wanted to get a 61 cm frame.

If you can’t find a chart for the bike you want, you can easily find the bike at your local bike shop and swing your leg over a few models. The rule of thumb is that you should stand comfortably on the bike with both feet on the ground with 1 inch clearance between your body and the top tube of the bike. Mini bikes and bikes with compact designs have downhill tubes; with that, you want to look around two inches of space.