[rug wheelie]

I have ridden a medium and it felt a little big. The reach with a 70mm stem felt long and I could really feel it in my lower back. My 26" rides both have 23" top tubes with a 90mm stem on my trail bike and a 50mm stem on my freeride bike. My road bike has a 55cm top tube with a 120mm stem.

I am 5' 9" tall with a 32 5/8" inseam size 10 shoe. BB center to top of seat - 73cm.

Will I have seat tube extension issues? Toe overlap?

Will a small niner fit better?

 

[MMcG]

Only way to tell would be to test ride one or have a good conversation with the guys at Niner to get their thoughts.

I'm 5'9" and rode a medium EMD 9 for a while and loved the fit. I think for me a small would have been too small - although I prefer a short stem set up on my bikes.

 

[jave-mtr]

I'd be really interested in hearing some input on this topic as well. I'm 5'9" as well with 33" inseam and it seems am stuck between two sizes (Small or Medium). Any help would be appreciated!

 

[collideous]

Well, I'm slightly over 5'9" and ride a medium with a 120mm negative 17° stem as I prefer a more stretched out and low position. That setup probably puts me a bit out of the norm, but that's how my bikes need to be if I want to climb comfortably and keep a straight line. At my height, there's a lot of exposed seatpost and I wouldn't want it to be more. Ideal would be to test ride both sizes. But at 5'9" I'd say the medium should generally be the better fit.

 

[Niner Bikes]

Sizing.

Just so you know. You can call or email me and I will be happy to fit you to the right size bike. This is the info I will need to make a reccomendation.

To fit you properly please give me your:

Exact height in bare feet: (not the height you give girls at the bar, haha)

Your cycling inseam in bare feet:
to measure see here: http://www.wrenchscience.com/WS1/Secure/Fitting/Height.asp

What width bars you intend to use on the bike: 24" 26" 28" wide

What bikes are you riding now and how are they set up?

Top tube length
Stem length
Bar width
Straight or layback seatpost

Thanks, with this information I can size you onto our frame properly.

Chris
Niner Bikes
877 NIN-ERXC
877-646-3792

 

[jave-mtr]

Chris,
thanks for the kind offer! In fact, I already sent you guys an email last night with all the information you demanded.
Here's the info again in case others are interested:

Height: 5'9" (exact!)
Inseam: 33"
Handlebar size: I'm not that big of a guy, so I guess a 24" handlebar., the other option would be a Jones H bar. Does this change frame sizing?
Previous bikes: unfortunately I can't give you any info on my previous mountainbikes, because it will be my first one! :thumbsup: However, I currently have a roadbike that fits me well: 530mm toptube, 140mm/-8° stem, setback seatpost, 90mm seat/handlebar drop. That bike puts me in a serious roadie position. I hope that helps in some way!

Of course I'd much rather test ride the bikes, but unfortunately 29ers are very hard to come by here in Germany!
Thanks, Jan

 

[jave-mtr]

Chris,
could you give some insight to this? I'm really in need of some good advice! Thanks!

 

[rensho]

Chris,
thanks for the kind offer! In fact, I already sent you guys an email last night with all the information you demanded.
Here's the info again in case others are interested:

Height: 5'9" (exact!)
Inseam: 33"
Handlebar size: I'm not that big of a guy, so I guess a 24" handlebar., the other option would be a Jones H bar. Does this change frame sizing?
Previous bikes: unfortunately I can't give you any info on my previous mountainbikes, because it will be my first one! :thumbsup: However, I currently have a roadbike that fits me well: 530mm toptube, 140mm/-8° stem, setback seatpost, 90mm seat/handlebar drop. That bike puts me in a serious roadie position. I hope that helps in some way!

Of course I'd much rather test ride the bikes, but unfortunately 29ers are very hard to come by here in Germany!
Thanks, Jan

At 33" inseam (riding inseam), you'd need a minimum of 380mm of seatpost. This means you have a lot of post showing. This may cause a big drop to the bars, unless you use a lot of spacers and/or a high rise stem. You'll appreciate the slightly longer HT of the Med to help raise the bars. The Med also gets you 2 bottle mounts.

I think you're a Med.

I'm 67.5" with 31.3" riding inseam on a Small. A perfect fit for me. If it were for SS, I could just about ride a Med and be fine. I currently run 90-110 stem with a straight post.

 

[schwing_ding]

5' 7" here and on a medium. 90mm stem, waiting for a layback post. For reference, I ride a 54 road bike with an 80mm MTB stem. It sounds like a small would be pushing it seat post wise for your inseam. Why do you keep asking Niner on this forum, if you have already sent the information they requested? Have they not gotten back to you? Perhaps a call might be in order...

 

[OldHouseMan]

If it matters anymore. I'm 5'8" and I'm riding a small Sir9. I did ride a medium before purchasing the small and it felt way to big.

 

[Wish I Were Riding]

I have a new theory (that probably none of you will care about). I’m 5’9” tall with a 30” inseam. I’ve ridden a medium Niner, and can say for sure that a small would be way too small. I would also need to run a set-back seat post on the medium Niner to be comfortable.

My theory is in regards to short-ish people, differences in inseam to torso length and STA’s. A lot of company’s making 29er frames make their small frames with steeper STA’s then you might find on their medium frames. I think that is a disservice to buyers. because the changes in geo to avoid toe overlap issues affect the handling in a way that makes them not ride as well as larger frames. Maybe I’m getting too side tracked… I read a fit article by someone, that talked about how if you put your feet together and bend over your butt goes back and your hands go out to keep your weight balanced. This comfortable position is what you should look for in a bike. People like me that have shorter legs and longer torsos will feel better balanced on a frame with a longer top tube, and slacker STA. Some of the people who have posted here are shorter than me, but have as much as 2 or 3” more inseam length. Wow. Those people can use a steeper STA than me, and they also do not need to reach out as far to feel balanced on the bike. So even people of the same height or taller than me could use a small Niner frame, but people like me with shorter legs and longer torsos will need to use a medium.

Do I think small 29er frames need STA’s of steeper than 73*? Hell no. Use a straight post if you’ve got long legs, and a set-back post if you have short legs like me.

Don’t get me started on small frame HTA’s…