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Is my wife's bike too big for her?

5099 Views 53 Replies 21 Participants Last post by Harold, Jul 24, 2021

recurry

Discussion Starter · Jul 19, 2021

Hi All,

My wife and I recently decided to go out and get a couple of new bikes, and I'm wondering if the bike that she got is too big for her.

She's 5'4" so the LBS recommended that she go with a size "small" frame. They had a BMC Two Stroke in stock that she really liked, but she found that she was still having trouble riding it even with the seat post all the way down. The bike shop recommended that they cut an inch or two off the seat post, so she tried that and now she can ride the bike just fine. That said, the thing I'm curious about is that her seat is now pretty low compared to where the handlebars are. Her leg extension is fine, so the distance between the seat and the pedals is good, it's just that I'm concerned the lower seat position might be bad on longer rides (we mostly ride dirt roads, etc. no hardcore stuff).

So here's a picture of the bike, I'd really appreciate any feedback you more experienced riders might be able to provide:

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1 - 20 of 54 Posts

kevine1785

· #2 · Jul 19, 2021

Overall a Small bike should be be fine for someone 5'4". But Bikes can only be so accommodating in the frame. Peoples legs, vs, torso, vs arm length are all different even at the same height. Bike fitment is a bit of an art, one thing to also recognize, is that if your wife is new to MTB/Trail riding, she will want to feel like she can put her feet down when unstable. First questions is for pedaling/standover: is her leg properly extended when she is pedaling? A trick for setting saddle height is to have her knee locked out with her heel on the pedal. this way she will have a slight bend in her knee when pedaling. Lastly, the reach will have her laid out forward, this is good for stability, but can make her back sore until she strengthens her muscles. A solve for this would be to get some riser handlebars and a shorter stem. This can significantly help.
Riser handlebars (38mm):

Nukeproof Neutron V2 Alloy Riser Bar (31.8mm) | Chain Reaction

Buy your Nukeproof Neutron V2 Alloy Riser Bar (31.8mm) from our Handlebars range at CRC. $40.99. Free delivery available.

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Shorter Stem (35mm):

Nukeproof Neutron AM Stem | Chain Reaction

Buy your Nukeproof Neutron AM Stem from our Stems range at CRC. $40.99. Free delivery available.

www.chainreactioncycles.com

All this said you could also go and get a professional bike fitting. You need to find a shop, and they will set her up and film her pedaling and make a ton of adjustments including different handlebars, stems, cranks, saddle, seat post etc. Its a bit of an investment ($150-200) plus all the new parts, but might be worth it, if you are not sure where she needs tweaks.

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Harold

· #3 · Jul 19, 2021

My wife is 5'4 and rides an XS Juliana Furtado. Most smalls are too big for her, even though all the shops tell her she should be on a small (usually shops that carry brands that don't even make an xs frame, interestingly enough). Seeing her ride a small frame and an xs frame side-by-side, however, tells a better story. The smaller frame gives her a more comfortable position, whereas a small frame stretches her out too much most of the time.

The bike could possibly be too big, but without seeing her on it, it's impossible to say.

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Taroroot

· #4 · Jul 19, 2021

If she doesn't feel to stretched out leaning forward, you should be ok. I would look at changing the roll of the handlbars and the angle of the brake levers to better match her hand position. With the seat that low, the sweep of the bars may be angled too far up, and the levers pointed too far down.

Reactions: 2

Suns_PSD

· #5 · Jul 19, 2021

Size small bikes should not be 29ers. Between the front tire size and the clearance needed it results in too tall of a front end as pictured.

Also, size small bikes should have 165 (really closer to 155mm but they are hard to find) crank length and those look like 175s which are correct, for a 6'3" man. Shorter cranks would raise the seat up and provide more natural pedaling.

GL

Reactions: 5

kevine1785

· #6 · Jul 19, 2021

Suns_PSD said:
Size small bikes should not be 29ers. Between the front tire size and the clearance needed it results in too tall of a front end as pictured.

Also, size small bikes should have 165 (really closer to 155mm but they are hard to find) crank length and those look like 175s which are correct, for a 6'3" man. Shorter cranks would raise the seat up and provide more natural pedaling.

GL

I agree with this so much! Crank length is another big factor. I run 175mm on my XC bike and I'm 6' tall. I run a smaller 170 on my trail bike.

matadorCE

· #7 · Jul 19, 2021

Is the seat at the actual correct height for pedaling efficiency? If so, then yes that bike does not fit.

Reactions: 1

63expert

· #8 · Jul 19, 2021

My wife is 5’3”. She is comfortable on an XS frame.

jeremy3220

· #9 · Jul 19, 2021

matadorCE said:
Is the seat at the actual correct height for pedaling efficiency? If so, then yes that bike does not fit.

Yeah her seat is lower than the font of the top tube. Something is definitely off.

Suns_PSD

· #10 · Jul 19, 2021

I'll hit on the seat height as well as I should not have assumed the seat was set correctly.

Some beginners think they should be able to touch the ground while sitting on the seat. This is incorrect and will result in a very low seat height.

The rider should start off over the top tube and then move to the seat once going and their leg should be very nearly straight when extended while pedaling with heel down.

Reactions: 3

matadorCE

· #11 · Jul 19, 2021

jeremy3220 said:
Yeah her seat is lower than the font of the top tube. Something is definitely off.

Yep but I asked because my wife's bike is sized correctly (XS, 5'2") but she likes the seat lower than she should because she doesn't like not being able to put a foot down.

hummie

· #12 · Jul 19, 2021

matadorCE said:
Yep but I asked because my wife's bike is sized correctly (XS, 5'2") but she likes the seat lower than she should because she doesn't like not being able to put a foot down.

wanting to be able to put your foot down is what i hear from my girlfriend too. after riding and being able to better handle the bike and she now has it up at a more functional height. still a bit low though.

asking someone who hasnt ridden a bike often if their bike fits is like asking an elephant how it likes its first plane ride. In some cases that rider may be practically an elephant but without seeing any pictures who can say. I say it fits.

chomxxo

· #13 · Jul 19, 2021

Agreed that her saddle height might not be set adequately. Work on that to make sure--the quickest way is to sit on the saddle with shoes on, then place her heel on the pedal at full extension.

Secondly: slam that stem. Make sure it's flipped if it's angling up now, and remove all the stem spacers. There may be a bearing cap that you can remove too, although I'm not seeing it.

Third: try sliding the saddle rails forward, nothing wrong with this.

As mentioned, shorter cranks may feel better--they will also increase the saddle height.

Finally: try some backsweep. This will lower the bars too, as well as shortening the reach.

Almost any bike frame can be made to fit anyone adequately with a little work.

Lastly, look into Lee McCormack's RAD method, for you and the wife. Most bike fitters will not have thought or heard about this.

Dialed: the secret math of a perfect mountain bike setup – Lee Likes Bikes MTB School

www.llbmtb.com

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Reactions: 4

Greenhound386

· #14 · Jul 19, 2021

Lots of good advice already. I'm 5'2", and I ride small frames with no issue. Your wife has a couple of inches on me, so she's within range.

I also question the seat height in that photo. I'm on a small frame that's on the larger side (versus other manufacturers' small frames), and my seat height is about even with the bars. I just can't imagine that seat height is set correctly for someone at 5'4". As already mentioned, set the seat height for a slight bend in the knee at full extension when pedaling, and shorter cranks would be helpful (I'd suggest 165mm).

recurry

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jul 19, 2021

Hi all,

I just want to say thank you to everyone who took time to reply and offer advice. A lot of good information and I really appreciate it. To answer the question a few people asked - yes, when she is seated on the bike it looks like the distance between the seat and the pedals is correct, if the pedal is at the bottom her leg is close to fully extended, maybe 10 degrees bend in the knee at the very most.

it sounds like this is salvageable, as one poster recommended maybe going with shorter cranks and tweaking the handlebar position might do the trick. I’m going to take it to another shop and see if they can make some mods.

Thank you all again!

Reactions: 3

matadorCE

· #16 · Jul 19, 2021

That's a pretty poor fit from getting a bike at a LBS. Like others have suggested, a negative rise stem plus shorter cranks and minimal amount of spacers under the stem will help.

Reactions: 1

BicyclesOnMain

· #17 · Jul 19, 2021

chomxxo said:
Agreed that her saddle height might not be set adequately. Work on that to make sure--the quickest way is to sit on the saddle with shoes on, then place her heel on the pedal at full extension.

Secondly: slam that stem. Make sure it's flipped if it's angling up now, and remove all the stem spacers. There may be a bearing cap that you can remove too, although I'm not seeing it.

Third: try sliding the saddle rails forward, nothing wrong with this.

As mentioned, shorter cranks may feel better--they will also increase the saddle height.

Finally: try some backsweep. This will lower the bars too, as well as shortening the reach.

Almost any bike frame can be made to fit anyone adequately with a little work.

Lastly, look into Lee McCormack's RAD method, for you and the wife. Most bike fitters will not have thought or heard about this.

Dialed: the secret math of a perfect mountain bike setup – Lee Likes Bikes MTB School

www.llbmtb.com

Yeah because we all know those darn 'bike fitters' who do it professionally know the least about bike fit, especially compared to some guy on the internet.
Some of your recommendations are reasonable- till you said almost any bike can be made to fit anyone... that is totally insane.

One thing I will point out is that if her legs are that short, her torso is very long, so it's possible it fits fine. Need to see a picture of her on it.

chomxxo

· #18 · Jul 19, 2021

Didn't say that, let's not waste time with a spat. I myself got a professional bike fit this year, but that doesn't take into account the bike handling aspect. That's where Lee's RAD metric comes in.

I said any bike frame can be made to fit adequately, not well, or great. From the looks of it she's in the ballpark, and actually, too big is better than too small with mountain bikes.

bcriverjunky

· #19 · Jul 19, 2021

You could lower the front by swapping out the air shaft to an 80mm. Adjust the sag to 25 percent. And an angle headset will bring the bars a little closer and rake out the front a couple degrees.

bcriverjunky

· #20 · Jul 19, 2021

And with the shorter cranks you could get away with a 55mm dropper by 9point8. That way she can stand flat footed and then pop the seat up once rolling.

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