[inkdwheels]

Im going to build a karate monkey but i have no idea what size i need. I come from a bmx(flatland) background and i now have a track bike that i use to get around on. I'm selling that to get the KM. Im 6ft tall but have longish arms. A shorter friend of mine said i shoud get an 18 others say 20. I have no clue. I want to do everything with this bike. Commute, mtb, maybe even cyclocross. I will be running it singlespeed/fixed. Thanks for the help.

 

[qtip]

look out..

sizing a Surly is a touchy subject around here. You're going to get lots of opinions. Best thing is to go and ride both sizes if you possibly can. I'm 5'10" w/ about a 32" inseam and I'm very happy on both of my 16" KM's.

 

[bdpaz]

I'm also 5'10" w/ a 32" inseam

sizing a Surly is a touchy subject around here. You're going to get lots of opinions. Best thing is to go and ride both sizes if you possibly can. I'm 5'10" w/ about a 32" inseam and I'm very happy on both of my 16" KM's.

and I have a 20" KM that fits me perfectly. I do agree about riding both sizes if you can - see what suits your preferences.

 

[comsense]

Funny how upset people get about sizing around here.

I'm 6' and ride 20" with a 90mm stem. I seriously considered going with the 18" frame for the extra standover but then I would have gone with a longer stem to make up for the TT length.

Try to ride them both and see which one feels more natural.

-rich

 

[Cloxxki]

I know someone over 6' on an 18" 1x1 which is even a shorter bike than the KM in 18", and he seems to manage just fine, although I do think he'd be a better fit on 20". He compensates it all by being a great rider, he'd be good on either 16" or 22" too.

Look at the stem size and top tube you have now, add the two up, and use the same total on a KM. don't let stem length go over 120mm unless you're already on some sor tof funky handlebar.

If you fit okay on the 18", and you are serious about trying CX (or just any type of dropbars), the shorter size does make sense. Dropbar bikes work better when shorter in the toptube, between a flat bar and a road bar, there's at least 1.5" difference.

 

[Downhillin]

I'm around 6' - 6'1" depending on the shoes and the day and would probably classify myself as a Clyde... I've got a 18" and it fits me great, enough standover, still some adjustment in the saddle height, however my stem is currently too long and I'm getting something shorter any day now... that should improve the responsiveness.

So if you have an idea what length stem you enjoy and how it feels (I know some guys don't like going over the 100" mm mark...) you could work from it that way. Good luck

cheers

 

[inkdwheels]

Thanks guys. Im gonna go ahead and grab the 18. I figure if they made a 19 it would be my perfect size and i think its better to err on the small side.

Now all i need are some single speed wheels!