[kps88]

I just picked up a 2010 GF Rumblefish I. I am 5'8" tall. I picked up a size S (15.5")

Everything seems good (went on a short ride in my area) except the seating in a 29er. I feel more upright. I looked around here, but could not come up with a definitive answer..please help!

I want to feel less upright on the bike. I am considering getting a flat handlebar that is straighter across (less inward) and a longer stem with the stem point more straight than upright (as the stem is now). Any suggestions? I just want to feel less upright. I am coming from a Klein Attitude Race.

 

[pstaff15]

is that the right size frame?

 

[Davidcopperfield]

I'm 5'8" and ride medium Rip 18". Could not think of S unless I use 120mm stem and 45 cm seat post. Swap the frame for 17-18".

 

[rtcage]

Tough to say without seeing you on the bike. Have you done a proper fitting? If not, you need to get your seat right first. Make sure your knees are where they are supposed to be relative to the pedals. Then you can start messing with the stem, bars and spacers

 

[Jasontech]

20mm offset seatpost and a longer stem...

 

[finch2]

frame seems small to me too...you better get that sorted while you may be able to return it.

 

[Jasontech]

Most bike shops wont do returns so I would at least have the shop you bought it from allow you to test out a 20mm offset seat post and a longer stem and see how that works for you.

 

[kps88]

I have a short inseam..around 28". Bike feels really good as I finally got to ride it tonight on some hardcore trails on a mountain..lots of rocks!:thumbsup:

My Klein is a 17.5" frame (M) and its a tad up the crotch..have had some issues over the years controlling it when I had to dismount quickly..so hence the smaller bike.

thinking of a longer stem and defintely a set back seatpost. Its really not at all as bad as I thought. I never rode a 29er before and I was just a bit surprised how upright I felt, but not too bad since actually going for a real MB ride. seems as if a small tweak should work.

I was concerned about a 17.5" bike manily because of dismount/control.

 

[kps88]

frame seems small to me too...you better get that sorted while you may be able to return it.

actually I can't do it even though they have a return policy. You see, my friend and I got the last 2 remaining 2010 Rumblefish's in the country (we called all over and diff States to boot). I did not want the 2011 because it no longer has GF on it and the warranty changed (for the worse). It actually feels fine..now that I took for a real ride. I have read that it does take some used to (a 29er) and some say it took them a while to "like" the seating position and what not. I am happy w/the size, but just looking for a tad more "slouch" for a better term.

Thinking of going to a 26" bar, off set seat and a bit longer stem..do you think that would help?

 

[finch2]

actually I can't do it even though they have a return policy. You see, my friend and I got the last 2 remaining 2010 Rumblefish's in the country (we called all over and diff States to boot). I did not want the 2011 because it no longer has GF on it and the warranty changed (for the worse). It actually feels fine..now that I took for a real ride. I have read that it does take some used to (a 29er) and some say it took them a while to "like" the seating position and what not. I am happy w/the size, but just looking for a tad more "slouch" for a better term.

Thinking of going to a 26" bar, off set seat and a bit longer stem..do you think that would help?

If you feel good on it then it should be fine. I felt a bit higher in the front at first (than my old 26er), but wasn't in reality. Check the bar height in relation to the saddle to give a rough comparison to your old bike, then check the height above the ground for both. You may find it isn;t that much different, and you just need to adapt. Do what you can with the things you can adjust, like you say. Just keep in mind that your knee shouldn't come back too far behind the pedal axis if you are getting a layback post, and see how your weight is over hte front wheel when deciding on a stem. It's a balance between feeling OK on both steep ascents and decsents, and importantly, how you weight the front wheel on cornering.

 

[common_man]

warranty changed (for the worse).

not to hijack but...can someone tell me exactly what changed? i'm going to buy a trek cobia 2011...do i get lifetime frame warranty on my aluminum frame? i'm assuming that no changes have been made to warranty for aluminum frames but only to the warranty for high end carbon fibers...right?

 

[TheRealKTrain]

not to hijack but...can someone tell me exactly what changed? i'm going to buy a trek cobia 2011...do i get lifetime frame warranty on my aluminum frame? i'm assuming that no changes have been made to warranty for aluminum frames but only to the warranty for high end carbon fibers...right?

Talk to your dealer, not the internet lawyers.

 

[julioardz]

29er frame geometry does put you in a more upright position, from my experiences, especially when fitted with more than 80mm travel fork. You can also get an angled stem and mount it so that it drops down. Anywhere between 6 and 10 degrees should be enough to drop your bars to a position you like.

If you have any spacers below your stem right now, you can take some out, drop your current stem and put the spacers between the stem and the top cap. This alternative will not cost you a thing, as long as you have enough steer tube to do it.

Edit: In case the above doesn't make sense, see the angled stem on the Specialized Stumpjumper
or this image for moving the spacers around.

 

[kps88]

not to hijack but...can someone tell me exactly what changed? i'm going to buy a trek cobia 2011...do i get lifetime frame warranty on my aluminum frame? i'm assuming that no changes have been made to warranty for aluminum frames but only to the warranty for high end carbon fibers...right?

No, the frame warranty has not changed.

 

[kps88]

Talk to your dealer, not the internet lawyers.

does not take a lawyer, just someone that can read. the warranty has changed. read for yourself.

http://fisherbikes.com/support/warranty
(old warranty and CONFIRMED by my LBS that 2011 has changed..see below)

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/support/limited_warranty/
(current/new warranty. does not cover swing arm as part of the frame for life time warranty. Notice the Bontrager has changed from 5 to 2). Maybe this is TREK warranty for their bikes and GF had their own, but no more...the GF fall under this warranty according to my LBS and none are lawyers.

 

[kps88]

29er frame geometry does put you in a more upright position, from my experiences, especially when fitted with more than 80mm travel fork. You can also get an angled stem and mount it so that it drops down. Anywhere between 6 and 10 degrees should be enough to drop your bars to a position you like.

If you have any spacers below your stem right now, you can take some out, drop your current stem and put the spacers between the stem and the top cap. This alternative will not cost you a thing, as long as you have enough steer tube to do it.

Edit: In case the above doesn't make sense, see the angled stem on the Specialized Stumpjumper
or this image for moving the spacers around.

great advice..thanks. yes, the spacer idea makes sense. I believe there are 2. I am taking it to the shop tomorrow anyway and will discuss with them some of the ideas mentioned in this thread. I agree the fork is a 120mm and I knew I would be more upright. Guess its a "system shock" using a Klein and a Giant Rainer for the past 10 years. Thanks for the pic, helps to visualize things!:thumbsup:

 

[deluxx]

actually I can't do it even though they have a return policy. You see, my friend and I got the last 2 remaining 2010 Rumblefish's in the country (we called all over and diff States to boot).

Just wondering if you got your bike out of state, did you pick it up or got it shipped? I would love to get a 2010 GF 29er Hardtail but my LBS doesn't have any and a shop I called said they couldn't ship because their policy was that bikes need to be rolled out of there whole not boxed. So if you got it shipped let me know what shop it was. Thanks!

 

[kps88]

Just wondering if you got your bike out of state, did you pick it up or got it shipped? I would love to get a 2010 GF 29er Hardtail but my LBS doesn't have any and a shop I called said they couldn't ship because their policy was that bikes need to be rolled out of there whole not boxed. So if you got it shipped let me know what shop it was. Thanks!

my local bike shop got it for me. they had to order it and I know one of our bikes came from California (boxed of course). shoot me an email and maybe you can contact my shop and they could order it for you and ship it directly to you (I will ask).

[email protected]

 

[Noclutch]

kps88- what they said about a longer and positioned lower stem making a big difference.
I conversely am 5'6" with a 30' clothes inseam/32 " measured inseam and happy with a medium/17.5" 2010 RF. I test rode a 09 Hifi in small and it felt too small and unstable, though technically it probably wasn't. (I'm also just very used to full sized/only sized dirt bikes)
With my '10 RF initially I felt a bit draped out over the frame until I switched to a 20 mm shorter stem, and dropped it 5mm with a spacer change. Standover on flat ground is fine, but I am cognisant of how I do the rare emergency straight down dismount which is like next to never.
Also, I have my 90 mm stock Bonty stem just collecting dust too if you're interested.

 

[julioardz]

great advice..thanks. yes, the spacer idea makes sense. I believe there are 2. I am taking it to the shop tomorrow anyway and will discuss with them some of the ideas mentioned in this thread. I agree the fork is a 120mm and I knew I would be more upright. Guess its a "system shock" using a Klein and a Giant Rainer for the past 10 years. Thanks for the pic, helps to visualize things!:thumbsup:

I dealt with the same issue when I got my first 29er a couple years ago. Everyone talked about how much more comfortable they were, but my initial thought was yeah, it's more comfortable because you sit almost like you do on a cruiser bike, of course it's going to be more comfortable. The bigger wheels and longer travel forks raise the headtube considerably. The top of the headtubes on my 29ers have have been 1.5" to 2.5" higher from the ground than my 26" bikes. That's a lot in terms of bike fit. I played around with stem and bar configurations until I found something that worked, so I use spacers above the stem with flat handlebars that sweep back. (Unlike you I have a longer inseam and ride medium frames but sometimes the top tube is a little too long for my taste.)

Looking at 29ers sold more recently, it appears more companies have started using shorter steerer tubes and stems that angle down on more of their models. I don't like a very short steer tube. I figure I'm only getting older and I may eventually like a more upright position. Even now, I raise and lower my stem and bars, depending on how I'm feeling for a season, so I like having enough room to play with.

I agree, you have to adapt yourself to a new frame, but you can also make some changes for a setup that is more comfortable for you, which to me is the most important thing if you want to enjoy the bike.