Hi All,
I'm 5'10", 175 lbs. with a relatively longer torso and arms. I've been riding a red 19" Specialized Hardrock (no susp., for crying out loud!) for fifteen years. All that time I have felt cramped, with my butt trying to hang off the rear of the seat, even with an extended stem. I decided to stop torturing myself and get a real bike.
I've settled on the Gary Fisher Tassajara, but the plot thickens. They have only two at College Cyclery here in Reno...a 19" red and silver, (not red again!) and a 21" blue/grey, which I really dig. The red/silver 19" is Taiwanese made, while the cool, blue/grey 21" is made in the good old US of A, which I also prefer.
I've ridden them both around the neighborhood making minor adjustments, and I still can't quite get a feel for the correct size. Being 5'10", the 21" logically shouldn't fit. But I don't want to go through another fifteen years of feeling like I need a larger frame. Other than crotch clearance, what are some of the other factors that I should be considering in order to decide? What more can I do to lock this in? Anyone else out there ever have this problem?
I'm 5'10", 175 lbs. with a relatively longer torso and arms. I've been riding a red 19" Specialized Hardrock (no susp., for crying out loud!) for fifteen years. All that time I have felt cramped, with my butt trying to hang off the rear of the seat, even with an extended stem. I decided to stop torturing myself and get a real bike.
I've settled on the Gary Fisher Tassajara, but the plot thickens. They have only two at College Cyclery here in Reno...a 19" red and silver, (not red again!) and a 21" blue/grey, which I really dig. The red/silver 19" is Taiwanese made, while the cool, blue/grey 21" is made in the good old US of A, which I also prefer.
I've ridden them both around the neighborhood making minor adjustments, and I still can't quite get a feel for the correct size. Being 5'10", the 21" logically shouldn't fit. But I don't want to go through another fifteen years of feeling like I need a larger frame. Other than crotch clearance, what are some of the other factors that I should be considering in order to decide? What more can I do to lock this in? Anyone else out there ever have this problem?