[cobi]

I'm 6'3. Inseam on pants is 34" but if I remember I think I'm closer to a 32" inseam. If it even matters.

Will it be close enough I should I even bother going to look at it?

 

[patineto]

I'm 6'3. Inseam on pants is 34" but if I remember I think I'm closer to a 32" inseam. If it even matters.

I'm almost 6'2 with "really short" legs at 33.5", I think you are mistaken your inseam, check it out with a measuring tape using a pen to mark on a wall as high as you can get it (pant size is useless for bicycles)

Will it be close enough I should I even bother going to look at it?

Go and check it out, I bet your problem with be a short top tube more than saddle height.

 

[cobi]

You were right. I'm pretty much right at 34". I tried it a couple times, might have to have my wife double check when she gets home.

 

[patineto]

You were right. I'm pretty much right at 34". I tried it a couple times, might have to have my wife double check when she gets home.

To make really sure you can use something like a book with a 90deggres angle that way is no deviance of the pen angle at all.

 

[BruceBrown]

I'm 6'3. Inseam on pants is 34" but if I remember I think I'm closer to a 32" inseam. If it even matters.

Will it be close enough I should I even bother going to look at it?

I'd say, make sure you sit on some 60/61/62cm frames as well so you can compare. A lot of factors come into play - arm length, torso length, leg length, preference, etc... . And not all frames labeled 58cm or whatever number have the exact same geometry and characteristics of others.

I'm about your height (more towards the 6'4" end of things) and own a 58cm road bike (Allez) and a 64cm endurance road bike (Roubaix). I also ride nothing by size XL mountain bikes. The 58cm is actually my son's who is 6'1" and it fits him like a glove. If I ride it, I have to use a really long stem, get the bars higher (due to such a short headtube) and raise the seatpost and slam the saddle back to make it work. The 64cm frame fits me like a glove for a tall man with a gigantic headtube and gets my saddle/pedal relationship perfect which makes the bike handle really well due to the balance. On a smaller frame, jamming the saddle high and all the way back puts a lot of weight on the rear wheel and it doesn't handle quite as well.
Examples with both bikes set up for me to ride...

58cm...


https://flic.kr/p/7305517620 https://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

I feel like a moose on that bike as I really dwarf it.

64cm...


https://flic.kr/p/13316381455 https://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

This one has all day comfort written all over it and, as you can see, I prefer a much more relaxed French Fit with this bike (bars barely even or slightly below saddle) and the super long headtube. I used it in one cyclocross race last fall where it was fine and do a lot of gravel and pavement with it as well.

Bottom line - try a few things out. I prefer the stability and handling of a larger bike as the smaller 58cm bikes are twitchy, flexy/flimsy, and require some plumbing adjustments to make them work for me. The bigger frames really remove all of that and fit like a glove right out of the box.

Again - it depends on your preferences, experience, and measurements. The bike industry is not kind to riders that are 6'3" and over. In that tall group, you will find way too many riding a bike that is really too small for them.

 

[patineto]

Also remember the bottom bracket height, I'm far from a expert on cross bikes but I usually subtract the higher bottom bracket from the seat tube length.

For example this is my road bike.

And here is my cross bike, the two of them fit me perfectly but the Empella is 2cms "Smaller" than the Trek.