[Clarabow]

Okay convinced I needed a Large (17.8") I got it ordered in the store, however, me being stupid the Med came in (miss order), however, we made it up regardless and I sat on it, it seems a little small, however, I get a nice revolution out of my legs and the overall feel of the bike is extremely responsive, (going for a proper test tomorrow).

So a lot of, 'what one should I get' is coming up, considering the Large is 15mm longer on the top tube and 1 inch could be enough to supplement comfort, though I think I will be trading in movability for comfort.

Anyway I don't know until the large arrives, but I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem?

Regards,

P.S. My body is;

Height, 71 inches (5ft 9) or 180cm
Inside Leg, 34 inches or 86cm

 

[marmoset]

A large would appear to be what you need - I'm 187cms and ride an xl/19.3" - it's a bike that needs a bit of a stretched out position to get the best out of it, too short and I think the front and will lift too easily

 

[Clarabow]

A large would appear to be what you need - I'm 187cms and ride an xl/19.3" - it's a bike that needs a bit of a stretched out position to get the best out of it, too short and I think the front and will lift too easily

Yes, I'm thinking the same, the thing is, a friend of mine rides an S-Works Stump and he's my height on a 17, so I'm thinking, what are the advantages. I'm more into endurance and hill climbing so perhaps the larger more comfortable bike will be worth it.

In any means, messing with the M in the shop, and I got to say I love it! taking it out tomorrow. can't wait to try the large, we will see, I'll keep you'll up to date and try to post some pictures

 

[peteypete]

hmmm, at 5'9" I would have guessed a Medium for sure.

 

[JPHcross]

I agree with peteypete.
At 5'7" I ride the small.

 

[Clarabow]

But don't you feel the top tube is just that little bit short, or is that how their supposed to be ridden, this is why I'm so confused. I intend to give them a good old ride anyway, so I'm sure I will make up my mind either way. Thanks a lot for the input guys.

 

[rockyuphill]

Wouldn't 71" tall be 5'-11"? That would be on the short end of a Large or long end of a Medium for fit.

I'm 6'-1" and ride a Large with a 110mm stem and 660mm bars (I have simian arms).

 

[Clarabow]

Wouldn't 71" tall be 5'-11"? That would be on the short end of a Large or long end of a Medium for fit.

I'm 6'-1" and ride a Large with a 110mm stem and 660mm bars (I have simian arms).

Well in my conversion, it comes out to be 5ft 9, however, I got a long inside leg considering my height. I am still thinking wider bars would be a winner for the Med... hmmm, going to check them now!!

 

[rockyuphill]

12" x 6 - 1" = 71" which would be (5'-11") :skep:

The Race Face seat post is 400mm long, so even though the seat tube is short on the RSL frames you can have a lot of extension with a 30.9mm seat post. On my Large RSL, I have 260mm of the seatpost exposed (between the seat post clamp on the frame and the seat rails). So I could have another 40mm exposed before getting near the 100mm insertion limits.

It's always a bit of a "try it and see" when you're right in the overlap in frame sizes which is where you'd be at 5'-11" (180cm). With long legs and a shorter torso the medium with a lot of seat post extension might be just right.

 

[Clarabow]

I took the Med out for a ride today, only a short one but I got a good feel for the bike, really responsive and good clearance on my knees going uphill, The seat post was set on '2' on them markers, so it was high, possibly 250mm high!?

Not taken the Large out yet as it's still in the box, I'll build it up soon and give it a good seeing too! - Everyone says the Med is good, but I'm more endurance, I'm going to just kill myself, that will make things easier!

Anyway, I'm not getting it until the 24th so still a lot of days contemplation to go.

Thanks for your help Rocky, I'll let you know how it went.

Peace

 

[RMB-PM]

The "elephant in the room question":

What is your current bike and size?

 

[Clarabow]

The "elephant in the room question":

What is your current bike and size?

Hehe, well I just finished Uni and sold my bike about 2/3 years ago, I had a Medium GT iDrive 2. 2002 model, loved it to bits but I could remember having the seat quite high on that ride, but the length was good.

Right now, I'm on a Med Giant Rincon, I bought off a friend dirt cheap 18", it's a comfortable ride but I ride it with slicks on the road.

 

[RMB-PM]

Yep, sounds about right... Our TT's are typically 1/2 " shorter than GT.

Give it some time, but I think you should / will stick w. the M.

 

[marmoset]

Yep, sounds about right... Our TT's are typically 1/2 " shorter than GT.

Give it some time, but I think you should / will stick w. the M.

That's why I like 'em - I get the height but not the extreme stretch

There's a pic of mine on here, XL and I'm 6'2"

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=572642

 

[Clarabow]

Yep, sounds about right... Our TT's are typically 1/2 " shorter than GT.

Give it some time, but I think you should / will stick w. the M.

Ye I think your right, though even the TT is 1/2" shorter than GT, on the Large Vertex it's only 15mm longer than the Med, saying that it would make it closer than the GT, so perhaps overall it will be more comfortable!? The Large I mean.

 

[bagpipes]

Inside Leg, 34 inches or 86cm

Your inside leg is 34 inches? Holy crap!

 

[iggy giant]

Not really; there IS some confusion re. the OP's height; if he's 180cms, he's 5 foot eleven inches tall, not 5 foot 9 inches, though yes -- 5.9 feet expressed as tenths. If so, 34"/86 cm ain't out of whack; heck, I'm 174.5 cms/just under 5'9", with true cycling inseam (inside leg) of 84 cms/33 inches. Anyway, sounds like either Med or Large (I suspect the latter) Vertex would work well for the OP, depending on preference.

 

[Clarabow]

Okay after initially taking the Medium and ordering a longer stem, I decided to go for the Large in the end... it all became apparent when I let my sister have a go one the medium and she said it was really comfortable. Considering she's something like 5ft 6/7 I decided the Med was just too small.

I feel like a complete moron, but then again, I've not had a HT in like 5 years, so teething problems are going to happen.

One thing I will be doing is changing the stem from the std 110mm to a 100mm, so I just have the benefit of the extra 15mm from the top tube.

Seat extension is on 3 with plenty of room for adjustment either way, anyway! time to take it out for a long ride.