22.5” 1981 Trek road bike. I can barely stand over it flat footed with no shoes. That seat post height is low. Is the bike too big?
by TARando45
22.5” 1981 Trek road bike. I can barely stand over it flat footed with no shoes. That seat post height is low. Is the bike too big?
by TARando45
18 Comments
Sounds like you answered your own question, no?
Too big. In the old days we’d size bikes by standing over them, and finding the one with 2 inches of clearance.
Yes. Very cool bike but too big. Also your rear brake cable housing could be a touch longer please.
If you stand over with no shoes and there’s an OK amount of post visible, I’d say it might work. I assume this is for casual riding? Try getting on it and go for a test ride – see how it feels.
Stand over height is completely meaningless. Bikes can be the exact same size and have a 6” difference in top tube height.
You don’t ride the bike while your feet are on the ground. You can get on and off the bike no matter how high the top tube is.
Reach and stack height aren’t meaningless. These measurements matter.
It’s easier to make a smallish frame fit than one that’s too biggish.
If you have shortish legs and a longish torso this bike might fit you. Everybody is different.
It’s too big BUT it can depend on how the rest of the bike is setup. Drop bars, yes too big. Swept back french bars, it can work – but that’s probably not what you plan.
Bike is fine, you’re too small 😉
Honestly, as someone else said — if you can get up and ride comfortably the stand over isn’t that big a deal. If you are too stretched out to ride confidently/comfortably then I’d look for a smaller frame that fits you better.
Do you ride without shoes? I think in this case the standover is not too big for you, but that doesn’t mean the bike isn’t too big. If you can’t ride it comfortably, even after tweaking the saddle and seatpost, stem and maybe handlebars, then it’s too big.
I’m in between sizes on that era Trek, the 21″ are too small and 22 1/2″ are too big. You might not be able to get enough handlebar drop for full performance, and the proper stem might be a bit short. I rode a vintage 22 1/2″ Trek for a week and it felt dead to me, probably because of the issues I mentioned.
It’s fine. Now would I do gravel or mtb riding with uneven ground? no. But road riding with generally even ground, it’s fine. Now if you are using a 60mm or shorter stem and complaining about reach… then it’s too big.
Or if you only ride in the drops and the tops/hoods feel bad… too much stack.
Largest bikes I ride give me maybe an inch more seatpost and they feel great. Which is really all that matters, does it feel great? or like shit?
Do you knock your stones on the top tube frequently?
Technically it’s probably big for you. One thing I do like about riding larger bikes is the quill stem has more support. I notice it leads to a stiffer feeling when standing and manhandling the bike.
If you can stand over the frame, that saddle is almost certainly too low. It may be that the bike is a bit large, and the saddle is a bit low.
With the ball of your foot on the pedal you should have a slight bend in your knee at the bottom of the stroke. When the crank is level with the ground and forward, a plumb line from your knee should about go through the pedal axle. In the drops your elbows should be a little forward of your knees, or even with them. Those are guidelines, but if you can’t accomplish them on a particular bike it probably doesn’t fit.
A 22.5″ is a 56 or 58 cm in standard sizing. That would be a frame for someone around 6′ – 6’2″.
Greg Lemond gives a 34″ or 35″ inseam (measured no shoes, with a book against a wall) for a 22.5″ bike.
As frames get bigger they actually get shorter relative to height. As long as you can get your saddle in the correct position, and you aren’t scrunched up horizontally, it’s probably ok.
Some bike sizing standards need to change..
I judge by 3 things. Knee angle when pedaling hips when pedaling, and reach to bars.
If my knees are over bent my bike is set up too small..but maybe I can get a longer seatpost ..
If my hips need to teeter to get to the pedals..it’s too big…but shorter crank arms can help with that.
If I’m reaching too far I can maybe slide the seat forwards on the rails, get a shorter stem, riser stem, or different bars that bring it back.
If the bars are hitting my knees when I pedal I can slide the seat back on the rails, get a longer stem, riser stem, or different bars to put the reach out farther…
You can make a LOT of adjustments to make your bike more comfortable to ride. I should probably ride a 55 or 56cm and most of my bikes are in that range. But i am currently commuting on a 57cm with fat tires..which raises it up another inch…(Tires barely clear the frame). Top tube touches junk when I stand over it.
I put 165cm cranks on and it feels great when I ride I’m gonna try a 58cm with 160cm soon.. heck I might go for a 59cm and put even shorter cranks on.
I’m 5’9″ with a 32″ inseam
A part of the reason for having stand-over clearance is to prevent your family jewels from slamming into the top tube if you have to jump off the seat in an emergency, so it’s a good idea to be able to do that. Another reason is that frames are generally proportional and if you can’t stand over it the handlebars will be too far away for comfort.
I think it’s about comfort. Bikes that are “too big” go great with swept back bars and are actually very comfortable, stable, and fun. Big bikes with long stems and drop bars fit only taller riders. – Are you comfortable when riding?
Who told you to size it bare footed? The bike should fit you in the riding position with your gear on, hands on the controls.
Bikes used to be sized for a fist full of seatpost by the manufacturer, 3/4 seatpost in the air showing is a recent development that came with sloped top tubes.
Yes.
There are some of us with longer torsos and shorter femurs that ride bikes on the larger end of our limits, so unless your saddle needs to come down even more, I’d say just ride it if you like the bike. You will likely need a shorter stem, however (don’t adjust reach with saddle).
I would assume your seat is most likely too low for proper knee flexion angles. If you pull the bike up while standing over the frame barefoot and have a couple cm between the tires and the ground then you’re golden according to grant peterson of Rivendell. I have a couple early 80s treks that fit this way, they both have shorter top tubes in comparison with the seat tube and are my favorite rides in the fleet