Spent a good deal of time/money/effort on my first build. How’s it looking? (P.S. have since updated to all black Origin8 cranks)
I’m 6ft 1 almost 2. If I measured correctly, I believe the bike is an 18in frame. I have a pretty long seat post in there now and it doesn’t seem to be causing any problems but I’ve always had back problems. Everything I am reading online says I should be riding at least a 20” maybe 22”
Also, I have a set of adjustable quill stem on there damn near maxed out. No matter how much I tighten down it’s a bit wobbly and it’s driving me mad.
Anyways, love r/xbiking, glad to be a part 🤙🏻
by Guilty-Farmer6098
10 Comments
Yeah should try out at least a 20” I think you’d be wildly more comfortable. The neat thing is looks like you’ve got most of the parts sorted out already so you can just buy a cheap old bike if the frame is decent and swap over the parts. And there’s a reason you don’t see the adjustable stems around here, they are pretty universally hated, except they are nifty for figuring out what angle/height/reach or whatever is best before committing to a fixed stem
does your butt fall off the saddle when you pedal hard? if so then maybe yeah
I’m 6’3″ and ride 21″ or 23″ frames. I would not choose anything smaller.
Short answer is yes – it is a bit small.
However, here are some things that can improve the geometry on this bike.
First, more upright handlebars – maybe 60mm rise up to 90mm (or more). Will help with your back bigly.
Second, wider handlebars – e.g., 680mm. This is more of a comfort thing.
Third, a seat mount that provides more range – so you can push your seat back (within limits).
Fourth, a longer stem. 110mm with an upward rise. Likely > +12 degrees rise
The thing is that all of these interact – so a lot of offsets and math geometry. You may want to use a bike fit calculator or ChatGPT to understand this maddeningly complicated equation.
Video yourself riding it. If it looks too small to you, then it is. I’m 6 ft and I prefer a 21″ . Recently, I acquired a 20″ Cannondale for a really good deal and filmed me riding it to show a friend. It was then I realized that 20″ is definitely the smallest I should go.
For further reference, I have a 19″ Hardrock about the same era as yours and I got it specifically to make an “adult BMX” out of, so I purposely wanted the frame too small. Perhaps you might go that route with taller bars and such. If not the good news is Hardrock frames are probably the most abundant ones out there. I bought 2 Hardrocks a year apart for less than $60 for both of them combined. Find another and swap out all the components.
Im 5’11” with 32″inseam, and I like 22″ bikes.
Yes.
Yeah it looks pretty small for you given the saddle and stem height. Nice build though. This looks like Florida? I grew up riding there.
Probably not. But if it’s convenient, do it. I ride a 56cm 700c50mm and a 19.5 930 27.5 conversion. Both still feel small and have lots of seatpost. I’m not a tall man.
From the pictures, it looks like you could go up a size with no problem. That said, I don’t know if everyone on this thread is talking about the same thing. For a 6-footer a 23” mtb frame is an outlier but a 23” road frame is quite normal. As a young man, I rode a 25” road frame ( I am 6’2” but have slightly short arms for my height.). Now I ride a 58cm roadie (23”) with a higher and shorter stem because I’m less flexible than I was at 18. My vintage MTB frames are generally 19”. But my favorite bike is a mini Velo because it’s so maneuverable and just chill.
In general, people ride a bike on its contact points: the seat, the pedals, and the handlebar grips. You’re using a long post and a longish stem to place the contact points where you’d like them. If this is a townie bike and not bombing challenging pitches or loading the bike up, you are probably fine. It looks like it’s a halfway between a normal size bike and a mini Velo. But if you’re using it for anything challenging, a size larger probably makes sense because the frame will carry stress better than seatpost and stem.