Hey everybody,
Ive been cycling for quite some time now and have for the most part tried to service my own bike as often as possible. I am by no means a professional in any regard.
Anyway, I have come for advice. I just bought my wife her first entry bike and honestly probably the only one she'll really ever need. A 2025 Specialized Sirrus X 2.0. She is 5'4 so I bought her a snall which is suited for riders 5'2 – 5'8 whereas an XS is suited for riders between 4'11 – 5'3.
With her seatpost as far down as it'll allow, she can hardly touch the ground on her tippy toes. I was wondering if we should size down to a 300 or 350mm post or just have the shop cut the current one, orrrr does she actually need an XS frame?
by ArtInternational8589
9 Comments
Tip toes on the saddle is close to right. You could probably chop a couple mm though if she’s not comfortable getting off the seat to stand
Proper fit doesn’t mean she’ll be flat footed. Get her a dropper post if she is worried about dismounting
How much clearance between her and the top tube standing still? If she’s not close then a shorter seatpost should help. If she’s close or touching, XS it is …..just a side note, she shouldn’t be able to touch the ground while seated on the bike unless she leans over. Proper seat height is set by sitting on the bike while leaning on something to keep the bike erect. Place the pedal at the bottom of its stroke and she should be able to place her heel on the pedal with the knee fully extended. That will set her legs in the right position to pedal without hyperextending her knee, or them being too cramped.
Being able to touch the ground is not important. What is important is if her seat is the right height relative to the pedals.
I’d look up a bike seat height calculator website and set the seat to the right height using that.
If the seatpost is then still too high then a hacksaw can make it shorter.
You can definitely cut the seatpost, but you should make sure that the saddle height is correct when pedaling (rather than standing). If she’s not comfortable pedaling because the saddle is too high, cutting it would be a free solution. If the saddle is the correct height, lowering it might impact comfort while pedaling.
Coming from me (a short person), being able to only put a toe down while seated might just be something she has to get used to. I wouldn’t say it means the bike is def too big.
Cut it!
You say “With her seatpost as far down as it’ll allow, she can hardly touch the ground on her tippy toes.” If she’s off the saddle, can she comfortably straddle the top tube? If not, it is indeed too big. Touching the ground tippy toes is normal on the saddle, though.
She can’t touch the ground while on the seat? Good, she should be able to without tilting
That is a very long seat post and you don’t need nearly all of it. If she is close as is, chop an inch or two off and go with it.
Right now it stops at the top of the top bolt for the not installed bottle cage. You have plenty of safe excess to cut. It’s also an inexpensive post so not worth keeping pristine. Cut away.