Hi everyone, I'm new and I received a very nice Viribus bike for a birthday gift from my twin sister. I really love the bike and it's style, however when I first tried it, it seems to be a little small for me and as a big girl who is trying to loose the belly fat, my thighs is hitting my stomach like a beach ball. Lol! The bike turns out to be a 24 inch and I'm 5' 3" tall, I'm just wondering if this bike is too small for me? 🤔 I always had a 26 inch bike in the past, so I honestly think a 24 inch feels lower to the ground.
I do want to add that I have lower back problems with scoliosis and fibromyalgia. So I'm not sure if a 24 inch is good for me or the 26 inch will be a lot better for my hight and back problems? 🤷♀️
What does anybody think? Should exchange the bike and I get a 26 inch? I plan on getting the same style too.
by Lazy-Table-2845
13 Comments
Its on the lower end, but should fit fine. Just make sure to raise the seat to where its comfortable. Happy riding! 😊
Yes, it’s too small. Exchange it for a 26″ bike. Your knees will thank you.
Usually 24” bikes are children bikes for pre-teens in the 10-12 year range who are about 48”-58” tall. So you may have already out grown the bike and it’s too small for you.
I think it may depends but it does feel on the smaller end. If you can raise the seat, then your legs should be able to stretch fine. However, it also means you won’t be sitting as upright. If you want to be sitting more upright, you’ll probably need a bigger bike.
It doesn’t look like you’ve adjusted the saddle height, which is probably your main issue. That will give your legs room to move properly. The seat should also be angled so it’s fairly level, not pointing upwards.
Generally 24″ is a wheel size found on kids bikes (ie under 5′ or so). It’s not impossible that you could fit comfortably on this, the seat tube looks fairly long for a 24″ bike tbh. Once you get into adults sizing, it’s less about the wheel size and more about the size of the frame itself. You can get 26″ bikes that are small or large, you can even get XS 29″ bikes (not that it’s generally the best idea).
If you do try a few things and keep struggling like this, one thing that can be an issue when you’re a bit shorter is the crank length. Most bikes come with a fairly standard 165-170mm crank, but if your legs aren’t that long then they can result in your legs being too high at the top of the stroke. Ironically, kids bikes are usually one of the few places you do see shorter cranks, but the ones on this bike do look quite long to me. Whether it’s worth getting a shop to change the cranks on a bike like this is another question.
I’m just about your height, the bike looks right for general riding style. Wheels isn’t an issue. You just need to increase the seatpost/saddle height to allow the leg to ‘breath’ freely to easy leg rotation + adjust handle bar position too . Add proper tire pressure for comfy ride. Nice bike btw.
It does seem a little small but have you tried adjusting the saddle height? That may be enough to make it comfortable
Yes, it’s a bike for children
The saddle is too low. Generally my saddle is just below the top of my pelvis so that would be a place to start. And you may not be able to touch the ground while seated; maybe with your tippy toes.
For a less aggressive position, you want the bars even or above the saddle ideally. You may be able to adjust the bars slightly higher by pulliing the stem out some more. You will need to watch for the minimum insertion on the stem to see how high it can go.
You definitely need to set your saddle height. Right height is when you can straighten your leg when placing your heel on a pedal on farthest position. Also adjust your saddle position. It should be more horizontal and you also can adjust saddle position on its rails- farther or closer to the handlebar.
Wheel diameter doesn’t matter that much. Geometry do. There are lots of minivelos with 20″ wheels or even Bromptons with 16″ that fit almost everyone with minimal adjustment.
This bike looks a bit short, means it is made for short people but that saddle adjustment I described should made it pretty comfortable for casual rides. We are not talking about serious sports riding but this bike not build for that anyway.
It’s hard to tell.
You definitely need to raise the saddle a lot, like maybe 3 or 4 inches. (Check that the seat post is still at least minimum insertion. It should be marked on the post)
Then take a picture of you sitting on it, feet on pedals, and one pedal at 12 o’clock and the other at 6 o’clock
Raise the saddle level to the handlebars. Should feel much better.
Forget the wheel size, I’m 1.89 cm and I have a 20 inch folding bike that fits me properly. As other have pointed out, adjust saddle height and tilt and you will be grand.