Purchasing the Correct Mountain Bike for Your Height and Size
If you are in the market for a mountain bike, consider starting with a professional shop that specializes in mountain bikes to help give you selection, professional advice, and a correctly sized bike for your height. If you purchase a bike that is either too big or small, it will inevitably cause discomfort and little enjoyment. If you follow the below mentioned guidelines, you should have no problem finding that perfect mountain bike.
photo credit: mariachisamurai
Appropriate Standover Height:
If you are checking the clearance and fitting by yourself, you will first need to examine your inseam clearance, or the standover height. This is extremely important as you need to have enough clearance between the bike and yourself. For an appropriate fit, you need to have approximately four to six inches of room between your inseam to the bike.
Leg and Feet Positioning:
There is actually a formula that is used to determine the correct leg positioning for any mountain bike. Mountain biking is usually over terrain that will shift quickly, often causing you to lift off the seat either a little or completely at times.
Considering this, you will required a seat that is slightly lower to the ground than other bikes; this should be factored into the formula in order to determine the correct frame size.
Riding Compartment Area:
You will want to verify there is an appropriate distance between the seat and the handlebars, or rider compartment. After determining the correct leg extension length, the handlebars should be leveled at one to two inches below the seat height. Under no circumstance should the handlebars be higher than you seat, unless it is medically necessary.
Dual Suspension Mountain Bikes:
Due to the nature of a mountain bike, you will have a bike with suspension at both the front and rear ends. As such, you will need to move your weight toward the middle, so neither unit is holding more weight.
Distributing your weight is actually very simple and can be done by lengthening or shortening the stem for your hand’s height, effectively moving the upper body and distributing more weight toward the rear. However, the increase or decrease should not be more than two inches, and if it is, you may need to go back to finding the correct frame size.
Test Riding:
After your bike has been properly configured to your requirements, take a quick test ride to verify everything feels correct and the bike performs as it should – but remember to wear a helmet. Check that the tire pressure is correct for the bike model, and all adjustments are correct.
Be sure to have an employee verify your body’s positioning during your ride, making any adjustments if needed to correct a problem. Ride:
Take some needed time with the bike to begin becoming accustomed to the bike’s performance and associated equipment, and start slowly. After you have become more comfortable and familiar with the bike, go ahead and begin to use it more normally.
However, if after riding for a little something is either incorrect or does not feel right to you, be sure to take your bike back to the shop and see if anything needs to be corrected, before deciding to exchange it for another bike instead.
After time, the more bikes you begin to ride, it will become easier to discern differences in each bike, and what is most appropriate and comfortable to you. Remember that it could take months or even years to begin appreciating each different bike style and riding types. Take some time to talk and connect with others who ride mountain bikes. Ask them if they ride the same bikes they sell, and you will begin to learn from their knowledge and expertise, adding it to your own.