![]() So there really isn't a defining length for where the bike starts sucking at corners, its just people over time get used to riding whatever bike they are on. ![]() Yet, today, we have an arbitrary standard of the same modern 29 trail bike being on the small side and good at cornering. Every review would say how this bike is sluggish in corners. Imagine a company back then came out with a bike that was a modern 29" trail bike. Go back mentally to 2014 where 26" enduro bikes were shorter than modern XC 29ers. The additional ~2 lbs of weight also helps quite a bit with stability, and gets you fitter as well.Ĭornering wise, its a myth that longer bikes don't corner as well. Not only are they safer, but when made with proper geometry like a long chain-stay and steep seat tube angle (Geometron, Pole), they climb way better over technical stuff. For everyone else, longer bikes are better. If this is the case, a smaller bike is going to be better for you. The biggest factor in riding style is how much you like to get air, and do trials like moves. This reasoning overall doesn't make sense because bike size has nothing to do with the trails you ride, but more to do with how you ride them. You can then plug this number into this calculator from OneUp to find out what's the longest dropper post that will fit. ![]() ![]() Now subtract the seat tube length of the bike you're thinking of getting the number you're left with is the "collar-to-saddle rails distance", which is the room that's left for a dropper post. To work out if the seat tube is too big, use a bike where the saddle height is at the right height for pedaling, then measure the distance from the saddle rails to the center of the bottom bracket. The limiting factor for sizing up is usually the seat tube length - this is because older bikes have long seat tubes and short reach numbers. For example, at 191 cm or 6'3", I'm choosing an Xl or sometimes a Large with modern bikes, but with bikes from a few years ago I'd be looking for an Xl or XXL. So in this case, it's usually worth sizing up if you can. But if you're looking at buying an older bike, most experts would now agree that the reach and wheelbase are going to be on the short side (especially for taller riders), making for handling that would be more fairly described as "sketchy" or "terrifying" rather than "agile" or "fun". Throughout the history of mountain biking, this gradually shifted to the point where now, long and travel-adjustable dropper seatposts make it possible for most riders to fit on a range of sizes without worrying about the seat tube length at all. Taller riders needed a taller frame in order to get their saddle high enough and shorter riders needed a shorter frame in order to get the seat low enough, but the horizontal length of the bike (which is critical for stability and handling) was almost an afterthought and barely changed between the smallest and largest sizes. In the early days of mountain biking, sizing was almost entirely based on the seat tube length, or the distance from the bottom bracket to the top of the seat clamp (usually measured in inches). If you're shopping for an older bike - by which I mean one made before about 2015 - the above doesn't necessarily apply. But because the saddle can be slid back and forth on the saddle rails to adjust the saddle-to-bar distance (while the reach is fixed) it's usually better to focus on reach when choosing a bike. The effective top tube length - that's the length of a horizontal line drawn from the top of the head tube back to where it meets the seat post - is arguably a better measure of how roomy the bike will feel while seated. This means a modern bike with a long reach doesn't feel very long or stretched out when sitting down. Seat tubes have got much steeper in recent years, which moves the saddle forwards toward the handlebars. All of these will affect how big the bike feels to ride so make sure the bikes you're riding have the same stem length as what you would run on the bike you're intending to buy and a bar height that's appropriate for you.Īlso, the reach on its own doesn't tell you how far the handlebars sit in front of the saddle this also depends on the effective seat tube angle, which is the angle of a line drawn from the bottom bracket to the top of the seat post. Note that reach is purely a measurement of the frame - it doesn't take into account the length of the stem, the rise of the handlebars, or the number of spacers under the stem.
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