Build me a Bike - Like I want it!

[Bman]

im 184 on a medium, seatpost is at max, but have tried large and they feel slightly bulkier / less nimble.

Shoo - im 182 and on a large.. Couldn't get comfy on the medium at all - felt too big on it! Guess its also down to how long your legs are compared to that of your upper body too..

[shaper]

If you go the build yourself route price in that you will need to buy a good tool kit like this http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/x-tools-bike-tool-kit-18-piece/rp-prod40997

 

and a bike stand as makes life a lot easier!!

 

Good thing about building yourself, you learn how things go together and therefore how to maintain and service

[Eldron]

Eldron's rule of thumb on bike sizing.....if you can get away with a 350mm seat post your frame is too big.

 

400mm seat post FTW

[divernick]

Try Tool-Up Cycles in Centurion. They do a lot of this kind of thing. 012 661 1661

[zaslinger]

Eldron's rule of thumb on bike sizing.....if you can get away with a 350mm seat post your frame is too big.

 

400mm seat post FTW

 

I thought that one of benefits of going 29" is that your mass, relatively, is lowered and closer to the hubs of the wheels resulting in better stability - More like sitting "in" the bike than "on" it.

 

Some okes on 26" look like those circus bears on mini bikes.

 

Any thoughts, explanations?

[Eldron]

I thought that one of benefits of going 29" is that your mass, relatively, is lowered and closer to the hubs of the wheels resulting in better stability - More like sitting "in" the bike than "on" it.

 

Some okes on 26" look like those circus bears on mini bikes.

 

Any thoughts, explanations?

 

Sure - I have many many many many opinions :-)

 

A smaller frame with a 400mm post will lower the centre of gravity marginally - more of the frame will be lower. This should be negligible though.

 

The statement "29ers are more stable" is true in my books.

 

Why they are more stable is debatable - my opinion:

1) Lower attack angle - bigger the wheel - lower the attack angle. This could be interpreted as more stable because the bumps feel a little smaller.

2) Heavier 29er wheel - more momentum - greater feeling of stability (the downside if, of course, that it's also more difficult to make it change direction.

3) Lowered effective centre of gravity - this is a tough one to prove - I'm not sure I believe it. Most 29er have similar BB heights to 26" bike so the overall centre of gravity is the same - the wheel axles are just 31.5mm higher. Not sure that will make a huge difference in feel - the bike only makes up ~15% of the total weight - not sure that is enough to affect stability.

 

The "in the bike" versus "on the bike" feels very real. I'm 6'2" and when I got on my first 29er I thought "so THIS is what bikes should feel like!". "In the bike" is exactly how I would describe riding a 29er. When I ride 26ers now I feel like I'm about to go over the bars all the time. I'm sure I could reduce that feeling by spending some time sorting the position out but bike on bike 29 I feel more in than on.

[Eldron]

Shoo - im 182 and on a large.. Couldn't get comfy on the medium at all - felt too big on it! Guess its also down to how long your legs are compared to that of your upper body too..

 

Be a bit careful with the "I'm xx tall and ride a medium/large" - some manufacturers call a 19" large - other 20".

 

I'm happy on a large Niner but my mate who has slightly shorter legs and slightly longer upper body feels happier on an XL. Overall height we're about the same but one of us rides a large and the other an XL - oddly enough the one with the shorter legs rides the XL.