I am 6 feet tall with a 33-34 inch inseam. My wife has a decent mountain bike with a 18 inch frame. That gives me about 4-5 inches of clearence over the bar. I am a cheap person and would like to crosstrain with this bike 30-50 minutes 2-3 days a week. It seems easy to ajust the seat correctly to where my legs are straight at a 6:00 pedal position. Because I get IT band syndrome fairly easy from running and alignment issues, I want to make sure the bike will not cause any problems. Is there any harm being done if the frame is too small but the seat will still go high enough?
Thanks in advance!
Your issue will most likley
Your issue will most likley be top tube length. If you are to cramped, it may cause back issues, etc. Or, if you try and extend with too long of a stem, it could impact handling. An 18 inch MTB frame is actually not too far off for someone who is 6 feet tall.
Make sure you do NOT have
Make sure you do NOT have that leg extended striaght at the bottom of the pedal stroke. You want a bend in your knee like this:
[img]http://www.slowtwitch.com/articles/images/6/66-medium_fitangles1.jpg[/img]
The knee bend will help you avoid injury.
You'll have to raise the
You'll have to raise the handle bars too as well as looking at the stem length...raising the seat and leaving the bars where they are may leave you in an uncomfortable position with too much weight on your arms.
I agree with Triliving...the bike frame should be...ok, but it may cost you a fair amount to get the bike to fit right. Look to second hand bikes or shop around at yard sales...you may just find the banger you need X train on.