What frame size?
- Thread starter tommy gun
- Start date
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
Do you want the bike to be comfortable and spacious on long pedals? Or snug and manoeuvrable on descents?
carpetrunner
Likes Dirt
Also depends on your body shape. I'm 178cm with short legs/long body/short arms.
I usually go a medium for the legs and look for something with a longer cockpit...
and/or slightly longer stem and slam the seat back.
- carpetrunner
I usually go a medium for the legs and look for something with a longer cockpit...
and/or slightly longer stem and slam the seat back.
- carpetrunner
I'm 178cm. Long upper legs, short torso. I waiver between the two - was on a large before but now on a medium with a bucketload of seatpost and much happier.
A number of shops have trek demos available so you should be able to get a pedal on both to see what you like, might not be the one shop but I know of at least 3 trek dealers in Brisbane with demos (unsure if they are free or not sorry)
ozzybmx
taking a shit with my boobs out
I'm 176cm and fit perfectly on every medium I've ever owned. Never wished I had got a bigger or smaller bike, got a mate who looks about the same height but reckons he's 178cm (prob because he has hair), also rides M's... but depends on your leg and arm length. If you are dino style with long legs and shorter arms, the M would be the bike with a long seatpost, flipside an urban thug style body would be better on a L with slammed seat.
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I’m 175cm and ride an 18.5 Fuel EX. I test rode one for three days back to back with a 17.5 Remedy, which definitely felt too small for my liking. I have had also a very quick ride around a carpark on a (183cm tall) mate’s 19.5 and it felt too big, so I reckon mine is spot on.
However I have the seat pretty forward on the rails. Because the Fuel has such a short and slack ‘real’ seat tube the effective seat tube angle is highly dependent upon how high you have your seat. In reality the frame design is nothing like the image used in the specification charts:
The actual seat tube is 66.2°, so whilst Trek's specification charts say all frame sizes have an effective seat tube of 74.7°, in reality that only happens for one specific seat height. Set the seat lower than this point (and I don't know where Trek defines it) and the effective seat tube angle will be steeper (ie on a biggish frame for your height the seat will be further forward). Set the seat higher (ie on a smallish frame for your height) and it will be slacker.
On the extensive Fuel EX threads on MTBR I have heard taller riders complaining that they can't get the seat far enough forward for climbing because they have too much seat tube exposed.
The short real seat tube also means there isn't much wiggle room. Mine came with a 125mm dropper, and I have set high enough that it could handle a 150mm dropper (which I think the bike I test rode had – it was one of the first of the Australian delivery 2017s, and the Bontrager dropper wasn't ready so it came with a Reverb). But there's almost certainly no way you could stick a 200mm dropper (or possibly even a 170mm dropper) because the seat tube simply isn't long enough.
However I have the seat pretty forward on the rails. Because the Fuel has such a short and slack ‘real’ seat tube the effective seat tube angle is highly dependent upon how high you have your seat. In reality the frame design is nothing like the image used in the specification charts:
The actual seat tube is 66.2°, so whilst Trek's specification charts say all frame sizes have an effective seat tube of 74.7°, in reality that only happens for one specific seat height. Set the seat lower than this point (and I don't know where Trek defines it) and the effective seat tube angle will be steeper (ie on a biggish frame for your height the seat will be further forward). Set the seat higher (ie on a smallish frame for your height) and it will be slacker.
On the extensive Fuel EX threads on MTBR I have heard taller riders complaining that they can't get the seat far enough forward for climbing because they have too much seat tube exposed.
The short real seat tube also means there isn't much wiggle room. Mine came with a 125mm dropper, and I have set high enough that it could handle a 150mm dropper (which I think the bike I test rode had – it was one of the first of the Australian delivery 2017s, and the Bontrager dropper wasn't ready so it came with a Reverb). But there's almost certainly no way you could stick a 200mm dropper (or possibly even a 170mm dropper) because the seat tube simply isn't long enough.
steve jobs' pancreas
Eats Squid
My experience with the Prime is that ESTA is determined at the seat height that is used to determine Effective Top Tube Length
also looking at these and went it to size a 19.5 fuel last week. I'm 5'10 with a 31.5 inseam, which makes the seattube a problem in most large bikes and reach too little in most mediums with a relatively long torso.
19.5 fit just right, albeit with the seatpost as low as it would go. the fuel has a slightly shorter seat tube than most so worked ok with the 150mm dropoer, and reach was good.
19.5 fit just right, albeit with the seatpost as low as it would go. the fuel has a slightly shorter seat tube than most so worked ok with the 150mm dropoer, and reach was good.
too big in reach or legs?
BLKFOZ
Likes Dirt
Both actually although reach wasn't too bad with the short stem. Dropper was pushed as far down as possible and was still slightly high, I had to drop 5mm-1cm to get it right.