Frame Size?

[SteveS Cup]

Hi guys,

Just looking for a bit of advice on which size to go for.

I'm 6ft and quite broad so most charts would suggest I'd need an 18" frame.

My last bike was a 14" hardrock as I loved the frame and upgraded most parts for dirt jumps.

I'd still like to do a bit of jumping and general messing around but also for fairly long rides, great Surrey cycle etc.

Would I be stupid for going for a 16" bike?

Is it a personal preference or will it make riding distance a lot harder?

Thanks in advance and apologies for a bit of an un-educated cycling question!

[anonymous-user]

depends on the frame really, i think a 16 would be too small, the top tube would be very short and you would be banging your knees on the bars. a 17 might just fit but would depend on the geometry, have a look at some of the frames from dialled et al, they tend to be the right sort of geometry for your preferences, an out-of-the-box 16 bike will be just too small as its a % reduction across the bike comapred to a larger bike which i guess is not quite what you are after?

[SteveS Cup]

Hmm, knees on bars has never been a problem on my Specilized... I'll obviously need to have a ride before settling for one... I just don't want to get one then struggle to ride distance nor do I want to go bigger and then it be too much to mess around on and only be good for proper distance riding.

I'm not clued up on bike geometry so will have to do dome more research!