JoeBiker Loc: homebase: Houston, TX

FYI, to check the size: standing flatfooted over the crossbar, just in front of the seat, you should be able to lift the bike about 2" off the ground. Otherwise, you risk wrecking the family jewels. 8-(

Much more than 2", you can ride it, but you may have trouble getting the seat and handle bars high enough, and the bike will not be very rigid (seat post and handle bar post will flex too much).

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

The size you feel most comfortable with will also depend on how the components - handlebars, seat, pedals - are arranged.

PH CIB

I always like to support a local Bike Shop and get fitted for a Bike and take it out for a trial run, for $500 you can get a good serviceable Bike with lower to mid range components,,, for a thousand or two an excellent Bicycle with top of the line components....I am still riding an old Steel Trek Bicycle weighs 26 pounds with drop bars and bar end shifters that is 20 years old and an old Titanium Road Bike weighs 20 pounds with Carbon Fiber Forks that is 20 years old...Buy a Mid Range or Better Bicycle and take care of it and it will last You a Lifetime....

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Ever so true..! Like most fellows I started out with a Huffy style steel frame 10-speed road bike. There was not a nut and bolt that did not come loose and although I thought it was fairly light (compared to a sack of concrete) it would wear me out and if there was ever a headwind, forget about it. Breaks were cheap and going fast down a hill was a death-cheating experience.

I decided it was time to visit the local bike shop instead of Walmart and what a different world that was. I ended up with a Trek road bike that ran like a sewing machine and never had anything come loose. Breaks felt safe regardless of how fast I would go. 100-psi tires instead of 30-psi tire also made a difference. The bike lasted me for 20+ years and I would average over 800 miles a year.

Three years ago I moved into a carbon fiber fame Trek with highgrade shifters and breaks. I can pick the bike up with two fingers and although I still struggle with headwinds, at least the bike is not dragging me down.

craigart14

A 26" frame would be quite large even for a road bike; for a mountain bike, that is huge. Most likely that refers to the wheel size. Check Craigslist. Lots of people buy expensive bikes but end up selling them to make space in the garage. Shop around locally, and try the bike for fit and comfort before you buy.

flathead27ford Loc: Colorado, North of Greeley

I ordered two USB rechargeable tire pumps over 6 weeks ago and they still haven't arrived. ☹

1Feathercrest Loc: NEPA

Frame size variations have been around since I was a child and I am 86. The memorable bike of my young adult life was a 3 speed Raleigh purchased used in Newport RI. I used to ride around the mansion drive every day and had no trouble keeping up or passing cars. (About 30 mph?). Once rode to Fall River but it took hours to get back as the breezes were going against me. I had a speedometer on the bike that would read 60 + mph going down hill. Level road I could maintain 30 for quite a while. An easy bike to ride and didn't need a lot of gears. Never once dropped that bicycle which is more that I can say for motorcycles which I used as daily transportation for years after, logging about 20,000 a year. Miss riding both as my equilibrium has declined in my 80's. (Don't do any roof work any longer either.) Still plan on living to the biblical 120 (G-d to Noah - in Genesis after the flood). Shalom...............

Abo

Jerry,

I don't mean to rain on JoeBikers parade, but there is no such thing as a "centre tube".

Just for the record; when I wore a younger mans clothes, I was a
competitive cyclist; predominately mountain bike cross country...
I know my $hit.

As far as fit (ergonomics not aerobic) goes Jerry, on a mountain bike, the most important dimension
is the length of the top tube... (the distance from the head tube to the top of the seat tube).
That dimension can be fine tuned by sliding the seat back or forward then tightening
the seat fasteners at the top of the seat post. The reach can be further refined
by different "stems"* (the bit that clamps around the handle bar).

*Around the 90s the design of the Stem fastening (to the forks) on quality bikes
changed radically (for the far better) so you could be in for "culture shock" on
that detail.

It was invented by a kid in Colorado and is now
adopted on good bikes world wide... The "Aheadset"... its patent
ran out in 2010 so there are other makes now.

I could write a book on the ergonomics of the push bike Jerry, but about
that subject I will just say; at least 90% of amateur/recreational riders
have the seat too low, by a very very very very large amount.
Do yourself a favour, and get that seat up. It equals, faster, further, easier.

Typically a good mountain bike has a short seat tube compared to a road
bike, which means the (good) mountain bike needs a long seat post.


See bike frame nomenclature below (sorry it's just a road bike frame):

RowdyRay Loc: MN

Doesn't matter the frame size, you'll never see it anyway. Saw your other post about UPS. Figured it was part of a scam. I Googled Coverou. WOW! Also found your post on the Paypal forum. Hope you get your money back.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I don't like those tiny bikes, I have always ridden 28", or 30"/ers all my life!