How A Bike Is Measured

Mountain bikes have a lower center of gravity to keep you on balance riding over roots rocks and mud on the trail.

How a bike is measured. Measuring the width of your sit bones only applies when you sit up straight. These designations can be confusing but one wonders how a manufacturer determines what to call a push bike s rim size. Some brands such as moots even mix the two. With every bike there is a geometry sheet that will give the exact measurements of everything from the top tube length to the seat tube angle.

Road bike frame sizes are measured in centimeters. When you ride a mountain bike or road bike the saddle is higher than the handlebar. For example mountain biking is a lot more aggressive than road biking and may require a smaller sized bike to make it more maneuverable through different terrains and obstacles whereas a cross country racing bike may be sized slightly larger to allow more speed to be generated. Mountain bike frame sizes are measured in inches.

The frame is the metal body of the bike and it is measured in three key places. While most bike frames utilize only one measurement for sizing knowing how to locate all three is key to getting the right size bike. It should give a good first direction but there are more factors at play here. The main factor in buying the right bike is the frame size.

Carefully push the bike in a strain line until the bike makes the second dot. Measure from the center of the gear crank to the top of the seat tube if there isn t a label. Know how to measure a bike s frame size. Road bikes are typically always measured in centimeters such as 52cm or 56cm.

Add a dot o wet paint on your bike tire. Depending on the kind of bike you ride or want to ride will determine your size along with your riding style. Measure on the ground the length between the first dot and the second dot and this should give you the circumference of your bike s tire. Measuring the bike tire size is hard as it initially seemed.

Bicycle frame sizes and tire sizes differ but neither of these apply when talking about whether a bicycle is 16 inches 24 inches 26 inches 27 inches or 700 millimetres. You can try to mimic your position when you ride a bike but it s not accurate enough. For this article the type of bike is irrelevant for how we are going to determine how to measure a bike frame correctly. For detailed instructions and diagrams on measuring a specific type of bike try our online bike measurement tool it shows you exactly what to measure for your bike and provides a chart of suitable riders for each bike size.