Hi, re-introducing myself to recreational bicycling after 30 years of not riding one. (I live in Kona so why not?)
I recently purchased a 26" mountain bike for trips to the store, into town and possibly onto rougher terrain. I am 6 ft, 190 lbs. in decent shape.
I remember as a kid that I never liked riding bike without my legs almost fully extended. I realize some knee bent makes ergonomic sense. I bought the largest bike I could find in the store and the seat and handlebars do not extend high enough to suit me.
Perhaps you can enlighten me.
Hans in Kona who plays the guitar when not riding bike.
Bike fit is a matter of preference but if you want to know the conventional experts' opinions, do an online fit calculator or two.
I had convinced myself I needed full extension and took some of the joy out of my cycling by riding nutcracker frames which were too tall for me. Then I got a smaller frame, set my seat by the conventional recommendation, and I think it's great. Your mtb is not likely to present a safety issue if it's too big because most of them have sloping top tubes which give you a bit more clearance, unlike my vintage road bikes, but there are other things to recommend a smaller frame.
I commuted for a while on a 17" department store cruiser frame, and I am a 6 footer. It was a joy to throw around on a trail whereas I don't like my 22" Raleigh as much. I find it too long. I don't know if you trail ride much but I think the thing to do these days is to get a bike a size or two smaller for MTB. It seemed like a good plan.
Whether with your current ride or something else, if the seatpost is too short then get a longer one. They make 350 and 400 mm seatposts.
Bike fit is a matter of preference but if you want to know the conventional experts' opinions, do an online fit calculator or two.
I had convinced myself I needed full extension and took some of the joy out of my cycling by riding nutcracker frames which were too tall for me. Then I got a smaller frame, set my seat by the conventional recommendation, and I think it's great. Your mtb is not likely to present a safety issue if it's too big because most of them have sloping top tubes which give you a bit more clearance, unlike my vintage road bikes, but there are other things to recommend a smaller frame.
I commuted for a while on a 17" department store cruiser frame, and I am a 6 footer. It was a joy to throw around on a trail whereas I don't like my 22" Raleigh as much. I find it too long. I don't know if you trail ride much but I think the thing to do these days is to get a bike a size or two smaller for MTB. It seemed like a good plan.
Whether with your current ride or something else, if the seatpost is too short then get a longer one. They make 350 and 400 mm seatposts.
I recently purchased a 26" mountain bike for trips to the store, into town and possibly onto rougher terrain. I am 6 ft, 190 lbs. in decent shape.
I remember as a kid that I never liked riding bike without my legs almost fully extended. I realize some knee bent makes ergonomic sense. I bought the largest bike I could find in the store and the seat and handlebars do not extend high enough to suit me.
Perhaps you can enlighten me.
What is the seatpost diameter on your bike? If it is 27.2 then you can find-and-buy a longer seatpost without too much effort ... NASHBAR used to sell different diameter seatposts which may be long enough for you ... check eBay, too (i.e., input your seatpost's diameter size and the word "seatpost"😉.
You can buy some BMX handlebars to get more elevation.
