I'm in between - What Size? - HELP

I would start looking at different brands, Felt, Scott, Trek... all have their geometry on line.

ducatirdr said:

I'm having a hard time deciding what size bike to purchase. I have a deposit on a 2005 Specialized FSR 120 Expert and they have one Large and one Medium left. ($1900).

I'm 5'9" with a slightly longer torso than leg ratio.

The Medium bike's seat post is jacked up with about 1 1/2" from max hight for proper road bike type leg extention. The short stem feels a bit close.

The Large bike's seat post will need to be cut as its sticking out into the area under the mount. The top length feels a bit long.

So what would you do? Buy the smaller bike and put a longer stem or buy the larger bike and shorten the stem.

The bike will be used in the North East i.e. rooty tight technical trails...

Have you ever been professionally fit before? If so your bike fitter can use your spec sheet to help determine what size you should be on. While the stem might feel a bit close, it doesn't mean that you necessarily need a different frame size....maybe just a new stem depending on your dimensions.

If you aren't interested in getting a bike fit, here is a nice article to point you in the right direction.

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit/

I'm looking at the Stumpjumper FSR Expert Women's. Giant, Trek, and Santa Cruz all make similar bikes...but I do love Specialized.

ducatirdr said:

I'm having a hard time deciding what size bike to purchase. I have a deposit on a 2005 Specialized FSR 120 Expert and they have one Large and one Medium left. ($1900).

I'm 5'9" with a slightly longer torso than leg ratio.

The Medium bike's seat post is jacked up with about 1 1/2" from max hight for proper road bike type leg extention. The short stem feels a bit close.

The Large bike's seat post will need to be cut as its sticking out into the area under the mount. The top length feels a bit long.

So what would you do? Buy the smaller bike and put a longer stem or buy the larger bike and shorten the stem.

The bike will be used in the North East i.e. rooty tight technical trails...

go larger and shorten the stem - I made this mistake and bought medium , next time I buy large .

gclark8 said:

I would start looking at different brands, Felt, Scott, Trek... all have their geometry on line.

agreed, try some different brands, see if you can find something that fits you a bit better, go into a good bike shop, ask them to measure you up and find something with the right top tube for you. otherwise if you start changing stem sizes be careful because if you change them too much you start changing the handling of the bike.

Due to the terrain, I'd go with the smaller frame and a longer stem. Check the clearance for your jewels on the large frame. If ya feel comfy, and don't feel the larger frame is going to be a hinderance, go for it. Smaller tends to be better for tight and twisty.

triguy98 said:

Due to the terrain, I'd go with the smaller frame and a longer stem. Check the clearance for your jewels on the large frame. If ya feel comfy, and don't feel the larger frame is going to be a hinderance, go for it. Smaller tends to be better for tight and twisty.

Gotta agree here....especially with a longer torso, shorter leg length. All things point to having a longer stem on a smaller frame. Don't goof around, though...if you're going to the LBS, make them take the time and fit you properly...