Should a hybrid frame size be the same as one's road bike frame size?
The reason I ask is that when I bought a hybrid bike a few years ago the LBS recommended a 48cm frame. I'm 6'1" with an 89cm inseam (yeah I'm mixing systems). A little later I got a 60cm frame road bike that another LBS recommended . Now I'm looking at a Rivendell and they recommend a 61cm (at least). It's close to the 60cm roadie but the hybrid bike has thrown me for a loop.
I rode the hybrid for years and never thought twiceabout it, but after I got the road bike the hybrid feels like a tiny circus bike whenever I ride it. Was I just poorly fitted or are ATB/hybrid bikes made to fit differently?
Should a hybrid frame size be the same as one's road bike frame size?
The reason I ask is that when I bought a hybrid bike a few years ago the LBS recommended a 48cm frame. I'm 6'1" with an 89cm inseam (yeah I'm mixing systems). A little later I got a 60cm frame road bike that another LBS recommended . Now I'm looking at a Rivendell and they recommend a 61cm (at least). It's close to the 60cm roadie but the hybrid bike has thrown me for a loop.
I rode the hybrid for years and never thought twiceabout it, but after I got the road bike the hybrid feels like a tiny circus bike whenever I ride it. Was I just poorly fitted or are ATB/hybrid bikes made to fit differently?
Different companies measure different frames in markedly different ways, and sometimes within those companies they measure different styles of bikes quite differently. It's entirely possible that all three frames (the 48cm hybrid, 60cm road bike and 61cm Rivendell) all fit you appropriately. It's also possible that they hybrid's smaller than optimal. Without knowing the geometry of the specific bike, it's impossible to know, although intuitively, 48cm does sound a bit on the small side.
Should a hybrid frame size be the same as one's road bike frame size? ------------------------------------------------------
As was said previously, many brands and styles have different geometry and features that affect their fit, as much as the basic frame size. I've been using a street-modified mountain bike as a general road bike. It has a 22"/56cm frame and fits me fine, with plenty of options for raising the seat and bars high enough. However, I just bought a hybrid bike that I had to get in a 25"/63.5cm size, as the smaller models wouldn't accomodate my needs. This new bike has a handlebar headset type that can't be raised, except by an angle-adjustment, so this played a part in the fit. I also had to get a high-rise handlebar, to make this 25-incher work. My 22" mountain bike has a 4-inch bar-raising capability and can also take an additional 4-inch stem-extender, so its range of fit is much greater, despite its smaller frame size.
As with anything, the best way to get what suits you, is to try it on for size, before buying. Pay a lesser amount of attention to the manufacturer's dimensional specs than to how it actually works with you.
Different companies measure different frames in markedly different ways, and sometimes within those companies they measure different styles of bikes quite differently.
One of the best reasons I have no desire to order frames online.
Even though there are some drooly ones out there.
--Blair "But then, I can't even get wheels right..."
