Bike sizing

Mike Danger

I recently discovered my new place is much further from public transit than I thought. I'd like to pick up a used bike on Craigslist to cut down on commute times. The problem is that my "new place" is on the other side of the US from where my old bike is (at my parents' house).

What is the important data for bike sizes - in other words, if I wanted to get a bike that was the same size as my old one, what measurements would I need to take?

Aldo

Saddle height is super important, if you place your bike next to you, the saddle should come up to your hips. The second important feature is frame size: https://www.ebicycles.com/article/bicycle-frame-size-charts.html

Also important - and something you can't judge from photos - is whether the bike is rusty, the brakes and gears are working properly and if the tires are in OK shape. I want to recommend you to not spend too much money on a bike, because the chances of being misinformed are quite high.

japan

It's tricky to give a guideline to frame sizing because there are different ways to measure it, and different guidelines apply for different types of frame and different types of riding. The charts given above are good, but do pay particular attention to the advice at the top which says that the sizes given are only a starting point, not set in stone.

The important things are that the frame is not so small or large that you cannot set the saddle to the correct position, and that the frame is not so long that you can't reach the bars comfortably. If you're buying off craigslist I presume you're buying in person, so check that the frame measurement they give you isn't wildly out of line with the guides and then try sitting on it before you buy. Take a 5mm allen key with you so that you can adjust the height.

Don't buy something where the seatpost has seized in the frame and the saddle height can't be adjusted.