Bike Fit from Photos?

[katoom]

Howdy!

Can any of you give me a clue about stem length/height by looking at photos
of me on the bike? I'm 6' and it sure seems like the stem is too short by a bunch.
Shoot, the whole bike looks too short to me. It's a Zebdi and the wheelbase
with the Monty fork in the picture is about 1050mm.

I've been looking through videos and I can't seem to identify riders of about
the same height.

Thanks,

[Cryo-Cube]

it really looks too short on the second pic (are go pedal kicking or just hopping on the rear?)
try a 120mm stem with no rise

[B1105]

I'm 5'10, I used to ride a Zebdi, and I had to use a 110x10 stem. IMO - depending on your riding style, if you do more street/trials, keep the stem, but maybe go for a longer stem/frame for natural stuff.

[Rob.K]

That frame looks way too short..........so get a long ass stem.....like 130mm with just a little bit of rise.

[AgrAde]

werd. i'd go 120 or so by 5-10 degrees. no shorter than 110.

[Cole]

I went 135mm for a long time on my Zebdi (I'm 6'1") but it sucked compared to my lb 1100 with a 110.

[katoom]

Thanks for all of the advice! I wasn't sure that an inch or so longer stem would
make much difference but clearly I was mistaken. I made a trip to the garage
and happened to notice that my XC bike has a really long stem so I put it on.
Very different and I'm eager to get the bike outside for a ride.

I went 135mm for a long time on my Zebdi (I'm 6'1") but it sucked compared to my lb 1100 with a 110. A new, longer frame is something to really look forward to, also! Perhaps as a reward for achieving some riding goal since this Zebdi seems like it will never break.


Thanks again!

[tybikes]

Ok, those who have worked at shops (or good shops) should know that anything over 120 puts too much weight over the front. You can only compensate somewhat with different bars/stems.

Katoom, go by what feels best. The bike looks short, but if you are comfortable on it, screw what everyone else thinks. I think you would improve on a longer bike (1080 or 1090) as it will stretch you out more and give you more room to maneuver. In the meantime, try rolling your bars forward a bit (so the backsweep is slightly upwards). This will give you more room when you're on the back wheel.

[katoom]

Howdy!

anything over 120 puts too much weight over the front. You can only compensate somewhat with different bars/stems. Getting the setup closer to right would be great but I do realize that it will be
a compromise. I'm enough of a novice, dare I say a beginner, that I could
have the perfect setup and it would make little difference. If I can fix the
most obvious shortcomings I'll be very pleased.

Katoom, go by what feels best. The bike looks short, but if you are comfortable on it, screw what everyone else thinks. I'm definitely not comfortable on the bike whenever I need to get my weight
far forward with the front end high. I feel like I have to squeeze myself
underneath the bars and I get kind of locked in position down there. I can
also see in videos that riders can pull the bars to their hips without contortions
during a variety of maneuvers. Obviously, most if not all of my difficulties are
due to technique but if the bike fits better I might developer fewer bad habits.

I think you would improve on a longer bike (1080 or 1090) as it will stretch you out more and give you more room to maneuver. Maybe if I hear that a bigger frame would be better enough times I'll be able
to convince myself that a new frame is the only sensible course of action.
That would be terrible!

In the meantime, try rolling your bars forward a bit (so the backsweep is slightly upwards). This will give you more room when you're on the back wheel. Thanks, I'll experiment with this also!

[BrettM]

I'm 6 foot 2 and ride a bike with an inch shorter wheelbase with a 90 mm stem. Its fine.

[katoom]

I'm 6 foot 2 and ride a bike with an inch shorter wheelbase with a 90 mm stem. Its fine. So is that you starting at about 1:45 in VanIsleTrials7? White helmet on a Koxx?

[BrettM]

Yes I believe it is. Full story. Before that bike I rode a custom Peyto with a 1004 mm wheelbase with a 90 mm stem. Then I bought a Koxx and rode that. Then I sold that about 3 or 4 weeks ago and am back to riding the 1004 mm Peyto.

I am also in that vid on a blue and white bike manualing. That is the bike I rode before and after the Koxx. Go watch any vid but number 7 that I am in and I will be on that frame.

Its the same deal with riding a bmx. A 6 foot 8 bmx dude who has ridden a bmx all his life will look like he fits the bike better than a 5 foot 10 trials guy who has never ridden a bmx bike.