Is it such a good idea to use a person's height as the basis of seat tube length, since we are really talking about leg length here? After all, everyone's proportions are different. I'm 5'6 but have short legs (29" inseam to the floor in bare feet) and I definitely feel more comfortable on a shorter frame than most 5'6" folks would prefer (no troll jokes, please... I already feel bad enough after looking up my measurements in Talbot's framebuilding book and finding that my ideal frame had a 49cm seat tube and a 57 cm top tube. Many, many thanks to Richard Sachs for telling me that the tables were junk, my self image is at least partially restored, but it is still a bit fragile).
Bob (still riding a 53cm, but with a 263 mm stem) Hovey
Columbus, GA
>The information about sizing in interesting. Perhaps here in Australia we
>do things differently, but I am being told I need to ride a 50-51cm frame
>and I am 5'6"
>
>Peter, in Perth, Western Australia (where summer just keeps on rolling....)
>
>>In a message dated 3/26/03 8:24:07 PM Pacific Standard Time,
>>rena.cutrufelli@comcast.net writes:
>>
>>
>> > was wondering if that average 1960's 5ft 7" Italian racer would, on
>> > the average, use a 54cm frame as I do?
>> >
>>
>>No, the average 5'7" Italian would ride about a 57cm frame. A 5'4" rider
>>would like likely use a 54cm frame. This rule of thumb only holds for the
>>middle sizes.
>>Stevan Thomas
>>Alameda, CA