Bike Frame/Build Question?

Question

I recently picked up a 19'' 2004 Rockhopper comp disc bike frame, in perfect condition for $5 at a garage sale, in hopes to build it to be a commuting and a mountain bike I can learn on. My question is I'm 5'6'' my thought was that I could use it for the time being, I would build it myself, so I could learn how everything works, is put together, and learn how to handle a mountain bike on the trails first and then when I got more comfortable riding I could spend the money to buy a new frame. However, now I'm wondering should I just buy a 17'' frame that would fit me better? Or, are there ways when building a bike to keep the hight lower (e.g. with the stem, post, handlebars, etc) or will this just negate the purpose of the bike?

Thank you in advance for everyone's input.

Answer 1

Well....you can ride any bike, honestly. If you're going to ride often or for long periods, it's MUCH nicer to ride a bike that fits properly though. At 5'6" you'll probably fit into a 15" frame the best, but a 17" would be ok maybe, depending on the particular frame. You got a steal on that bike! It's way too big for you....just keep that in mind when you go to switch bikes later on. You'll have to re-learn some things in regards to handling when you're on the "right" bike.



The best way to buy a bike is the length of the top tube....your "cockpit". That dimension needs to fit your body well, and then you can fine tune for handling and preference with components like the stem and seatpost. Yours will be pretty long, so if you compensate with a short stem and zero-offset seatpost, you'll fit a little better but the bike won't handle as it was designed.



Personally, I love really short stems and now ride a 45mm and 60mm on my bikes.....I was used to riding 120mm-ish. See if you can find a short stem, and if that doesn't make things the best, then go to a zero-offset seatpost. A normal seatpost with 1" or so of offset can be nice to help keep your weight a little rearward but if you need to shorten things up a bunch, do it from both ends of the cockpit.



As for height, set the saddle where you want it and then work on the bars. Keep your fork steerer uncut and use spacers for awhile until you decide where you want the stem to be. You can put spacers on top of the stem, then adjust them above/below to try out different positions. When you pick one, cut the steerer and set the stem up proper. You can toy with different bars, too, but my guess is that you'll have things set up pretty low to compensate for the large frame.



Just remember....there are "ideal" fits and results, but anyone can learn to ride any bike and enjoy the hell out of it! When you buy a new bike or put one together, then you can nitpick the parts, but for now just enjoy the good deal and get out and ride! :o)

Answer 2

I'm 5' 8" and ride a 16.5 MTB frame. So yes I'm sure this is far too big. I think it's a great idea to build a bike, I did so as a kid and adult and enjoyed it immensely. It's a great learning experience as well.



Yes you can do a few things to make it fit better but it's still too big. Also, you didn't mention your age. Are you still growing? A frame for you right now would be smaller than mine. But if you're growing a 17 may be what you want to be able to use the bike more than a year or so. I think if I were in your shoes I'd re-sell the frame. You should be able to make a profit on it, use that money towards buying a smaller frame now. Having a bike that fits well is so much better than rideing a bike far too big or small.

Answer 3

The 19" is probably too long in the top tube for you unless you have an extremely long torso or like being stretched over your bike. $5.00 was a good deal; why not try going to a bike shop and see what the shop would give you for in trade.



I think you can build the 19" as a nice commuter. You can use a short stem or a Soma Oxford bar to make the cockpit smaller for you. You can easily bring the saddle lower. But it won't handle that great on technical off road trails. Depends how serious you are.