# If a bike frame is called a 19" what does that mean?



## BoomingSooner (May 13, 2008)

Hey all. I can't find anything on my bike that really measures 19". I have a Fisher X-Cal and am looking at going FS because I'm older than dirt and my bones are too.

Trying to compare to a medium FS 29er frame and having a tough time.

Thanks.


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## emtnate (Feb 9, 2008)

Generally this is the length of the seat tube. The part of the frame that would go from the bottom bracket to top of the seat tube.. Measured from the center of the bottom bracket. Sheldon Brown always had the best answer.


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## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

the sheldon brown answer is a great one... but in the end it's like measuring yourself for a bike based on stand over height... pointless... the more important number is effective top tube length... thats what determines how streached out you're going to be...


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## Mike T. (Dec 30, 2003)

Bike sizes make as much sense as t-shirt sizes S-M-L-XL. What size fits you? The best way to know is try 'em on until you find one that fits. Bikes are the same. Like t-shirts, it's impossible to compare one brand's size with another.


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## Rufudufus (Apr 27, 2004)

Generally 19" is the equivalent of a Large frame, and will fit someone around 6 feet tall. But that's very general, there is no standard so you should always try before you buy.


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## Kaba Klaus (Jul 20, 2005)

All answers here are correct... In addition: the seat tube length is about the least important piece of information when it comes to bike fit. Would love to know why the bike industry standardized on using it to describe frame sizes.

A better (while not perfect) measure is the effective top tube length. It comes closest to describing the 'reach' of a bike for a particular rider: The distance between the center of the saddle and the bar on a correctly setup bike. Well, 'reach' obviously is rider specific and includes saddle position, stem, ... So it is not eally useful. But effective lenght of the top tube works pretty well. It is easy to meassure, the industry as agreed on how to measure it and all serious bike companies publish it for all of their bikes.

If you like the feeling of your current bike then start the test rides with a bike that has a similiar effective top tube length. Measure from the center of the steering tube horizontally to the cener of the seat post.


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