# Another Big Dummy Sizing Question



## philelmer (Jul 8, 2014)

Morning...

I grant you the ideal solution to this, as per the guidance on the Surly website and every bike forum known to mankind is "go to the bike shop and try it" however I'm in Korea and even the "local" Surly shop is 5 hours away, and they only order bikes in anyway, they don't have a range of sizes.

So, that aside...

I have two Surlies. (I like Surlies)

1. A 58cm Disc Trucker which I toured NZ on with full panniers, a child seat and a trailer. In an ideal world it's probably on the limit of being a bit on the small side for a road bike but the extra standover height helped confidence-wise with the heavy touring load. (including the trailer my rig weighed over 90kg plus me and the nipper)

2. The other one, my commuting bike, is a singlespeeded 60cm crosscheck. Not so much standover height but feels more the "right" size as a road bike. Saying that my commute is only 9 city miles each way so I don't do mega mileage on it to really test the comfort.

So, for anyone who can relate, I am undecided between a 20 inch and 22 inch BD. I'm 6 foot 2 and intended use will be light haulin' (as they say in america and on most BD blogs) and taking kids to school, camping etc, and of course riding a century on at some point just to shut people up who think you need an expensive carbon roadie for such endeavours.

I went off topic a bit there. Sorry. Anyway, what do you think? 20 or 22 inch?


----------



## NordicNorm (Jul 25, 2014)

I'm 5'10" and ride a 20". At first it felt slightly big, but now I'm used to it and glad I didn't go 18". The reach was a bit too long and low for me stock, so I compensated with short riser stem and gull wing bars.


----------



## Raider47 (Apr 29, 2012)

I'm 6'4", 34" inseam and have the 22" frame. I can stand over the top tube with about 3-4" clearance. The reach to the handlebars is good for me too. I feel like it is about perfect for my size so at 6'2", you probably could go either 20" or 22". 20" might be better for cruising and it would be easier to sell later if you were so inclined.


----------



## gregclimbs (Sep 21, 2006)

Also, I tend to recommend to go with smaller size for dummies that could go either way for two reasons - 1) it is easier to get aboard with heavy/awkward loads and 2) it is easier to share with other people.


----------



## PScal (Apr 29, 2010)

gregclimbs said:


> Also, I tend to recommend to go with smaller size for dummies that could go either way for two reasons - 1) it is easier to get aboard with heavy/awkward loads and 2) it is easier to share with other people.


I agree with this. I'm 5'8 and ride a small Big Dummy. I went for the small for a more upright riding position. When I added a child seat, there was another added bonus. I found the low top tube really nice for stepping through instead of swinging my leg over the saddle and possibly kicking my kid.


----------



## philelmer (Jul 8, 2014)

I've a feeling you're right about the smaller of the two sizes. More leeway to catch it before it falls too. 

And a fair point about kicking the nipper in the face. I think he's still bruised from last summer. All character-building for him though.

How do your big dummy sizes compare to your normal road bike size? If indeed you have a road bike.


----------



## PScal (Apr 29, 2010)

I ride a 54cm road bike (Jamis Eclipse), and my recreational mtb (Krampus) is a medium.


----------



## Bong_Crosby (Oct 10, 2006)

I'm 6' 2" with 33" inseam and ride a 22". A 20" would probably work too. My preference when I'm between frame sizes is to go with the larger. I've always felt like it's easier to get a slightly large frame to fit me than it is to get a slightly small one to.


----------

