Bike Size Guide
Welcome to our bike size guide, which will help you get an idea of the right size of bike frame for you quickly and easily in both metric and imperial measurements. You can see our full electric size chart here. Our size guides are separated by bike type - hybrid, electric, road and mountain bikes / off-road bikes. Looking for our guide specifically for kids? Visit our kids bike size guide here. We also have a brand size guide for our top brands - please get in touch if you can't find the brand / model you're looking for.
MEN |
WOMEN |
CHILDREN |
|
HYBRID |
View Hybrid Sizing | View Hybrid Sizing | View Hybrid Sizing |
ELECTRIC |
View Electric Sizing | View Electric Sizing | |
ROAD |
View Road Sizing | View Road Sizing | View Road Sizing |
MTB / OFF-ROAD |
View Mountain Sizing | View Mountain Sizing | View Mountain Sizing |
Top tips for bicycle sizing
Here are some of the top considerations when choosing the correct sizes of bikes. This does not take in every eventuality and, please, if you are in any doubt at all, call our helpline or pop into any of our shops where our friendly and experienced staff can help you with the correct size.
Reach
When sizing on a new bike, the reach is a very important factor. Too short a reach and you will feel cramped up and too long and you will put pressure on your back, shoulders, arms and wrists. Both will be uncomfortable in their own ways. Having the correct length of reach will result in a comfortable position but also a more efficient position. Bike size charts are good for finding the correct reach but if in doubt, it can be very useful to sit on the bike to make sure this is right for you. We have a large number of bikes in our stores to sit on to find the correct size.
Standover
Another important factor when choosing the correct size of bike is to make sure the standover height is correct. The way to find out if the standover height is correct is to stand over the crossbar of your bike with your feet flat on either side and make sure there is approximately 25mm between you and the crossbar. If there is pressure or it is uncomfortable then it is likely that the bike is too big. This is especially important for kids bikes so there are no unfortunate accidents when they jump off the saddle.
Sizes
It is important to note that almost all bicycle manufacturers have their own sizing and geometry and because of this, you might not be the same size in all bikes. Just because you are a large in a Specialized Rockhopper does not mean that you will be a large Whyte T-140. When looking to sit on a bike to gauge sizing, it is important to do it on the same make and model of the bike you are choosing as there can be discrepancies of sizing between models of bicycles.
There are also some different sizing for different bicycles. Some are your small, medium large etc while some can be in cm – 52cm, 54cm etc and some can be in inches. 15”, 17.5” 20” and so forth.
Children’s bike sizing
With children you would usually want to size on a bicycle that is slightly too big to allow room for growth making the bike last around 2 years. There is, of course, a limit to how large you can go so you definitely want to make sure there is still the same amount of clearance for standover height as on an adult bike (25mm) but you also need to make sure that the reach is not uncomfortably long. When checking the reach, also make sure the child can operate the brakes and steer the bike comfortably as these would be more difficult on a bike that is too long.
Blog article: I’m new and I don’t know which kind of bike I should buy.