ICAN frames and bikes come in all possible sizes, and a new rider will have no difficulty in finding a perfect fit for him or her. In the bad old days, choice was limited. Sales people would recommend a “medium-sized” frame. And the only way to make it fit was by using a longer stem and seatpost for the tall guys. Such a bike handled like a mule. But those frustrating long-ago days are over –bike design and fitting has become a science. So – how do we begin, to find the perfect bike size?
- Measure your true height.
- Measure the inseam
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Measure bike frame size
First step:Measure your true height.
The first step is to establish your true height. Stand up straight with your back against a door frame in stockinged feet. Ask a friend to rest a pencil on your head, holding it absolutely level as he or she makes a mark on the door frame. Then get out a tape measure and find out how far off the floor the mark is – which is your true height. At this stage you already know very roughly what size frame will fit you best. A 62cm frame will most probably fit a tall guy over six feet; a short lady of five feet might do well on a 48cm frame. We're in the ball park here, but further measurements must be taken.
Second step:Measure the inseam
The second most important measurement is inside leg length, sometimes called inseam. Stand against the door frame again with your feet about 18” apart, and step forward a couple of inches. Take a big book and place it between your legs so that it's held horizontally, in contact with your crotch and also with the the wall behind you. Mark the top edge of the book and measure from the floor to get your inseam. This is an important dimension when it comes to setting the height of your seat post, and choosing the standover of your frame.
When you are straddling the bike with your feet on the ground, your crotch should be well clear of the frame. So the standover should be at least one inch or 3cm longer than your inside leg.
MTB frames with sloping top tubes have plenty of clearance; on a time trial frame with horizontal top tube the clearance is much tighter. Let's return to the tall guy and the short lady. He most probably has an inside leg of 84cm. The lady's inseam is perhaps 61cm. Which means that his standover is about 87cm ansd hers is about 64cm. We're talking about road bikes here. MTB frames are smaller, with seat tubes ranging from 16” to 23”.
How to measure bike frame size
Now we come to how the frame is measured. The seat tube, or seat tube equivalent on a gorgeous ICAN carbon frame, is the distance between the centre of the crank axle and the centre of the top tube, where the seat post fits in. Some frames are quoted with an imaginary horizontal top tube as the upper measuring point.
One of the best ways to choose a bike that fits you well is to check out the dimensions of ICAN frames online. Once you know your height and inseam in centimetres you can zero in on a well-fitting frame or complete bike by studying the size chart.
The latest ICAN design is the beautiful A22 Aero Disc road frame, which comes with six sizes of seat tube: XS (45cm); S (48cm); M (51cm); (L54) and XL(57cm). The frames are based on an ICAN design concept known as Speed Balanced Geometry. You will notice that some dimensions are the same for all sizes, such as the fork length and offset, bottom bracket and chainstay length. But the effective top tube lengths range from 50cm to 59cm, to give individual riders their optimal power stroke on the pedals. In the so-called cockpit of bikes based on Speed Balanced Geometry, short cyclists have a reach of only 355,7 mm and the tall riders are stretched out all the way to 403.8.
Talking of the power stroke, many articles have been written about the ideal saddle height. And there are many opinions on the subject of how close the saddle should be to an imaginary vertical line drawn through the bottom bracket. But no matter which school of thought an enthusiast favours, a Speed Balanced Geometry frame from ICAN will get him or her into to a very efficient, scientifically-proven position as basis for fine tuning – in millimetres.
In the old days of steel bikes, the only way to get a bike that fitted perfectly was to go and get measured for a very expensive custom-built frame. But now, in modern times, the choice offered by ICAN, particularly with the Speed Balanced Geometry breakthrough, is the equivalent of a custom built carbon frame that fits like a glove – comfortable, fast, light, responsive and thrilling. And the first steps toward that ICAN perfection is so simple – get yourself measured for height and inner leg length, then log on to ICAN and check your numbers. You will find a bike that's tailor-made for you, regardless of whether you're tall or short.
