Any preferences?

[Norwood42]

Length of frame dictates fit (given period geometry and style).
A 22" toptube is m/l (usually 19") often suiting a rider 5'10-6'
17" frane size is usually 21.5" tt of this period.
Toptube measurement is usually horizontal c to c, casks "virtual toptube"

Thanks but could you translate that for a novice?

 

[Norwood42]

So it isn’t a 17’’ frame you mean?

 

[CassidyAce]

So it isn’t a 17’’ frame you mean?

Some manufacturers measured frame size from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube (c-t) and others measured from the centre of the bottom bracket to the centre of where the top tube (tt) meets the seat tube (c-c). If I remember correctly, Marin did the latter, so a 17" Marin could be about 19" if measured to the top of the seat tube. The top tube on a 17" (c-c) 1995 Pine Mountain is 57 or 58 cm (I can't remember which and I no longer have the bike).

The horizontal measurement is the top tube measurement from the centre of the head tube to the centre of the seat tube. (Now that most top tubes are sloping, the measurement for a 'virtual' horizontal top tube is more often quoted.) Entry level bikes tended to have slightly shorter top tubes, giving a more relaxed riding position; higher end, racier bikes tended to be a little longer, giving a longer and lower position.

 

[Norwood42]

Some manufacturers measured frame size from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube (c-t) and others measured from the centre of the bottom bracket to the centre of where the top tube (tt) meets the seat tube (c-c). If I remember correctly, Marin did the latter, so a 17" Marin could be about 19" if measured to the top of the seat tube. The top tube on a 17" (c-c) 1995 Pine Mountain is 57 or 58 cm (I can't remember which and I no longer have the bike).

The horizontal measurement is the top tube measurement from the centre of the head tube to the centre of the seat tube. (Now that most top tubes are sloping, the measurement for a 'virtual' horizontal top tube is more often quoted.) Entry level bikes tended to have slightly shorter top tubes, giving a more relaxed riding position; higher end, racier bikes tended to be a little longer, giving a longer and lower position.

Hello! Thanks for the info and also boohoo! Gutted so yeah the Marin prob is too big for me unfortunately. Why can’t bike manufacturers just make things to a single standard way so everyone knows where they stand

 

[Tootyred]

Fyi...its about 1.5" on top. So 17" marin measurement c to c, will be 18.5" c to top.

Unless you have short arms to body or your after a bike for xc racing, i wouldn't be put off by going a size up....for general use they can be more comfortable.

The smallest they made was 15" ...so your 17" is a medium.

Ask the height at mid top tube to floor....if you can stand over ok, then its all good.

 

[bikeworkshop]

So it isn’t a 17’’ frame you mean?

The frame size is ultimately what the manufacturer printed on the box it was delivered to the shop in

We see bikes where the frame size doesn't correspond to anything you can measure on the frame but more and more brands now say s,m,l so that's a bit easier.

It's easier to make a bike that's a little big ride ok compared to one that's a bit small.
I would guess that 17 would be ok for a rider 5'6 to 5'9.

Remember, buy the one you prefer, not the one you think is better.
I know this is the better tactic.

 

[Woz]

Don't buy any bike the wrong size to actually ride. Rule numero uno.

All the amount of love / hope from distant gods on the planet will never make it work out.

 

[Woz]

From experience, Marins come up large with a fairly long tube.

Don't buy a bike without finding a geometry chart before. Any reputable maker published one. The archive here is a resource to help,

When buying second hand demand actual measurements to compare and be sure.

 

[Mr CC]

I have an old Alpina 503. Still in good condition. The only part that has been changed is the back wheel because it was stolen. Keep in mind it’s a long bike.

 

[DrDaveTampa]

Thanks but could you translate that for a novice?

Nobody knows why but the "size" of a mountain bike is based on the seat tube length, which has nothing to do with anything. I remember back when I was a kid, the folks at the Schwinn shop were focused almost exclusively on standover height, and I kinda get that for a diamond frame road bike. But mountain bikes aren't shaped like that. Probably one of those "but that's how we've always done it" things

A lot of people, myself included are much more focused on reach, so in other words how far it is from the seat tube to the grips basically. In terms of frame measurements, if you know the "effective top tube length," or in other words, what the top tube length would be if it were parallel to the ground, you can more or less predict how the bike will fit.

Find a bike you enjoy riding, and measure from the middle of the seatpost to a middle of the headtube parallel to the ground, that's the ETT you're shooting for. You have some wiggle room -- there are several adjustments you can make to fine tune it, with stem length being the most common -- but it's good to be close.

What is gonna work for you just depends on how you're built, and how you like your bike set up. If you like a bike, and feel confident on it, that's a good sign that it fits. So find one you like, whether it's yours or your buddy's or one you test-drove at the shop. Measure ETT and start digging through old catalogs, the best collection of which is right here on this forum.