Hi. I bought a 13'' frame 04 jamis dakar sport. I am having second thoughts about the bike and think that it may be too small for me. I'm 5' 8'' 154lbs. When I took it downhilling, I didn't feel like it was too small but the fact that it is 13'' bothers me because I see everywhere that people my height are suppose to be on a 15-17'' frame. Are there things that I can get to make it feel a bit bigger? maybe, wider handle bars, longer stem?
EDIT: i have decided to sell or trade this bike. i was wondering what is minimum and maximum frame size(in inches) i should be riding. remember, i am 5' 8'' and 154lbs. thank you.
pic of bike:
(new pic of bike with 110mm ritchey stem)
longer stem...that thing looks longer than a giraffes neck lol. if it feels ok, but its just bothering you because its 13"...don't worry about it. IMO its better to have a smaller bike than a bigger one
That bike is way to small. The stem you have on there is ruining your handling, and will make it endo happy. You need a 15" or a 17". I'm 5'9" or so, and I think my 15" is a bit small.
imo if it feels alright dont worry about the size. FWIW i used to ride an old trek 13inch hardtail for dh and it didnt bother me until i broke it.... (Im 5,8)
If i was you i would get a new stem and bars- a good cockpit can make a heap of difference to a bike and it doesnt cost much. Depending how serious you are with dh you might want to get a specific dh bike in the future as you will want a bigger bike to help keep you progressing
imo if it feels alright dont worry about the size. FWIW i used to ride an old trek 13inch hardtail for dh and it didnt bother me until i broke it.... (Im 5,8)
If i was you i would get a new stem and bars- a good cockpit can make a heap of difference to a bike and it doesnt cost much. Depending how serious you are with dh you might want to get a specific dh bike in the future as you will want a bigger bike to help keep you progressing
Get a handlebar off a bmx bike. Should stretxh the cockpit out some more (not a serious suggestion).
But as others have said, you might want a more purpose built bike for fr/dh. A burly hardtail might serve you better than that bike, which looks like its designed for xc or all mtn use.
Go to a bike shop and get fitted. You could have long legs, short torso, or vice versa. Find out what works for YOU, then go shopping. If you don't, you will just be wasting more of your money trying to fix something that you could have easily avoided.
You need to be looking at 17", but you could go a bit smaller if you're getting a downhill bike (the dakar is not a downhill bike).
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