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maybe a noob question.

I bought a 19 inch frame Hardtail MTB. I mostly ride for fitness and leisure. Have done some commutes as well. I faced some issues while riding long. I started having pains in the palms, and then I discussed with other local bicyclers.

The following was the observations by the local members of the community 1. The seat post cannot be adjusted to my height - seat post was already at the max and one of the members said that it may cause frame breakage on longer rides( I have done max 32km only twice or thrice) 2. I went three times on a 32km ride, and post that had problems with my palms going numb, and didn't ride for more than a week(started riding smaller rides ranging from 8 to 16kms) 3. Frame is too small i.e a 19inch MTB is too small for my height i.e around 6 feet 4 inches, would have to buy a 21 or 22 inch MTB considering my height.

My question is

Can i buy parts such that i can make the 19 inch MTB fit for my height to be ridden.?

One of the members from a local group said the following

  1. I can buy a 450mm seat post to increase the height of the seat post and the maximum amount of the seat post will be inside the cycle seat stem.. Hence it would create lesser impact on the frame.
  2. I am planning to buy a butterfly bar, an adjustable stem, and also some bar tape to change the handles.

Would these be helpful in making for a more comfortable ride?? Help, observations would be great.

Edit

Cost of the bicycle Rs. 28000 - $400 approx. The cost of the items I am planning to buy are no more than $30.

UPDATE : @Gschenk

Thanks for the inputs, I tried sitting at the front most position on the saddle, this allowed me to be more upright and seems the COM is definitely at the place that you said, I tried varying hand positions as well(Tried narrowing it to over the brake lever more closer to the stem, this gives great relief, and was able to ride longer today :) ).

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  • For reference: 19 in correspond to 0.483 m; 6 ft + 3 in correspond to 1.91 m.
    – gschenk
    Commented Feb 7, 2017 at 13:32
  • I am exactly of your size. I also had an undersized frame (not as bad as yours though) and suffered a lot from: numbness in hands, shoulder pain and back pain. Knowing more theory about fit today, I think I was too far forward on the bike. Ideally one's centre of mass COM ought to be over the bottom bracket. If it too far forward it increases forces on the handlebar. It can be tested by standing firmly on the ground and leaning forward unsupported, the COM is always over your feet. Lean until the your body is in the same position as on the bike, then measure from buttocks to COM.
    – gschenk
    Commented Feb 7, 2017 at 13:42
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    Please add the following information: price of your bike and resale value. Why: Those fixes will cost and still are bodges, cutting your losses by selling and buying new might be more economical.
    – gschenk
    Commented Feb 7, 2017 at 13:46
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    You have already lost the $200, its called sunk costs. What you need to decide is do you spend $200 getting a new $400 bike the correct size, or spend some other figure making the poorly fitting bike fit better (but it will always be a poor fit)
    – mattnz
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 18:55
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    Kashipai, wegen you worked out your solution, please remember this thread and come back to post tire solution as an answer (perhaps wit a photo). This will help as a future reference for others with similar problems.
    – gschenk
    Commented Feb 9, 2017 at 10:37

2 Answers 2

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Ok tried the following things and the result is truly greatly comfortable.

  1. 450mm seat post.
  2. 117mm stem raiser.

Additionally I adjusted the saddle so that it's a bit more in front rather than far behind. Went for a 5 mile ride and absolutely loved it. Felt like I was riding a brand new bike ! Below is Increased stem and seat post

UPDATE : The comfort level has increased so much in the past 3 weeks, that I already crossed more than 200miles on the bike :)

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I'm your height, and have long legs too. Personally I have bent several seatposts and have cracked one frame because the seat was up too high.

The only thing you can do is buy a longer seatpost and fit it, but this increases leverage on the post and frame. More modern bikes use larger seatposts so have a little more material to cope with more force.

The seatpost can be reinforced using a second smaller pole up the inside of the seatpost. Downsides are extra weight, and its high-up.

There is no good way to reinforce a frame.

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