Need some help , 20.5 TT for 6 feet is ok?

I am about the same height, and I have my old 1988 Mongoose. I am sure that it's top tube is near the same length, but I have 9"bars. Try the taller bars first. I would not go taller than 9.5, unless you have abnormally long arms for your torso. If you have a top loader stem, it can give some extra height. I feel your pain on the 8" bars though. My step son's SE has 8" bars and it feel like a toy to me. Wierd that an inch makes that much difference.

About half of the people I have talked to told me I should get a 21" TT bike, and the other half say that 20.5 is fine. When testing new bikes, I have ridden bikes with 21" TT and I did not feel a big difference unless the bars were taller or shorter. Personally I notice more difference in chainstay lengths than anything else on a bike...

Ok , so what you are saying is that if i will update my bars , i will feel a difference .
My arms are long (i think, maybe because i am thin) , what size do you think it will do for me? 9' , 9.5' 10' .
I don't have a top loaded stem

My sons bike set up:
Prefect 10 bars
53mm reach for a top load stem
34mm offset forks
Layback tripod seat post
165mm cranks
He's 6'.. Best combo, but this is just his opinion? 20.5 tt frame

Brian_Griffin wrote:

My sons bike set up:
Prefect 10 bars
53mm reach for a top load stem
34mm offset forks
Layback tripod seat post
165mm cranks
...more

Brian_Griffin wrote:

My sons bike set up:
Prefect 10 bars
53mm reach for a top load stem
34mm offset forks
Layback tripod seat post
165mm cranks
He's 6'.. Best combo, but this is just his opinion? 20.5 tt frame

...more

Thank's Brian . I hope it will work. but what is your opinion

It'll feel horrible in my opinion. A 21"tt would feel a lot better than 20.5 with big bars. Depending on how you ride that might still feel cramped.
I'm 6' too and 9" bars feel too tall for me, and my 21"frame feels a little cramped when riding around. It's perfect for when I'm actually riding though. It's all personal preference, but I think you'd notice a more positive difference with a longer frame. Slightly higher bars will probably help too, you might like 9's.
Do you have any buddies you can swap a few parts with to see if you like em? That's the best thing to do before spending money on something you might not like. Flip your stem upside down, that will give a bit more rise and will probably feel a lot better

I'm 6'5 almost 6'6 and I ride a 21.25 BTM with 175mm cranks, 8.6 rise bars, 53 reach stem. I just ordered new brandon begin bars with 9.420 rise along with a kink high rise 53mm reach stem to help out my back. Sometimes it feels a bit small for me, a 21.4/21.5 would probably be perfect for me and what I am going to be getting next probably if I ever need a new frame. Depends how and what you ride like others have said as well. A lot of its personal preference.

grumpySteve wrote:

It'll feel horrible in my opinion. A 21"tt would feel a lot better than 20.5 with big bars. Depending on how you ride that ...more

grumpySteve wrote:

It'll feel horrible in my opinion. A 21"tt would feel a lot better than 20.5 with big bars. Depending on how you ride that might still feel cramped.
I'm 6' too and 9" bars feel too tall for me, and my 21"frame feels a little cramped when riding around. It's perfect for when I'm actually riding though. It's all personal preference, but I think you'd notice a more positive difference with a longer frame. Slightly higher bars will probably help too, you might like 9's.
Do you have any buddies you can swap a few parts with to see if you like em? That's the best thing to do before spending money on something you might not like. Flip your stem upside down, that will give a bit more rise and will probably feel a lot better

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i will try to ride some 21's that i will find for sale , maybe buy one if it feels good. But anyways , if getting a 10 ' rise and maybe a top load stem on my 20.5 will do just fine , i will be more than pleased, you know what i mean

dont do it. I'm 6ft and I'm on a 20.75 and it still feels way too small for me

Rode a 20.8 TT with 10" bars and it was one of the best set ups I've had . I'm 5.9

Longer toptube if you can find a good trade or sweet deal, but do t waste the money. max spacers merrit crumlish grips Verde regent 9.25 plus Sunday freeze stem equals perfect in my opinion at 6 foot

pauzadupa wrote:

i will try to ride some 21's that i will find for sale , maybe buy one if it feels good. But anyways , if getting a 10 ' rise ...more

pauzadupa wrote:

i will try to ride some 21's that i will find for sale , maybe buy one if it feels good. But anyways , if getting a 10 ' rise and maybe a top load stem on my 20.5 will do just fine , i will be more than pleased, you know what i mean

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Are you having issues straining your neck and head trying to look ahead, or pain/ discomfort in your back? Or do your knees hit the bars, or get super close when you ride?

If your only problem is the first, you should be good with only getting a taller rise bar/ stem. If you are having problems with knee, or leg clearance defiantly look into getting a frame that's 21.25"+.

I ran into both of those problems when I tried to ride my 20.5" frame at 6' and by the time I got to 6' 3" I was physically unable to ride it.

I ride a 21.5" frame, 55mm Enduro stem, 172mm steerer tube fork and 10" Fu-Bars and it fits me so perfectly, that I have no need to go bigger/ smaller on anything.

I get your point , but check it out. Today i flipped the stem upside down , to see if i will notice any difference, and i did ! I have the same 8" bars and from my measurements i think ,after the stem flip , the rise grew with 0.5" (if i'm not wrong) . Now , i can really feel a difference ,the bike feels more comfortable , but not quite enough. Is a 9.5 " or 10" bar rise gonna solve my problems? I am a bit confused, to be honest.. )

by the way i found this WTP with 21" frame at the price of 110 $ :
http://olx.ro/oferta/vand-bmx-wethepeople-reason-2012-ID4Y9m0.html

Im 5'8 used to ride a 20.25 cuz i used to.do flatland and only ever used smaller bikes but then went to 20.4. then 20.5 and now on a 20.7 that feels fantastic. If you are 6ft you should definitely get a 21.
They are more roomy and especially at your height will.make things feel more relaxed and less stressful at high speeds. Youll have better.control.in other words. It doesnt mean you cant shred on a short frame.. you can and many people.do.. but do it for a while then switch to a longer 1 and youll see what I mean.
What made me switch was i had beem trying a table to manual on my 20.5 for like 10.mins when a kid rolled up and said, here try it on my frame (he has 21.25) i pulled it first try without thinking.. the table went so flat for so long and the manny locked the whole way.. what i noticed though, was how.much easier it was to move around on and control the bigger frame. So if riding a 21 frame.makes stuff that much easier for a guy thats 5'8 what do u think itll do for someone thats 6' like you. Get a 21, you will like it a lot better. You will also like a 20.5 or even a 20 because its bmx but eventually when you try the 21 youll wonder why you didnt earlier.
Just as a disclaimer YES, you can shred on a short frame and many ppl do.but youll.be happier with the long one.

pauzadupa wrote:

I get your point , but check it out. Today i flipped the stem upside down , to see if i will notice any difference, and i did ...more

pauzadupa wrote:

I get your point , but check it out. Today i flipped the stem upside down , to see if i will notice any difference, and i did ! I have the same 8" bars and from my measurements i think ,after the stem flip , the rise grew with 0.5" (if i'm not wrong) . Now , i can really feel a difference ,the bike feels more comfortable , but not quite enough. Is a 9.5 " or 10" bar rise gonna solve my problems? I am a bit confused, to be honest.. )

by the way i found this WTP with 21" frame at the price of 110 $ :
http://olx.ro/oferta/vand-bmx-wethepeople-reason-2012-ID4Y9m0.html

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Again, I've been through what you are going through. Buying new bars/ stems only to realize you need a longer TT, because of knee/ leg room is somewhat frustrating (especially if your low on funds).

If clearance isn't an issue at all, I would recommend getting some 10" bars to go with your FL stem first. It would be about the same as getting 9-9.5" bars + a TL stem (while being cheaper/ less of an investment). If you don't mind also getting a TL... go with a 9-9.5" bar.

From what I had to go through, I would rather know what's too big than having to go from 8.5" to 9" to 9.5" and then 10" + getting a TL somewhere along all of that.

Also going from 20.5" to 21" will be like flipping your FL... You will notice it, but probably still want more.

Ok , so i have to try a 21" first to see the real difference. It s frustrating because i ve just bought this bike , so now i will have to sell it and hope to find a cheap 21" ... So many details in getting a bmx , who knew..