28-Inch Bike For What Size Person?
After reading my guide on 24-inch bikes, you’ve deduced that a bike that size doesn’t really work for you. You know you need something bigger, but the question becomes, how much bigger? For instance, is a 28-inch bike right for you?
Riders who are 6’0” to 6’3” are suited for a 28-inch bike. Adults will find the extended frames and large tires of a 28-inch bike more comfortable for their full-sized limbs while kids won’t be able to ride. Some teens might find a 28-inch bike comfortable but will likely fit a 26-inch bike better.
This guide will be chock full of information that will help you choose the most comfortable and safe bike for you. Whether that’s a 28-inch bike and its excellent performance and stability or a smaller or even larger bike, you’ll know by the time you’re done reading!
Determining If a 28-Inch Bike is the Right Size for You
If you’re exploring a 28-inch bike, know that bicycles don’t really get much bigger than this. Sure, you could always upgrade to a 29-inch bike, but at 28 inches, your bike is considerably larger than average.
That goes for everything, by the way, including the frame and the wheel size.
So who’s eligible to ride a 28-inch bike? You should be a pretty big person yourself, standing at least 6’0” tall through 6’3”.
Shorter riders need not apply!
Most people have a pretty good idea of their height, but when was the last time you took professional-quality measurements? If you can’t recall, then do yourself a favor and measure yourself to ensure you’re within the size range to comfortably fit on a 28-inch bike.
Here’s how to do it.
Step 1 – Dress Right
When measuring your height, all sorts of things can make the numbers inaccurate. If you’re wearing a hat, that can make it hard to determine where the top of your cranium is. The same goes for pulling your hair into a top knot or ponytail.
If you’re wearing shoes, then you’re prematurely elevating your height. Even a pair of flip-flops lends you a slight boost in height, let alone chunkier sneakers or heels.
Let your hair down, take the hat off, and take your shoes off while you’re at it. You can get measured in just socks or bare feet, whichever you’re the most comfortable with.
Step 2 – Stand Properly
When preparing to get measured, there’s a correct way to stand. You should find a level wall and floor and position yourself against both.
Your buttocks, shoulders, and the back of your head should touch the wall, but you’re not pushing yourself against it. You’re merely resting your body.
Keep your feet naturally apart without squeezing any muscles in your thighs, glutes, or legs. Your feet should stay flat on the ground.
Relax your shoulders and keep your head facing straight. Don’t look down or up, as you can skew the results. Just keep staring at an invisible point in front of you.
Step 3 – Choose the Right Time of Day
Have you ever heard of morning height?
Right after you wake up and before you get your day started, you’re the tallest you’d measure. Then, throughout the day, you gradually lose height until you’re nearer to your original height.
You’re not bending and stretching all over the place like Flex Armstrong, as the height differences are subtle.
Even still, measuring your height in the morning versus later in the day can artificially inflate the number.
Step 4 – Measure from Head to Toe
Measuring yourself and standing in the right spot sure is hard, so you’re better off letting someone help you instead.
They should measure you from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head. Add 1/8th of an inch to the measurement.
Determining Bike Size by Inseam Length
Of course, your height is only one side of the coin. It’s also helpful to know your inseam length to gauge which bike size will fit you the best.
Why is that? Your inseam measurement determines the correct bike frame size.
Between height and inseam length, the latter is more important, so don’t discard it.
Oh, and don’t take the jeans inseam length you use to buy pants and apply that when shopping for a bike. That’s a great way to ensure that the bike doesn’t fit you, whether it’s a 28-inch bike or otherwise.
If you don’t mind marking up your wall, then you can measure your own inseam at home. Otherwise, you can enlist a trusted friend or partner. Just keep in mind that they’re going to have to measure between your legs, so only choose who you’re okay with doing that.
Here’s how to measure your inseam.
Step 1 – Dress Right
Just like last time, how you’re dressed matters when measuring your inseam. When measuring your inseam, it’s not so much about whether you’re wearing a hat or if you have your hair pulled up, but you definitely don’t want to wear shoes.
An inseam is the measurement from the bottom of your leg to your crotch, but heels and other tall shoes can affect how you stand, which might skew the inseam measurement.
It’s also helpful to wear tight pants, as baggy material makes it harder to measure.
Step 2 – Stand Right
Once again, you need a flat, level place to stand and a level place to position your body against. You only need your back against the wall when getting your inseam measured.
Don’t keep your feet together, but rather, spread them apart until they’re shoulder-distance.
Step 3 – Take Measurements
Using measuring tape, your friend or partner should move the tape up to your groin. They should apply some pressure to the area; not enough to hurt, of course, but enough to measure the area accurately.
Next, they should lower the measuring tape to the bottom of your leg, not all the way to your feet.
Step 4 – Repeat
If you’re not completely confident in the measuring process, then you may request a second or even a third measurement. Then you can take the average of the three measurements and use that as your inseam length.
If your inseam measures between 28 and 33 inches, then you should ride a 28-inch bike. An inseam of 34 inches indicates you need an even larger bike still, like a 29-inch bike.
An inseam between 25 and 27 inches indicates you’re too small to ride a 28-inch bike. For an inseam of 25 to 30 inches, you can ride a 26-inch bike, and from 26 to 32 inches, a 27.5-inch bike.
Determining Bike Sized Based on Rider Experience and Skill Level
Although not as precise as measuring your height and your inseam, you should not disqualify your cycling experience and skill level when choosing the right bike size for you.
As I mentioned earlier, 28-inch bikes have sizable frames and larger wheels. Keeping that in mind, I’ll now discuss how beginner, intermediate, and advanced cyclists will fare on a 28-inch bike.
Is a 28-Inch Bike Right for a Beginner Cyclist?
Beginner cyclists are usually younger, although some adults who learned to ride a bike late would also count as beginnners.
I want to reiterate my point from before. Under no stretch of the imagination can a child ride a 28-inch bike. You’ll recall from my last post that a 24-inch bike suits a child well, but that additional four inches makes all the difference.
Teens learning to ride a bike may struggle with a 28-inch bike, so I’d recommend downsizing based on their height and inseam measurements unless you have one very tall teen in your life.
Adult cyclists who consider themselves beginners should find it easier to handle a 28-inch bike if they measured themselves properly and deduced that this bike size best suited them.
A larger bike for the sake of it being large can come back to bite you. Larger wheels require more physical effort to pedal, and it’s harder to build up speed with a heavier bike frame.
By all means, if you’re a beginner and need a 28-inch bike, then go ahead and buy one. However, if you’re on the fence or between sizes, you might want to size down as long as the bike still feels comfortable.
Your bike will be lighter and allow for more comfortable riding.
Is a 28-Inch Bike Right for an Intermediate Cyclist?
Intermediate cyclists have more experience than beginners. You may have ridden a variety of bikes across all sorts of terrain. You’re also usually older, so the question of whether you should ride a 28-inch bike becomes easier to answer.
If you’re at least 6,0” and your inseam matched the requirements for a 28-inch bike, then go for it.
The larger frame and wheel sizes of a 28-inch bike should pose somewhat of a struggle for you, but you shouldn’t find that struggle impossible to overcome.
You’ll just have to keep at it for a while and get used to riding a 28-inch bike. If this is the bike size you’re meant to ride, the adjustments will come easily enough after a few sessions.
Is a 28-Inch Bike Right for an Advanced Cyclist?
Advanced cyclists have the most experience out of all the groups I’ve discussed. You’ve ridden not just different styles of bikes but perhaps tried different bike sizes to get a feel for what’s out there.
No terrain fills you with dread. You’re ready for anything a day of riding can throw at you.
You find adjusting to a new type of bike easy as pie, so riding on a 28-inch bike won’t even make you break a sweat. The longer frame size and larger wheels pose no imposition, and you’re easily riding the same day you get the bike.
Of course, even advanced cyclists can struggle if they’re not supposed to fit on a 28-incher! That said, you know enough about bikes to have a good idea of what size bike will fit you.
Determining Bike Size Based on Body Proportions and Flexibility
The last factor we’ll look at when determining the right bike size for you is twofold: how flexible you are and your body proportions.
If you’re shorter, you’ll wrestle unsuccessfully on a 28-inch bike, finding everything too difficult to reach. Your feet will struggle to stay on the pedals, especially as you begin riding and the pedals move.
You might find yourself accelerating out of control, and you can’t brake on a dime when you can’t easily get to the brakes.
You’ll strain to reach the handlebars, leaning and stretching your body to get there. You’ll end up achy and sore each time you ride, which just isn’t worth it.
You should get a bike that fits you rather than try to become Gumby just to ride a 28-inch bike.
Can You Fit into Proper Riding Position on a 28-Inch Bike?
Gauging whether you should ride a 28-inch bike can really be as simple as determining if you can get into the proper riding position on the bike.
When you sit on the bike seat with the saddle parallel to the floor, your hips should also be parallel to the floor. If they’re tilting, you’re not sitting right.
Then, as you reach out to put your foot on the pedal, once your heel sits on the pedal, the outstretched leg should stay straight. If it bends even a little, then you’re on a bike that’s not properly sized.
Of course, you don’t pedal with your heel but with the middle of your foot. Try shifting your foot to the middle of the pedal now. Your knee should bend only a little so you can pedal without hitting your knee into everything.
If your knee doesn’t bend or bends too much, then you know what I’m about to say. You need a different bike size!
Adjusting Your Bike Fit
Bike adjustments enhance performance and comfort so you can ride like the wind for longer.
You can’t adjust a bike to make a 28-inch bike fit you if you’re too small but configuring the handlebar position and saddle height will enhance your experience if you fit on a bike of this size.
Adjusting the Handlebar Position
How comfortable you feel when reaching for the handlebars is influenced in part by your bike size and your arm and torso length.
If you have shorter arms and a shorter torso, then you need a smaller bike to enable you to reach the handlebars.
The correct positioning when gripping the handlebars allows your elbows to bend only slightly. Your shoulders, back, and midsection shouldn’t hurt, and you certainly should not feel cramping.
The standard handlebar width is as wide as your shoulders while still giving you the freedom to lean forward and bend without hurting yourself.
Adjusting the Saddle Height
You should also finetune the seat height.
Start with a level seat height. Although an upward tilt feels more comfortable for men and a downward tilt for women, watch that you don’t tilt the saddle too much to either extreme.
When the saddle tilts too far forward, you can slide the handlebars, gripping them too tightly and positioning your body too close.
To determine your correct saddle height, sit on the bike. Keep your heels rather than the middle of your feet on the pedals, and then straighten one leg.
If your hips stay parallel to floor, you’ve set the saddle height correctly.
Make sure you don’t drop the seat down too low, as you’ll strain your knees each time you ride, especially on a bigger bike like a 28-incher.
FAQs
Do you still have questions about whether you should ride a 28-inch bike? This FAQs section should help!
Can You Grow into the Right Bike Size?
If you’re a child, you can certainly grow into the right bike size. However, adults have done all their growing, so the bike size you fit on now shouldn’t change until you begin to get older and might lose height.
Should a Woman Ride a 26-Inch or 28-Inch Bike?
That depends on many factors, your height included! If you’re ultra-petite, you’ll probably fit a 26-inch bike better than you would a 28-inch.
However, I recommend you measure your height and inseam to confirm your bike size.
Conclusion
A 28-inch bike is best for 6’0” to 6’3” riders. Measuring your height and inseam and keeping in mind your flexibility, proportions, and level of cycling experience can ahelp you make your decision.
Ultimately, you’re seeking a bike that’s comfortable for you, so make that your top priority!
