Effect of height on ability to ride a road bicycle?

Does a person's height affect their ability to ride a road/touring
bicycle?

I know a short guy (about 5' tall) that would enjoy riding with our
group, but he's concerned about his height being a disadvantage. He's
in good physical condition and not overweight.

On one hand a short person has less weight to push. On the other hand,
the world is relatively larger. The constant here is wheel size (27").

Does a person's height affect their riding ability?

Thanks for your help.

Bruce W.1 wrote:
Does a person's height affect their ability to ride a road/touring
bicycle?

I know a short guy (about 5' tall) that would enjoy riding with our
group, but he's concerned about his height being a disadvantage. He's
in good physical condition and not overweight.

On one hand a short person has less weight to push. On the other hand,
the world is relatively larger. The constant here is wheel size (27").

Does a person's height affect their riding ability?

Thanks for your help.

Cycling is one of those great sports where size isn't really an issue.
People of all sizes can be good, and certainly can enjoy cycling.
Cardio-vascular fitness and weight are much more significant for a
cyclist's ability to maintain a given speed.

If you live anywhere that is particularly hilly our mountainous, your
friend would probably have a distinct advantage over larger folks, and
if you live somehwere flat, he won't be at a particular disadvantage,
and will be able to draft if neccessary.

In the hills it's power-to-weight ratio that matters. This generally
favors smaller and thus lighter folks who, while flat terrain is a
question of power to frontal area and thus wind resistance. This tends
to favor larger and heavier (muscle mass, not fat!) folks who generate
much more power but only have marginally more resistance.

5" is short but not abnormal. He'll need to make sure he gets a bike
that fits well, but that shouldn't be too difficult. In the beginning
it will be conditioning that is his weak point. He should not think
this has anything to do with his size. It is just from being a
beginner.

Cycling is a sports where he as a small person has the potential to
dominate particularly in the hills in ways that may not be possible in
other sports where larger is better.

Joseph

wrote:

5" is short but not abnormal.

for Tom Thumb.

Bruce W.1 wrote:
Does a person's height affect their ability to ride a road/touring
bicycle?

I know a short guy (about 5' tall) that would enjoy riding with our
group, but he's concerned about his height being a disadvantage. He's
in good physical condition and not overweight.

On one hand a short person has less weight to push. On the other hand,
the world is relatively larger. The constant here is wheel size (27").

Does a person's height affect their riding ability?

Physiology does matter at championship levels, but not at recreational.
5' may be on the shorter sized for a guy, but not for females and there
surely are many bikes right for them or for younger / shorter males who
are serious about competition.

Like all of us, bike fit is vital for him and conditioning will be his
first and only high hurdle (that he doesn't make for himself). Just make
sure his frame and components fit him well. If you stick this guy on a
54 cm bike and figure to lower the seat enough to let him reach the
pedals, he'll me miserable. You'll also be doing a disservice to your
buddy. Give the guy a reasonable shot at success and you may find that
he's found his lifelong sport.

-paul

Paul Cassel wrote:
wrote:

5" is short but not abnormal.

for Tom Thumb.

I hope nobody reads this out of context...

Bruce W.1 wrote:
Does a person's height affect their ability to ride a road/touring
bicycle?

I know a short guy (about 5' tall) that would enjoy riding with our
group, but he's concerned about his height being a disadvantage. He's
in good physical condition and not overweight.

From wikipedia:

"Analysis of the 2005 competitors in the 2005 Tour the tallest rider was
Johan van Summeren at 1.98 metres and the shortest was Samuel Dumoulin
at 1.58 metres. The heaviest rider was Magnus Backstedt at 95 kg, the
lightest was Leonardo Piepoli at 57 kg, while Christopher Horner and
Laurent Lefevre shared the lowest resting heart rate, of 35 beats per
minute. The "average" rider in 2005 was 1.79 metres tall, weighed 71 kg,
and had a resting heart rate of 50 beats per minute."

The shortest TdF rider was 5'2". There's no reason to expect that a 5'
guy would be at a significant disadvantage to a taller rider, all else
being equal.

Joseph already covered the differing conditions that might favor
different riders, so I won't go into that.

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

wrote:

5" is short but not abnormal. He'll need to make sure he gets a bike that fits well, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

Well, 5" would definitely be a problem! But even at 5 feet, the biggest
problem is going to be finding a small enough frame that doesn't have
a weird geometry. A frame with 650c wheels would be an option, but that
has drawbacks as well, in limited wheel/tire choices.

But a short rider shouldn't be at a disadvantage when riding, except
possibly when descending or riding into a headwind.

Art Harris

dvt wrote:
Bruce W.1 wrote:
Does a person's height affect their ability to ride a road/touring
bicycle?

I know a short guy (about 5' tall) that would enjoy riding with our
group, but he's concerned about his height being a disadvantage. He's
in good physical condition and not overweight.

The shortest TdF rider was 5'2". There's no reason to expect that a 5'
guy would be at a significant disadvantage to a taller rider, all else
being equal.

All else being equal, a smaller rider would be at a disadvantage to a
larger rider. "All other things being equal" means equivalently
proportional conditioning, body fat ratio, cardiovascular capacity,
etc. The larger person will have a bigger engine and put out more
horsepower, more than offsetting the greated air resistance. It's that
simple. The smaller person will not begin to have an advantage until
the road goes significantly uphill.

I would say let the guy ride and see how he does- he might make up for
his size with better conditioning than at least some of the others in
the group- if he is able to ride with everyone else on the flats, it is
essentially because he is proportionately stronger. Be prepared to cut
him some slack, if he needs it and will accept it.

He might want to look into a bike that is built extra lightly to take
advantage of his lighter weight, if he hasn't done it already.

Bruce W.1 wrote:

Does a person's height affect their ability to ride a road/touring
bicycle?

No.

I know a short guy (about 5' tall) that would enjoy riding with our
group, but he's concerned about his height being a disadvantage. He's
in good physical condition and not overweight.

On one hand a short person has less weight to push. On the other
hand, the world is relatively larger. The constant here is wheel
size (27").

Does a person's height affect their riding ability?

No.

Thanks for your help.

YW.

wrote:
dvt wrote:
Bruce W.1 wrote:

Does a person's height affect their ability to ride a road/touring
bicycle?

I know a short guy (about 5' tall) that would enjoy riding with our
group, but he's concerned about his height being a disadvantage. He's
in good physical condition and not overweight.


The shortest TdF rider was 5'2". There's no reason to expect that a 5'
guy would be at a significant disadvantage to a taller rider, all else
being equal.

All else being equal, a smaller rider would be at a disadvantage to a
larger rider. "All other things being equal" means equivalently
proportional conditioning, body fat ratio, cardiovascular capacity,
etc. The larger person will have a bigger engine and put out more
horsepower, more than offsetting the greated air resistance. It's that
simple. The smaller person will not begin to have an advantage until
the road goes significantly uphill.

Joseph already mentioned the fact that smaller, lighter riders are at a
disadvantage in some situations. And that larger riders are at a
disadvantage in other situations. In the long run (i.e. many rides in
varying conditions), the net effect will not be significant.

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu