Once you have your new custom built Gypsy Frame, the next step is installing all those goodies and then making the adjustments to fit that buff body of yours. If things aren't right here in the fit department, then you've wasted your money buying a custom frame!

These are the main adjustments or dimensions to consider while setting up your bike:

Seat Height Saddle angle Fore - aft Saddle position Your Body angle while in riding position Stem length Bar height Bar width The first adjustment to make is that old favorite, seat height. With the pedal at the bottom of it's stroke, the knee should be slightly bent. The heel of the foot should be able to still be dropped down when the leg is totally straight, as shown in the animation to the left. If the seat is too high your buns will be rocking back and forth on the saddle as you keep up with the pedals, Too low and you won't be getting full power out of those freshly shaved legs. Saddle angle is normally close to level but personal preference & comfort are the main criteria. Basically you shouldn't feel like you are sliding down the front of the saddle and yet you don't want the front of it jamming up into your goodies. Adjust it for your comfort.

Fore and aft saddle position is critical in order to get all that power efficiently transferred to the pedals and is often improperly set. If this isn't right you will tire out faster and not be able to make some of those gruesome climbs that Trev loves to do. Too far forward and knee damage can even result, especially for rookies. It may be better to start a bit back and work your way forward as your experience dictates.

Notice in the picture to the right that this guy is lined up nicely with the pedals. The alignment here depends on the seat-post angle built into the frame and the fore - aft position of the saddle. When the pedal is in the 3 o'clock position (crank arms horizontal) the fleshy part at the front of the knee should be directly above the center of the pedal axle.

Note: Use a level or square for the above procedure, just eyeballing it probably isn't good enough!

Once the seat height and position is set, it's time to check the body angle while in riding position. The proper angle is close to 90 degrees as shown in the picture. If that angle is too far off, the only way to change it is by altering the stem length to close up the angle or stretch it out.

Stems- Long stems can be good for seated climbing since it puts the weight more forward on the bike - but the drawbacks are:

• Slower steering in technical stuff.
• Too much weight over front wheel when on the flats.
• Most importantly, not good on downhill where you want your weight back over the rear wheel.

This is not to say "go with short stems" (unless you're a downhiller or maybe a single speed freak like Nick needing to stand up and hammer the hills) - there is a proper place to be for body weight and power transfer for the type of riding you enjoy.

Bar Height- There is a wide difference of opinion on Bar Height for the Mountain Bike and it mostly boils down to personal preference. Trevor's rule of thumb for his riding style is "2 inches below saddle height at the ring finger", for Mountain Bikes as well as Road Bikes with hands on the "hoods". Nick, preferring his single-speed bike, wants the bar up higher for an upright position when climbing out of the saddle. The webmaster likes it up where he's in a more comfortable position while just cruising around the back roads! In the second photo from the top (proper saddle position) you will notice this racer likes the bar low, even having a drop stem. Your choice!

Bar width- This is another area where personal preference comes into play along with your style of riding. The given for this used to be just a bit wider than your shoulders but now trends toward being quite a bit wider than that.

Narrow bars give quicker steering in the technical or smooth stuff while wide bars can put more power into your steering when whacking those boulders and hitting the ruts. Width can vary from around 20" straight bars to over 27" riser bars. Downhillers and Freeride Freaks use wider riser bars for more control while many XC racers will swear by narrow straight bars for the quicker steering.