All mountain...17" or 19"?

Question

so, I'm 5'11" 145lbs and rode a Iron Horse 6point4 bike today. The size chart says 6'0" and under is 17" and 6'0" and over is 19". I rode a 17" and it just felt small, but I'm no expert at selecting mountain bikes. I rode a 19" at another bike shop and it felt really good. For the 19": when standing on the concrete and in front of the seat, I can only pull up on the bike 1 to 1-1/2". Not sure how to size a mountain bike, is it about getting your feet to the pedals w/o having to raise the seat post up too high? On the 19" the seat post was raised 4" for proper uphill pedaling and in turn can drop the seat 4" for downhill decent. Should I go try the 17" again or does the 19" sound like it would work? I heard one guy showing up at the trails with a new bike saying his bike was too big so doing a reality check here...

Answer 1

Work with a real bike shop - they can fit you.

If they tell you to stradle the bike and look at clearance only - if that's all they do to fit you - go to a different shop (a real bike shop).

Are the cranks the same size on either bike?

You can easily add a stem to either bike to change the handlebar position.

but the seat and pedal relationshiop won't be changeable on the same bike.

I am 5'7 and I ride a 16 inch Kona and Medium Haro MTB frame.

Each Manufacturer measures a little differently - so you need the shop to help you.