Measuring Your Inseam Leg Length
Remove your shoes and wear tight-fitting pants. This ensures a more accurate height measurement. You can take your measurement in socks or bare feet. Bicycle shorts, leggings, or close-fitting athletic pants are best for an accurate measurement.
Stand up straight. Slouching affects the accuracy of your measurement. Stand as tall as you can without arching your back.
Choose a flat object to use for reference and place it between your legs. Hold it firmly between your legs at crotch height without clenching it tightly. Clenching your reference item too tightly will affect your posture and give you a bad measurement. A tall, thin book, a level, a ruler, or a large filing folder would all work well as reference objects. In addition to providing a reference point, this object also mimics the position and height of your bike seat.
Use a measuring tape to measure the distance from the floor to the top of your reference object. Take at least three measurements and find the average to ensure accuracy. You can measure in either centimeters or inches, but using centimeters will give a more precise measurement. A rigid measuring tape is best, preferably a tape measure with an outer casing. This has more weight and stiffness and will be more accurate when taking your own measurements Write down your measurement. Once your measurement is written down, you can reference it later when looking at pants size or bicycle size charts. Bicycle inseam measurements differ based on the style of bike you want. Your base measurement will help you find the correct size bike for you. To find your pants inseam, measure from the point where the crotch of your pants sits comfortably down to the sole of your shoe.
Take your outseam measurement for pants, as well. To get your outseam, measure from the top of your waistband all the way down to the sole of your shoe. If you're not wearing shoes, measure to the bottom of your foot, instead.
Measuring True Leg Length
Find a friend to help you measure your legs. Measuring your own true leg length is very difficult and will not yield accurate results.
Lay down on a flat surface. Lay down flat on your back with your legs long and your feet spread hip-width apart.
Measure from your hip to your ankle. Find the bony joint where your hip meets your leg. This is called your anterior superior iliac spine or ASIS. Measure from this point to the bony joint of your ankle. Repeat on both sides and write down your results.
Follow up with a clinician if you find a major discrepancy. Some difference in leg length is normal. No one has perfectly symmetrical legs, but a difference of more than 15 mm (0.59 in) could have an impact on your gait. Keep in mind that measuring with a tape measure is not always accurate and doesn’t replace an official diagnosis. If you find a significant difference in the lengths between your legs, follow up with a clinician for further diagnosis.
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