Mountain Bike Sizing - Medium vs Large Pivot Shuttle LT #emtb #mtb

#mountainbike #loamwolf #pivotcycles

You may be asking yourself, ""what size mountain bike do i need"". You’re not alone. With current bike geometry trends making big moves, deciding what size bike you need has become harder and harder. I was inspired to document the struffgle when it came time for the Pivot Shuttle LT review.

Keep reading the full article on the website here:

To order your own Pivot Shuttle LT, visit Pivot's website:

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[Dypickel]

5’10 here. Always between medium and large. I used to buy the large based on others opinions but quickly found out after 2 different bikes that medium is the way to go. I don’t even try large anymore. I’m medium 100%

[RIDEON]

Good advice and great comparison!I went with a large as I like the stability and having the extra room to move your body around on is comfortable

[chriscalomino]

Honestly, I think pivot just labeled the firebird & shuttle LT different than the industry standard. Sizing up or down has its pros and cons, but more importantly, knowing the reach # range that works for your body is what matters most. Knowing that # and looking at geo charts is an ideal way to find the size for you on a particular bike model. Every manufacturer does it differently. Now if your a height that fits smack dab in the middle of traditional sizes, the type of bike you're looking at may sway you to go up or down to achieve the feel that model was designed for etc

Great video and talking point👍

[walterbrown]

Great explanation of where each of the bikes are likely to excel. Also neat to have insight into what the team riders are choosing.

[riggidybang]

I've recently switched from an old Large to a newer Medium (non Es) and thought I was loosing my mind because the new bike just felt small and nose-heavy even if set up with all the clicks an PSIs for my weight... so I was glad that this was mentioned in the vid

[vladorosic]

6 feet guy here.. I chose Giant Trance X in M over the L, and found myself more comfortable, better cornering and overall better feel on the bike. ALL DAY SIZE DOWN

[bigthey]

6’ here, I just got a Roscoe that I was going to get in L based on their sizing chart, but at the last second I decided to seek out a store that had a M/L even though it was further away and I’m really glad I did because it fits SO well.

The thought occurred to me because I tried my cousins bike which was a M (granted sizes aren’t really consistent among companies), but I found that while it was a little cramped, I felt a lot more nimble than on my Marlin and immediately maneuvers like bunnyhops became 10x easier than on my L Marlin.

I think my leg to arm ratio favors my legs or something. In my opinion I can always set the seat higher, but if the reach is off that’s tougher to fix. I think an L still would have worked, but I would have felt a little stretched out and less nimble than I do on the M/L.

Just goes to show we’re all built different and rider height is definitely not the end all be all when it comes to picking the right size.

[eloyduran]

Solid video. I had the medium size Firebird n accepted that it was quite big for me & I'm 5'8 which by standards most riders would most likely get a medium on any brand bike. I got the new Firebird in size small & it's exactly what I needed.

[JaredHoff]

I’m 6’2” and always at the top end of Large and bottom end of XL. I usually size down, but this year I’ve decided to size up going with a 515 reach and I’ve been liking it so far 🤙🏻

[tracymcmanus]

I’m Also 5’11”. I appreciate this as I’ve also always ridden larges and probably wouldn’t have thought to size down

[brianshelford]

Interesting to hear your input. I just had a similar situation with a 2022 Switchblade I purchased. The bike in this review is long by previous Pivot standards. The Switchblade has almost identical reach measurements but with the L and XL size rather than M vs. L. I'm 6' tall but have a +3" ape measurement. I bought a large originally (470mm reach) and found it to be a super fun bike but always felt like I was going to go over the bars when standing and attacking rocks gardens, etc. at higher speeds. The bike was quick and super snappy though. Just felt sketchy going fast (was running seat pushed back and 55mm stem). My local bike shop was awesome enough to order an XL for me and pretty much trade me frames. The XL (490mm reach) allowed me to center my seat on the rails and run a 45mm stem. Basically ended up with the same stack just a 20mm longer reach. My experience with the bigger bike is mixed. It is super stable now and fixed all of my "complaints" of the shorter bike but it's no longer "snappy" though corners and requires a decent amount more effort to hold into a corner. It's more difficult to weight the front appropriately, etc. where the smaller bike had all sorts of front end traction and would smoke a corner. The larger bike is also a handful in super technical uphill climbing due to the added wheelbase. I can keep the front down now on a steep climb, something that was difficult on the smaller frame. All said and done I'd probably stick with the large if I could do it all over. A longer reach puts more weight on my wrists as your mass isn't as centered. Think about it. Steeper seat angles and long reach numbers just bend you at the waist and lean you on your hands. A slacker seat tube and shorter reach balances your upper body weight better. I do Strava most of my rides just for record keeping mostly but have noticed that although the longer bike feels slower none of my rides have reflected that. It has more of an XC feeling position and is easier for me to climb on standing up and more confidence inspiring on the downhills so I guess even in the technical spots where it seems like more of a struggle I must be able to make up for it. Despite not feeling like it will rail a corner quite as well I've still set multiple PR's on it which means it's been faster than any bike I've owned recently. It's an interesting conundrum to say the least. Thanks for the great reviews. Enjoy them all!

[andersonsridebikes]

At 6’4”, I found the Large was perfect even though the size chart puts me on XL. I experimented with volume spacers but found that bumping the travel to 180mm with the original number of spacers gave me the best experience. I also want to say that Chris was absolutely right. My Trail 429 is an XL and that fits me perfectly

[jroase]

More importantly excited to see this years ebike shootout and were the shuttle lands in the lineup . Wonder if it rides as good as it looks 🎉

[iannorris]

I'd love to try a Pivot shuttle.
To have the luxury of 2 sizes to run between to feel the differences is a wicked bonus !
(Though I'm bang in the middle of a Medium) !

[Accuracy]

I'm 5'9" so I'm right in between sizes frequently on normal pedal bikes. On an ebike I would have expect the bigger to be nicer and simple monster truck over more with the heavy bike. However the geometry on these bikes seems a little crazy. They're at least one size up (or more) from a normal trail bike so one size down looks pretty normal for an modern aggressive bike that's fairly long.

[trickystitch]

Just gone the other way. For me a large feels subtly better than my previous medium, riding style, riding terrain, riding enjoyment, etc, etc, - excepted. I don't race BTW 😁. Each to their own. Ride what you feel most suits. Thanks for work in the vid.👍

[Michael-xsrz]

5'10 and I got a medium Switchblade. Feels amazing.

[todorvassilev]

I have spent 2 years riding bigger bike. Im 175 cm the bike was with 470 reach, then I switched to a medium bike with 450 reach... it was so much more fun to ride. the bikes we radon swoop carbon (the bigger bike) and gt force.
The reason I went with the bigger initially was that I wanted more stability and room, but after I have switched I came to conclusion that I'm a lot faster on medium just for the reason that I was easier to turn therefore I have more flow on the trails. Tbh I don't feel less stable on the straighter sections either. The down side of the bigger bike was that I need more effort to make it go where I wanted.

[Shawn-in-da-Canyon]

I would love to see the same video with the Trek EXe. I’m 5’9” and went with a medium. I love it. But, I do wonder what a large would feel like.

[yuvalkelly]

Hi there, first of all thanks a lot for another great video.
I wanted to consult with you, i am looking forward to buy the 2023 orbea wild, now i am riding an orbea wild 2022 size large, and im wondering if the correct size for me with the new Wild is Medium or Large.
I took those bike for a demo ride and i think the medium fell more playfull while the large size feels more stable but belkier.
I saw your video about the new Wild 2023 and I wonder ifyou tried also the Medius size or just the large ? And what was your thoughts about it? You also 180 cm hight right?
Thanks a lot for any help with that.