Stuck In The Middle? Sizing Up vs Sizing Down

Not sure if you should get the large or extra large? Stuck between the small and the medium? Seb Stott puts two Canyon Strive's against the clock to see if sizing up or sizing down is faster.

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[mogulhopper]

I am 6'1" and my new bike is a medium ( Yeti ). I tried one and loved how nimble and reactive it was in technical zones. It's also much more playful for messing about in bike parks. Interesting looking back at my 2016 enduro bike the reach in a large ( Cannondale ) was 458 the Yeti in medium is 460. I had great fun on the large Jekyll but seemed to always be trying to get a bike to fit like that after 2016. Interesting point too, in 2016 Woody Hole won the EWS master category riding a medium Specialized Enduro he also did most of the R&D for the Hope HB160 on a medium frame he is the same height as me.

[superawesomefuntimego]

What would have been interesting to me would been seeing how you also felt on the Medium, mostly because the M strive is as big as most brands larges and would have provided some downsizing information and opinion. I am 5'10" and seem to always be in between sizes on most bikes, except I would say on the strive I'd with almost all certainty be a Medium.

[dragongames]

I'm 185cm and honestly tempted to go Medium on my next bike depending on the brand. Some newer bikes are ridiculously long! My XL 2020 Spectral is definitely a bit big on me at 480 reach, but many L are 480 or longer now! The Geo on my 2015 XL Trek Remedy is basically a medium by today's standards!

[pa]

good point about stack and reach ratio for longer bikes. Some bike manufacturers forget about it and their XL bikes are very short and require very high rise bars + shit ton of additional spacers (if they didnt cut forks steerer tube too short)

[devinbyrnes]

Great video, but you missed a big issue: GOING UP!

I sized down on my RM Instinct. Going down and on the flats, I am 100% happy with my choice. However, I don’t have the bike dialed in yet going up. The front end wanders on climbs and lifts a little easy. I moved the flip chip from the default slack position to neutral. I will have to try the Steep setting to get more weight on that front wheel. I am slightly hesitant only because as is, I am super confident going down with no “otb “ feeling at all. I can also try extending the chain stay and see if that helps. A lower rise bar would also do this, but that costs money.

My theory is that since I am not as stretched out on the medium, I do not have as much weight forward. When I put my weight way forward the way we would on old géo bikes, I get rear wheel spin climbing on rocks, which is the main terrain I encounter.

TL;DR:
Great test! Now run it back in the opposite direction please.

[pedrosanciny]

Hi. Recently I was choosing between M and S. The bike is Canyon Neuron 6 2022. I am 172 cm which is slightly on S side. However, S has 27.5 wheels. My friend gave me advice to go for M and I must say I am happy. I really like 29s. There is also room to shorten reach if needed. Originaly there is 60mm stem. I dont have issue with that but maybe I will experiment a bit with 45 mm. Only thing which really bothers me is dropper post which is too long so I will probably replace it in near future. Have a nice day :)

[Streamlines]

Yup, sharing your feelings about this one. I am between size M and L on the Forbidden Druid, and I went for the size L. I've been playing around with bike setup for a while now and what helped most was lowering the stem height, to get a better front-end feel. Sometimes the bike feels like it's getting away from me, but other times I feel super good on it depending on the speeds that I am going. Looking back I'd probably take the size M as my first choice, but I'll stick to what I have now. The downsides aren't too bad, and it has some upsides too when it comes to stability.

[benperd]

Just got the new Pivot Phoenix. I’m 188.5cm or 6’2, Pivot put me on the L. Got the XL, feels great! Swapped to a 35mm reach stem to reduce a little.

[vlbz]

Thank you. That was my feeling as well. After I know a track, a longer bike feels great, but when I don't and have to improvise, it's not working.

[Ry_Rides]

I have a Cotic on the way and am between the small and medium, luckily I managed to demo them at their warehouse. I’ve gone with the medium as it has a similar sized reach with the recommend shorter stem to my previous bike. Let’s hope it’s the right choice!

[DeandreMurray]

This I feel is one of those questions that I feel is only answered by demo rides, reach for two people the same height can be different enough that one person feels better on the size up and the other feels better on the size down. I think what's most important is comfortability in the wrists & legs, otherwise I think you'll adapt to which ever you get over a few weeks even.

[tannermcnabb]

I sized up on my last bike and have sized down on this bike. Definitely made the right decision for my riding style this time around.

[patryka]

That was nice movie clip. The thing is that we can also tune the cocpit to our preference like shorter stem, different bars and so on and that could have huge impact on the riding, don't you think? I am very often between sizes and still do not know what to do. I find longer bikes better on corners where I have just more room. On the other hand bunny hops and basically jumps are for sure easier on shorter bike.

[ek]

woo seb!! one of the best technical reviewers in the biz.

[alexptdmg]

What about pedaling the bike and the seated position? I have to go up and sit down for much longer than descending. So the cockpit fit while seating is as important or more than the reach number while descending. What would you pick to pedal all day?

[briangarner]

Have always been right on the tall end of Medium, dipping slightly into large. Seem to be between S and M nowadays, will always go smaller. It's just more fun.

[rohangearing]

In my opinion on these newer longer bikes it takes more rider input/ weight adjustment to get the bike to do things. This is what makes it more forgiving for most riders and their general ability levels and amount they move around on the bike. For the pro’s and very good riders a smaller top tube(within reason) allows less body movement to get the bike do what they want it to. In the end I think it just comes down to personal preference as all the bikes are so good these days.

[jamiehamilton]

So interesting, I recently bought a new bike (Commencal Meta AM) and at 173cm I sit right on the border of the S and M. I ended up getting the Small. For me the added ability to move around the bike and not having to always focus on the front end was the decision maker. Yes the reach is on the short side at 445 but the combination of slack head angle, 29er wheels and longer wheelbase offset the shorter reach. Which for how I ride, retained playfulness and "enough" stability at the speeds I ride at. Great video!🤘

[technodrone]

My last bike i went with medium. my current i went large. too big > too little. im loving the longer wheelbase. especially in the climbs

[michaelmann]

At 6’-3” you are on their (Canyon) large all day long. If you look at a Transition Spire, that this bike mimics. Canyons XL is Transitions XXL, there abouts. When the bike gets to long you lose front end control. So unless you plan on running flat out fire road descents, the bike has to be within reason. If they move you foreword to compensate then you loose rear end traction. I am 6’-3 1/2”, 35” inseam, arm span same as height and ride a Transition Spire XL and a Ibis Ripmo V2 in Xl, both fit like a glove. The Transition wheel base is 2 1/4” longer than the Ibis but the geometry is slightly different to accommodate for that to keep you centered in the bike. The modern geometry is a game changer, but the important thing is is to be centered on the bike. So the your weight can be evenly distributed on the suspension to keep both tires in even contact with the ground.