Bike Size

crawleyspur

Hi, I am in the market for a new bike and find myself bang in the middle of S and M for the bike I am looking to get. Question is should i go for the smaller frame or the larger one? Thanks.

crescent

Normal advice is to go for the smaller size - it is generally easier to make a small frame fit a larger person than vice versa. There's more to it than that - body shape for instance, do you have a longer body and short legs, long legs and short body etc? A wise man once told me "You'll never see a good cyclist on a bike that is too big for them."
There is no substitute for sitting on the bike and deciding what works best for you

redvision

Yep, as Crescent says, much easier to get a frame which is slightly too small to fit than one that is too large.

crawleyspur

Thanks both I am 177cm tall with 86cm inside leg if that helps at all.

redvision

What bike is it?

crescent

You're about the same height as me but have a slightly longer inside leg. I'm a medium on every bike I have ever ridden which generally equates to around a 54cm frame. This brings in other variables though - is it sloping top tube, horizontal top tube, relaxed geometry, aggressive/racing geometry? Which bike is it you are looking at?

crawleyspur

redvision wrote:

What bike is it?

It is a Canyon Aeroad.

crawleyspur

I ave always ridden a 56 or a large but think I may have been riding a size to big

sloppyschleckonds

CrawleySpur wrote:

redvision wrote:

What bike is it?

It is a Canyon Aeroad.

Ooh, these aren't a normal geometry road bike. Very aggressive positioning. Go bigger and you lose the aero benefits and it rides like a 6 ft plank of wood.

Go smaller and its aggressive on the body

crawleyspur

Also been looking at the Giant Propel and Orro Venturi disc options as well.

imposter2.0

CrawleySpur wrote:

redvision wrote:

What bike is it?

It is a Canyon Aeroad.

Probably the small size then, although your leg length seems slightly long for your height, so the medium may also fit. A lot will depend on which model Aeroad you are going for. If it has the integrated bar/stem, then swapping for shorter/longer length could prove expensive. Crank length is also different between the two sizes. 170 for the 's' and 172.5 for the 'm' - not that it should make much difference, but if you're paying that much then it's all worth considering..

crawleyspur

Imposter wrote:

CrawleySpur wrote:

redvision wrote:

What bike is it?

It is a Canyon Aeroad.

Probably the small size then, although your leg length seems slightly long for your height, so the medium may also fit. A lot will depend on which model Aeroad you are going for. If it has the integrated bar/stem, then swapping for shorter/longer length could prove expensive. Crank length is also different between the two sizes. 170 for the 's' and 172.5 for the 'm' - not that it should make much difference, but if you're paying that much then it's all worth considering..

Thanks for this, very helpful as I normally ride a 172.5 crank. Looking at either the 7.0 or 8.0 depending on if I can justify the extra money for Ultegra.

imposter2.0

CrawleySpur wrote:

Imposter wrote:

CrawleySpur wrote:

redvision wrote:

What bike is it?

It is a Canyon Aeroad.

Probably the small size then, although your leg length seems slightly long for your height, so the medium may also fit. A lot will depend on which model Aeroad you are going for. If it has the integrated bar/stem, then swapping for shorter/longer length could prove expensive. Crank length is also different between the two sizes. 170 for the 's' and 172.5 for the 'm' - not that it should make much difference, but if you're paying that much then it's all worth considering..

Thanks for this, very helpful as I normally ride a 172.5 crank. Looking at either the 7.0 or 8.0 depending on if I can justify the extra money for Ultegra.

In which case, it's worth bearing in mind that while the 8 comes with the integrated cockpit, the 7 doesn't.

crawleyspur

Hmmm my local shop has both the Propel and the Venturi so sounds like it may be better to go down that route seeing as I will be able to sit on the bikes there.

crescent

The Canyons look lovely. If it was me I would measure all the key dimensions of my own bike (seat tube, head tube, top tube etc) and see how they compare with the S and M Canyons. Not an exact science, I know, but a good starting point. Perhaps Canyon will allow you to swap the stem etc if necessary.

daniel_b

CrawleySpur wrote:

Thanks both I am 177cm tall with 86cm inside leg if that helps at all.

You have similar dimensions to me - I'm 178 \ 86.

I don't have any specific experience of the Canyon, but will retell my general findings.

I started with a 56, but ended up having to shorten the stem quite a bit.

My sweetspot is now (in general) a 54cm frame, with something around a 540\550 top tube, and I can now accomodate a set back seatpost, and a non inverted 100 or 110mm stem.

I say now, as when I started my flexibility was cr@p AND I had lower back issues - both of those have improved immeasurably over the last 2 years, predominantly because I have been persuading my body into lower positions on the turbo trainer.

Looking at the geometry for the 8.0, if I was buying, I would opt for the small with a 549 TT, the medium ups that to 560, which would be too much for me, but perhaps you can handle it if you are more flexible, and or have longer arms than I.

*Don't Canyon sometimes have events where you can go and test ride their bikes?
Given the outlay, I think I would be tempted to try and get to one of those (Make a weekend of it etc) - unless you are reasonably confident.

*Apologies if I have imagined that.

EDIT - Thread about it here:
https://forum.bikeradar.com/viewtopic.php?t=13103935

imposter2.0

Crescent wrote:

Perhaps Canyon will allow you to swap the stem etc if necessary.

They don't, unfortunately. The bikes are built in batches strictly according to the spec on the website. I believe the steerer size is proprietary (or at least it certainly isn't a common size), so if you wanted a longer/shorter stem then probably the only option would be to buy another one from Canyon alongside the order.

daniel_b

Imposter wrote:

Crescent wrote:

Perhaps Canyon will allow you to swap the stem etc if necessary.

They don't, unfortunately. The bikes are built in batches strictly according to the spec on the website. I believe the steerer size is proprietary (or at least it certainly isn't a common size), so if you wanted a longer/shorter stem then probably the only option would be to buy another one from Canyon alongside the order.

And if you are looking at an integrated stem and bars, you're looking at £300+ I guess, though you could recoup some of that by selling the originals I expect, although if they are proprietary to some degree, that may not be so simple.

crawleyspur

Thanks all, some great advise here, Lot's to think about.

Dorset_Boy

Daniel B wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Crescent wrote:

Perhaps Canyon will allow you to swap the stem etc if necessary.

They don't, unfortunately. The bikes are built in batches strictly according to the spec on the website. I believe the steerer size is proprietary (or at least it certainly isn't a common size), so if you wanted a longer/shorter stem then probably the only option would be to buy another one from Canyon alongside the order.

And if you are looking at an integrated stem and bars, you're looking at £300+ I guess, though you could recoup some of that by selling the originals I expect, although if they are proprietary to some degree, that may not be so simple.

Are you sure they won't swap? The certainly will swap out bars and stems that aren't integrated. The bike arrives with the standard stem / bar and you get the alternative sent out to you, then return the original. Suggest an email to UK service to find out.

imposter2.0

What i meant was they won’t build the bike to your spec..

crawleyspur

I sat on the Propel and Venturi yesterday and would be a medium for both of them. Think I am going to go with the Propel and get it locally. Thanks all for your comments.

imposter2.0

CrawleySpur wrote:

I sat on the Propel and Venturi yesterday and would be a medium for both of them. Think I am going to go with the Propel and get it locally. Thanks all for your comments.

Almost certainly you will get a Propel a lot quicker than an Aeroad - last time I checked, they were quoting July or August delivery for some sizes and buying from Canyon can be a bit of a lottery in that respect...

Ben6899

CrawleySpur wrote:

redvision wrote:

What bike is it?

It is a Canyon Aeroad.

FWIW, when my brother bought his Aeroad, we went with the results of Canyon's size calculator... we verified the output by putting in my dimensions to see what it suggested... then compared the geometry of that size Aeroad with what I know I should be riding (plenty of years and miles under my belt). It was spot on (I'd need a size M - by brother went for the S).

Long story short: try the Canyon size calculator and see what it spits out. We found it trustworthy.

zest28

Why not go for an other aero bike and get it build according to your fit? When spending that kind of money, I rather have something that perfectly fits me.

crawleyspur

Zest28 wrote:

Why not go for an other aero bike and get it build according to your fit? When spending that kind of money, I rather have something that perfectly fits me.

What other bike would you suggest?