Hello all! Firstly, in advance of anyone posting an opinion/experience, thanks!
I'm in the market for a big bike,6 inch type job for the Alps, heavy days in the Lakes, going away to Morocco, Spain, that sort of thing. Maybe the occasional chairlift day as well.
So far, the two bikes that I have come down to are the SC Nomad (which I demo'd for a day yesterday), and the Titus El Guapo (which I cannot find for demo but have swung my leg over a medium).
I'm about 6ft 3", and normally ride a Large Pace 305 with a 90mm stem and my seat back on its rails (but an inline post). The SC I tested was a Large with a short stem, but it felt very cramped, I found myself with a sore lower back from bending over to compensate, I even found it a little short on the descents (slightly sore lower back again), however I can't deny how much fun it was to chuck around! It was superb.
The conclusion I came away with, is I would want an XL, and run a shorter stem/inline seat post. But the guy in the shop said I wanted as small a bike as possible and stick a longer stem on (!). The XL has the same standover as the L, but an extra inch in the reach. I know on a bike like this you want it as chuckable as possible, but, I also need to be able to ride it comfortably for a day.
What are peoples thoughts on this? The Titus comes up with the same tope tube length as the Pace, a little longer than the L Nomad, but shorter (top tube) than the XL. I'm aware of being a bit anal - but equally if I do this then it is a lot of money and I don't want to get it wrong, so peoples experiences would be most welcome.
