In the market for a new bike – trail 29er. Rode Evil Offering in size L and M and enjoyed it. I sort of fell between sizes on Evil, but the large didn’t feel like a barge. Then I rode a Yeti SB130 in size large, and even though I *should* be a medium, the large felt fantastic. I set loads of PRs, going up and down (to be clear, I’m neither ‘rad’ nor ‘gnar’`). And it made me ride a bit like a hooligan, which was enormously fun. Haven’t laughed so much on two wheels in years. From your experience, STW hive mind, will I lose that feeling if I drop down to a medium? The L is a very long bike, but I had loads of standover (a 150mm dropper wasn’t slammed in the frame). Hmmm?

If you liked it, why do you need someone wwho hasn’t ridden the bike to tell you otherwise?

I draw the line at 127.583%

I’m 5’7″ with a 30″ inside leg and a slightly minus ape index, I like a reach measurement of around 420ish, much longer and manuals and being dynamic on the bike is much harder for me! It’s getting to the point where smaller bikes are gonna get too long for me personally, getting the reach I want means a 385ish seat tube and a massive post! My current hardtail has a 170mm drop and a good 50mm between collar and clamp that’s with a 420mm seat tube! It’s all very well making bikes bigger for bigger people, in fact it’s about time! But small people need the right size too!

1280 Bb from the ground is too low

Pedal clips everywhere

Pfft, I’ve got a Bird Aeris 145LT. I bought a ML despite the fact I’m 5′ 10″ in shoes and ive got a mangled arm so I have got full reach. It should fell like riding a chopper, but it’s *perfect* just like the OP I get on it and it’s like the Devil is on my shoulder, he’s had 2 lines and 3 cans of wifebeater and he’s screaming at me “go fast you pussy!”. For balance it laughs in the face of what most bike makers think is LLS.

Why would you give that up to go down to a Medium because you’re supposed to? By all means try one, it might be even better, but don’t buy one just because that’s the default answer.

I mean, mountain biking is supposed to be fun, right? I can’t manual anyway!

If you liked it, why do you need someone wwho hasn’t ridden the bike to tell you otherwise?

This is a very good point.

ime, once you get used to the length (pfnar pfnar) then it’s actually easier to manual and get the front wheel up, because once you’re up (which does take a bit more body movement to do) the sweet spot is wider, and it’s therefore easier to maintain the balance point!

Right I though we settle this last time.

The definitive song about Reach. It contains 19 reaches. 19*25.4 is 482.6mm. Therefore just buy the bike with the closes reach figure to this.

That and purple anodising, or a red frame, but never both.

/thread

As for manualing, I can’t manual for toffee, but could lift the front wheel and wheelie just as easily on the Bird AM9 (L, 500mm reach IIRC, im 6ft ish) as any other bike. I’m sure geometry plays a part but road bikes are damn near impossible to wheelie/manual IME (and I keep trying!), and that’s about as short, as you can get.

Hurrah! I’ll buy a large and ride like a ****.

Damn. My ML Aeris 145 LT is 1.6mm from perfection. Which is fine as at 5’7″ it’s about my limit I think.