Hi All,

Any Switch9er owners in?

I have had a hankering for a steel framed 29er HT for a while and have pretty much narrowed it down to one of these.
Looking at the sizing guide, the M & L are split at a rider height of 5’11”, which I am.
I am leaning toward the larger of the 2 as I want it to a be a mile muncher / trail ride rather than jumpy shredder.

Quietly hoping someone has had a similar dilemma and can offer some wisdom.

Jef

I’m 6 foot on a Large SW9er HT. I like them long, and found it a bit short after riding a L Solarismax so i ended up going for a 50mm stem after finding it a bit too short at 35mm.

YMMV but i’d say you’re in L territory.

5’9 and on a medium. Fits like a glove

@reeksy, do you mind sharing your thoughts between the Switch9er and Solaris Max at all?

I’ve been looking at both frames as a replacement for my P7 29.

Thanks Reeksy, I am definitely leaning toward the large. My current main man is a 2015 Transition Scout in large, which feels great with a 50mm stem but the reach figures on the Switch9er looks to be around 30mm longer.
Maybe the steeper seat angle on the Switch9er and a 35mm stem would help it fit sweet.

Also curious to hear any comparisons with the Solaris or any other 29er hardtails. I’ve been looking may different options for the frame also. The choice of options is huge, but availability is not.

Well, they’re definitely a different bike. I wrote up a bit in this thread about my first impressions of the Switch9er:

Switch9er – new frame day

I’ve done 1,000km on the Stanton now. I still think it’s probably a slower bike all-round than the Cotic, but it’s ace. The paint quality is something else. It really takes a beating.

I’d happily buy either frame again.

Thanks again Reeksy. I just read your review. I think S9er in L is the going to win out against all the options.

Almost 100% certainly you’d be a large, it’s a 453mm reach vs a 483mm reach. It’s really either a choice between a long bike, or a slightly short bike for an average person at 5’11.

They’re so so many factors that come into sizing, but just a quick look at the reach and stack – 453mm with a 610mm stack, vs a 483mm with a 640mm stack. They’re quite different geometries.

Keep an eye on effective top tube also, I’ve just moved frames and while the reach and stack figures are both approx 20mm more, the ETT remains the same and feels pretty much the same size as my old frame (not 29er but guessing principles remain…)

Hi, finally @JefWachowchow did you bought a swith9er? In which size? If I convert your height in centimeters (I’m french) https://www.rapidtables.com/convert/length/inch-to-cm.html?insel=m&fracsel=u&f=5&x=11&n=&d=, I’m the same height (180cm).
I’ve asked to stanton, they advice me to choose the 16″, but I’m afraid to ride a 16″ too small for me and a 18″ too large.
Or take the 16″ and play with the stem (seems that there is a 35mm one, maybe I can replace it by a 50?)?

Thanks for advices.
Polochon

Hi @polochon, I bought the 18″ and went for 140mm forks. As said above, I’m 5′ 11″ which is bang in the middle of Stantons sizes. They also recommended a 16″ to me but I ran the numbers compared to the Scout and stuck to my guns.
To be honest, what with supply issues of parts, waiting for the parts I wanted for the build and then breaking my leg in September I only finished the build last weekend.
Due to the fact that I am still in recovery from the injury I am not allowed to ride in the woods until they dry out, Doctors orders, so I have only been around my local streets so far.
I have fitted the same handlebars that I have on my large 2015 Scout (Raceface 785mm) but used a 35mm long stem on the Stanton where I have a 50mm long stem on the Scout.
My initial feeling is that it fits very nicely. Contact points are pretty much the same on both bikes which is ideal for me and what I wanted to achieve. Please bear in mind that I still can’t actually pedal while standing up yet so I have literally just had a trundle around but I have done plenty of trundling around on my Scout so I know where the bars and pedals are in relation to the rest of me. I can stand without pedalling (pedals level) and can move my weight around enough to know I am going to have a lot of fun on it

Having not ever owned a 29er before let alone a slack hardtail, I am really excited to get riding on it. The front wheel feels like its a long way away in front.

The build is intended for trail riding, XC, and maybe some bikepacking but with capability to stuff it down some steeps as well so I wanted it to be comfortable for an old man (50) on long days out. If I was a younger head banger looking for a full on enduro, light DH build I may have gone for the 16″ and longer forks, but currently I am super happy with my choice. They build up to a blooming lovely looking bike too.

If you think that’s a long winded response, imagine if I had actually spent some time on the thing!

Thank you for you detailed answer, and sorry for your injury I hope you will be able soon to ride!
However, I didn’t understand your last point: why would have choose a 16″ if you was younger?

On my side yesterday I’ve tried an orbea laufey in M size: https://www.orbea.com/bg-en/bicycles/mountain/laufey/cat/laufey-h30 Despite the purpose of this bike is not the same, it was really interesting to ride a bike with almost the same virtual top tube (606mm) than the switch9er 16″: I’ve fount it too short, too compact for me. I’ve compared the orbea with my old current bike, and it’s smaller than mine so I think the 16″ is definitively not for me, I will not be confortable for long climbing.
Now, I’m lookink to see if the 18″ is not too long (lol), but it seems it will fit my needs.

Thanks again for the answer

Hi,
I just want to give a feedback regarding my size choice. Well for 1,80m the 18″ is perfect for me! With a 35mm stem I have the same distance than my previous bike between my hands and the saddle.
So good position for (long) climbing, and this bike is so easy in the downhill! This is my first bike with a “long” reach (483mm) but I was “at home” the first pedals strokes.

I hope this feedback will help for people in the “between 2 sizes” dilemma.

Polochon