How to work out what size bike to buy when you can't try one in a shop

[jameso]

TBF, that Canyon doesn't look particularly Long, Low or Slack. It has a Racing Ralph on the rear so I'm expecting it to be more Euro XC.

No, though 480mm in L, fairly long design?
It's an appealing bike, I'd like an XC race FS. Not much chance I'd buy one mail order like this though and personally Canyon's rep for carbon engineering recently does little to inspire confidence though that's prob not entirely fair.
Complex high end bikes and fit advice / demos are where a local dealer comes in, or a trip to a good one. Or, save money with mail order and just accept the faff risk.

There's only 4 sizes so it's at worst an either-or where some time on a bike of similar reach will give you an idea of fit. You could work out approx bar reach from BB ( reach plus stem length) and set up a bike on a turbo with similar bar reach dimensions, see how it feels.

[voodoo_simon]

Could be a long winded way of finding your size but I guess if you state you height, we of similar size could measure our bikes for you as a basic guide

[Boab]

Could be a long winded way of finding your size but I guess if you state you height, we of similar size could measure our bikes for you as a basic guide

Height: 173cm
Inside leg: 83cm
Upper leg: 58cm
Lower leg: 53cm (average)

[jameso]

Could be a long winded way of finding your size but I guess if you state you height, we of similar size could measure our bikes for you as a basic guide

Height: 173cm
Inside leg: 83cm
Upper leg: 58cm
Lower leg: 53cm (average)

One thing that bike fitting by measurements doesn't factor in is your build. Bike fitting is about getting your c of g in the right place, or it's as much about that as limb length and pedalling motion etc. A burly builder with skinny legs and a strong-legged cyclist with skinny upper body, both the same height, could need different fits to get comfortable and have the bike handle well by having their weight naturally centred.

Your inside leg is a bit longer than average proportions fwiw, that might only make +10mm or so saddle height difference though. And beware of online bike fitters : )

[ScotRoutes]

Medium



TBF - that's based on years of experience doing bike hire and recommending bike sizes based on nothing more than folks height. In the thousands of hires involved I can't recall more than a handful of cases when it was incorrect, and those would be at the extreme (XXS and XXL) ends of the scale.

[Boab]

Could be a long winded way of finding your size but I guess if you state you height, we of similar size could measure our bikes for you as a basic guide

Height: 173cm
Inside leg: 83cm
Upper leg: 58cm
Lower leg: 53cm (average)

One thing that bike fitting by measurements doesn't factor in is your build. Bike fitting is about getting your c of g in the right place, or it's as much about that as limb length and pedalling motion etc. A burly builder with skinny legs and a strong-legged cyclist with skinny upper body, both the same height, could need different fits to get comfortable and have the bike handle well by having their weight naturally centred.

Your inside leg is a bit longer than average proportions fwiw, that might only make +10mm or so saddle height difference though. And beware of online bike fitters : )

Lets say that I never forgot leg day at the gym, but preferred swimming to weights, so I'm pretty evenly distributed. I'm also over flexible, and after a few decent stretching sessions can fold over with my face into my legs. :shrugs: