If your in between frame sizes what's the difference you feel between sizes. I understand larger more stable at high speed and smaller more flickable for tight courses. Anybody notice difference in weighting the front wheel for turns. I'm in between a medium and a large. I feel if I move to a large I might have trouble weighting the front for the turns and wash out. I don't want to over emphasize weighting to the front. I do feel though to much weight on the front could cause a washout and a larger bike could centralize my weight.
Riders between frame sizes
- Thread starter Optimax150
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you're overthinking this.. get what you feel comfortable with and what suits your riding style best (from what you've said that seems to be medium)
at 5'11" I'm between the recommended size for a lot of med/large frames but as I ride BMX and hardtail jumpbike's more than DH I actually prefer small (short and low) DH frames. I find longer front centre bikes much harder to loft, manual, pump & jump, hop and turn. but even the short (by todays standards) wheelbase on my small DH bike (Sunday FWIW) is perfectly stable enough on faster tracks in the alps or rough tracks like Fort William. I actually prefer shorter bikes when it gets really steep too, a nice low BB height makes a bike better when it gets steeper than slack as **** or long as **** IMHO
at 5'11" I'm between the recommended size for a lot of med/large frames but as I ride BMX and hardtail jumpbike's more than DH I actually prefer small (short and low) DH frames. I find longer front centre bikes much harder to loft, manual, pump & jump, hop and turn. but even the short (by todays standards) wheelbase on my small DH bike (Sunday FWIW) is perfectly stable enough on faster tracks in the alps or rough tracks like Fort William. I actually prefer shorter bikes when it gets really steep too, a nice low BB height makes a bike better when it gets steeper than slack as **** or long as **** IMHO
Go up a size, run a shorter stem.
Tell people you are doing it because Fabien Barel told you it was cool.
Tell people you are doing it because Fabien Barel told you it was cool.
im 5'10" and i ride a large m9 slacked out to a 63' unsagged HA and a 13.7bb height with a 45mm stem and a large transition covert v2 with a 35mm stem... My last dh bike was a medium cove shocker and that was incredibly small - i found that i smashed my knees alot and the bike just didnt want to lean over as much as my m9 does. So when i went up a size it did feel a little weird in terms of cockpit size but now i dont want anything less. On my home tracks you can easily hit high 40s to low 50s and at my college the tracks get a whole lot rockier and the extra stability the bigger bike has is instantly recognizable... That being said, when it gets really tight, the bike does get a little harder to flick through corners but you just gotta give it some more body english and lay off the brakes - big bikes ftw 
I prefer to go down a size. I've owned/ridden medium and small frames for the past 15 years. I always feel as though I'm not in control on the mediums I've ridden with the exception of my 2000 Turner DHR. Small DHR's were tiny back then. It also depends on what you're riding. Started this year on a medium Banshee Spitfire that I loved on a couple of trails but then on the majority of my local trails which are super tight with turns every 10 feet it was too much for me so I sold it and got a small with a 80mm stem vs the 50mm stem I had on the medium, I control the ride now instead of the bike.
I'm 6' and prefer medium for DH with a slightly longer than normal stem for the local stuff. If you don't smash your knees (I don't) you will be fine; current DH bikes have long-ass WBs.
If I rode Whistler all year at mach5 I would probably go large.
If I rode Whistler all year at mach5 I would probably go large.
Thanks. My frame now is a large banshee scythe, by looking at numbers it's a medium in other brands. I just notice when I slack it out my front wheel tends to push in turns. I know it's technique and got to get my weight forward. I got my turns down now, but if I move up a size my front is going to be further away, and have to relearn cornering again. Or just overthinking this, need beer.
It's truth that sizes-S,M,L are pretty useless when it comes to comparing bikes from different brands. Which isn't so bad for us in-between guys. I'm 5'6-5'7, in between small and medium. Since I have relatively short arms I usually go small since modern bikes are starting to return to larger sizes. But knees hitting bars/fork and getting my shorts caught in shifter paddles is a problem.
I was very interested in (forget his name)'s post here about that extremely short stem that looks very moto. Strange how it's not really a public option since people are finding high(er) rise bar heights are more practical for a lot of things and it would I and riders like me, could ride medium frames comfortable and not destroy shifters and knee pads all the time.
History of bikes for me:
Medium yeti ASX
Small yeti 575
Medium Banshee scythe
Small Intense M9
Small Intense Uzzi
The M9 was the most roomy (largest) of the bunch but aside from that the rest were a toss up in terms of what felt bigger or smaller.
I was very interested in (forget his name)'s post here about that extremely short stem that looks very moto. Strange how it's not really a public option since people are finding high(er) rise bar heights are more practical for a lot of things and it would I and riders like me, could ride medium frames comfortable and not destroy shifters and knee pads all the time.
History of bikes for me:
Medium yeti ASX
Small yeti 575
Medium Banshee scythe
Small Intense M9
Small Intense Uzzi
The M9 was the most roomy (largest) of the bunch but aside from that the rest were a toss up in terms of what felt bigger or smaller.
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