Bike Size

This is a toughie.

I'm currently riding a Kona Stinky (Stab Garbanzo). It's a medium. The wheelbase is 46" (axle to axle).

I've recently been tempted by two bikes:

A Transition Blindside (don't know the wheelbase, but it's a medium, 46" I think)

A Specialized Demo 7. This one is a small, but the wheelbase is also 46".

I'm not sure how differently the bikes would handle. What's the buzz about each of these bikes?

I think I've given up on the Blindside, it's too far a drive to ogle it now. But I'm getting more jazzed on the idea of a Demo. Still not sure on size. I had a guy tell me my 15.5" Kona Garbanzo is a small not a medium. So, maybe I should be looking for smalls for my next bike.

Yeah, it's a lot of changes to take in all at once. I tried out a S and an M Demo8 yesterday. The S felt a bit too small, but after rocking the handlebars a little forward, it felt way better. The M felt fine size-wise, but the bike felt way longer than my Kona because of the super slack head angle.

Both the S and the M are super slack, but part of me thinks I should just ride the smaller bike. I'd probably get better control out of it.

The whole concept of the length of the front end vs the length of the rear is kinda new to me. I guess a long front end is good for steep rolls and stuff, but might make you feel like you're falling off the back of the thing when you get to the bottom of a steep roll.

Still dunno.

I'm just under 5'-9", around 150 lbs.

I don't know the stem length, but it's pretty short.

Or maybe I should just build up a Turner DHR...

Yeah, but people say great things about this bike.

Maybe I should buy that DH40 and slap it on a DHR and slap the parts from my Kona onto it.

Of course, I'd likely need a new BB, chainguide, cranks, etc... And it wouldn't feel new. I dunno.

Maybe I should wait til my hand works again.

I would expect nothing less...

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