Caustilicous

so, i've been saving up for a road bike and my choice went to a canyon endurace al disc 6.0. everything about it seems nice at first until it came down to sizing. i've been riding a hybrid bike kross evado 3.0 (2017 version) with a 21 inch frame (L, 54 cm) and it's been a blast, but also it's been a pain to set it up correctly so it'd fit and be comfortable. i'm 181.5cm with 86 cm inseam (about 34 inches?) and canyon recommends me the M size, which is 53cm. canyon says it's for riders with 178-184 height, so i theoretically fall in between. the L size (56cm) is for riders who are 184-190 cm. on other hand, my friend is 190cm with pretty long legs and he rides a canyon roadlite al 6.0 (2019) in XL with his seatpost pretty high up. i'm proportionally fit so i don't have long legs nor i dont have long arms, small torso and etc. there comes the dilemma on which frame i should go for. i've gone through many posts, forums, articles and such to find an adequate answer. some told me a 56cm is a perfect fit, some told me a 58-60 is better, etc etc. canyon is a little weird with their sizing and it seems like their sizes are a notch higher than other bike manufacturers.

texbiker

I ride a Canyon Endurace CF SLX 2018 size M. I am 5' 10" with 32" inseam. The bike is a great fit. I agree the sizing recommendations are interesting. Look at the geometry diagram and compare that with a bike that fits you.

Moisture

With your inseam you should be looking at least L if not XL.

Iride01 

On Canyon's USA site, when I plug in to Canyon's sizing calculator your 181.5 cm height and inseam of 86, if says:
This is for what I assume is their 2021 model and showing most sizes available to US after April 26, 2021. Whether earlier models were significantly different geometry I don't know.

Based on your height alone, the geometry tables suggest a "M" medium frame with a 556 mm top tube. It's not a very aggressive geometry and has a high stack and high stand-over compared to other bikes I recently looked at for myself.

Best bet in my opinion is try one or two on in person and get opinion of another that is with you. Does Canyon have any bikes in shops there? Here they are mostly mail order/on-line purchase. Personally, if I didn't have prior experience on a road bike to know what I do and don't like about sizing, then I wouldn't buy online.

Moisture

According to the geomtery of that website, (really good size frame actually)

You can safely go up to XL according to standover height. Id say it's either an XL for you with a slightly shorter stem, or the Large.

mack_turtle

inseam has nothing to do with how a bike actually rides. please stop posting such ignorant nonsense.

mack_turtle

first, when you speak of inseam, are you talking about you pubic bone height aka cycling inseam, or you pants size? your PBH is useful for find the comfortable limits of standover height, but pants size is a bit more subjective, and usually quite a bit lower than your PBH. find the actual PBH to make any use of that. I am 175cm tall and have a 83-84cm PHB and average proportions (I think), so your measurements sound about right if you measured them correctly. I think there is an error on Canyon's webpage because telling you that the seat post will never fit your legs mades no sense. I would contact them and ask them about that, because only Canyon knows what's going on behind that site.

At close to 6' tall, I can't see why Canyon thinks you can't fit on one of their bikes. looking at their geometry, I would think a large would be just right. adjust stem and saddle position accordingly.

Caustilicous

i'm from estonia so i'm looking at the estonian site and it says that my recommended size is M. right now i checked the us site and it says that it's out of range, strange stuff. we don't have canyon bike shop in here. don't have a chance to go to a bike shop and see a consultant either.

Caustilicous

i'm talking about my PBH, correct. i'm about to contact them, but i also wanted to hear some opinions on here. i really don't want to screw up with a slighty bigger or smaller frame

Moisture

Typically, reach the top tube length is proportionately longer on a bike designed for somebody with a longer inseam.

Although a bike may fit you appreciatively according to your inseam, but the top tube and stem length might cause you to be too leaning forward than what you would prefer. Best bet in this case would be to find a bike with a shorter top tube or get a shorter stem.

Also, at 34inches inseam, you'll want roughly 180mm crank arms.

mack_turtle

that sounds good then, glad to hear you have a grasp of that concept.

I'd still contact Canyon directly to see why the site says that a large cannot accommodate you. it's possible that Canyon uses an unusual sizing method and you can end up downsizing, but that will likely result in a lot of exposed seatpost (which is probably what Canyon is saying about the limits) and it could be difficult to get the handlebar high enough for you to ride confidently.

there is currently no consensus on crank arm length, so take any advice you get about that with a grain of salt.

Moisture

there is a specific crank arm length according to inseam. What the exact length is in proportion to inseam i won't argue as if I know exactly.


All I can say is that, most large, xl, xxl bikes have the same 175mm arms, which is short for me.

Currently, the main thing negatively impacting my bike fit would be the 175mm arms.

I measured my standover at 886mm on my norco, and its right up there to the limit when I am barefoot. That means my inseam is nearly 35 inches. I don't have the fit or leverage I wish for over 175mm arms.

Caustilicous

so, what you're saying is that an L could fit perfectly, but if i lean too forward i could change the stem to a shorter one? also that canyon comes with 175mm crank arms, i hope it's not that big of a deal?

mack_turtle

that's a general rule that many use as a shortcut but it is not a law of physics. if you ask five bike fitters with adequate experience, they'll give you eight answers to that question. inseam is only one factor in that equation and the only way to optimize it is to put the rider in a trainer with an experienced fitter observing. Steve Hogg has some interesting thoughts on the matter. John Weirath has some thoughts on it as well. I suggest you read up on those nuances and spend a few years fitting bikes for hundreds of riders before declaring such generalizations to be absolute truths.

Moisture

how much do you weigh? I think your torso is proportionally a bit shorter than average compared to your inseam, just like me.

I think that, while the top tube length and reach is a good size on the large for you, the relatively short stack paired with the 110mm stem would cause you to lean forward a bit too much.

If that's what you want, then you'll be good. But if you get the bike id suggest playing around with saddle positioning and different length stems to find the perfect fit for you.

175mm crank arms for your inseam *may* be a little bit small for you, but only you can determine that for yourself based on factors such as torso angles and pedalling style. 180mm would probably be better, but its your decision whether that up grade is worth it or not.

Iride01 

I guess with 34.5" (87.6 cm) inseam I must be severely handicapped by my 165 mm cranks. <sarcasm>

With 180 mm cranks, I'm sure I'd have to quit pedaling through turns I currently can pedal and accelerate in.

surak

Canyon is not a good choice if it's your first drop bar road bike and you don't know what geometry and fit you need. You can hypothesize and extrapolate as much as you want, but when you get the bike, you won't even have the experience of knowing if it is the right fit or what to modify to make it fit better. Then even simple things like changing the stem length are made trickier by Canyon's use of less common steerer tube diameter.

Caustilicous

well, i've contacted canyon and that's what they told me:

either my english is letting me down or wtf does he mean by seat tube outlet? i don't get that part. does it mean how high the seat post will be high up or what