So I’ve been riding around 5 years now, bought my first proper mountain bike in lockdown like a lot of people, at the time the only bike I could get my hands on was a size small Canyon Spectral, which I loved and still enjoy riding now. This year I decided it was time for a new bike, which was more bike park capable so I went with a size medium Santa Cruz Nomad. I enjoy both bikes, the Canyon is super playful and the Nomad is more stable but the thing that’s always been in the back of my mind is thee question of which bike fits me better, the small Canyon or Medium Nomad, interested to see what this forum thinks, pictures below for reference.
For context I’m 168cm (5’6”) tall (170cm in shoes), have a 79cm/30 inch inseam and a 180cm wingspan
by Oli_C86
5 Comments
If you have both ride both, i have multiple in multiple sizes and when i want to ride fast or go big i get the bigger and if i want playful i get smaller
The size differences on modern bikes are mainly in terms of reach and sometimes chainstay length.
If both bikes are comfortable to ride, they both “fit” you for different purposes.
A more stable bike is a good idea for fast bike park chunk, where your canyon might be more fun on slower single track.
I mean, kind of hard to tell from these photos since your seats dropped and you’re in more of an attack position, but the Nomad *seems* better to me.
Side note, the Canyon feels more playful because it’s not as long (wheel base) of a bike by design. The Santa Cruz is longer because that is inherently more stable tend. This isn’t really by bike size but design.
To me the real question is why you chose buying a second fully before adding a hardtail to your collection.
That size SMALL Canyon looks tiny under you, especially the stack height. Even the reach looks short; your butt can’t even align with the seat.
The MEDIUM Noman looks way better.