Bike Size....M or L?

[Justin McLeod]

Court and bike community,

I have pre ordered the izip e3 dash in small/medium 17". I am about 5'11" 165lbs. My reasoning for the medium is I (think) I prefer to ride a bike in which I am bigger than the bike and not the bike bigger than me. I guess an example would be I don't want to feel like I'm ridding BIG brothers bike. I ordered my wife last year the izip Metro step through 2013 and I love riding it. Not sure the size on the Metro - Any bigger (I think) would be too Big. So, is my thinking wrong here...Should I make the change and get the 19" medium/large or stay with the 17" small/medium?

Thanks
Justin

 

[Dave]

Justin,
Very good question. I am very close to your size and I have a 20" mountain bike with 26" wheels. Although the bike is very comfortable, I am not sure what the best size to order, as far as the Dash goes. The Dash has those big 700/45c wheels, and with a 19" inch frame, it may be too much bike. On the other hand, the medium 17" may be a little small, and I don't want to feel cramped. Maybe Court could chime in and tell us which size he rode and how it felt.

 

[Vern]

Justin,

It seems like you, Dave, and myself are very similar in size and have the same tastes in bikes. That Dash seems awesome. I can't wait to try it and decide between it, the Shadow, and a Neo. I personally need to try it before I buy it. I am going to wait until my nearby dealer has them in stock and in a Med and a Large. A good bike fit is like buying a pair of shoes. I guess you can look at the specs, and other's opinions, but you just need to try it on. My wife orders shoes from Zappos all the time and she returns half of them. Unfortunately, returning a bike is a much bigger hassle. It seems like there are a lot of posts talking about this topic and why exact dimensions are not part of the reviews here and on the manufactures sites as well. Honestly, I feel that buying a bike does not really lend itself well to being bought online, neither do shoes for that matter. All the numbers, specs, and opinions mean little if it doesn't FEEL right to you.

I am about the same size as you, perhaps a little taller at 6'0". I have found that I am also usually right between most medium and large bikes. It seems to me that most large bikes are designed for people over six feet and medium bikes are designed for people just under 6 feet. Well what if you are 6 feet?? Well I guess you get to pick which bike feels better for you. I have tried the Neo Cross and Carbon in both Med and Large and I have to say that I personally liked the feel of the medium better. It is a bit lighter and I feel more in control. Psychologically, I always feel like I should get a large because I say to myself," I'm pretty tall, so I should get a large." It's funny because there is a strange part of my that feels that buying a medium would make me shorter somehow. The Motiv Shadow on the other hand is a medium, but it feels cramped to me. I think most of this has to do with the seat post being moved forward due to the battery placement. I guess all of this amounts to is that if I were ordering a Dash and had to choose, I don't know what I would do either?? Best of luck!

 

[Ralph]

Justin, I ordered a Dash this week. I test rode the medium/large. It surprised me that I could ride it but it was a bit big for me. I am 5'7" with short inseam. I ordered the small/medium which I hope will be a much better fit. At 5'11", I believe the medium/large would fit you much better in this particular bike. Bottom line is that the medium/large is not that large from what I could tell.

I have also ridden the 2013 Metro. I liked it and could ride it, but it was a bit too big for me.

 

[Admin]

Ha! Vern, I love your last line... "I were ordering a Dash and had to choose, I don't know what I would do either?? Best of luck!" and Ralph, thanks for your input, you were actually typing yours as I was writing my own so our advice overlaps a bit... Sorry for the confusion Justin and I hope this helps vs. stressing your nerves.

This is a tricky subject because I have no idea what the frame size was on the Dash in the review. It felt great and if I had to guess I'd say small/medium because that's going to be easier to mount and test for a wider range of patrons including women who might be buyers at the shows (I tested the bike at Interbike 2013).

Further complicating this matter is geometry. Each bike design is different with the seat post tube and front fork angle usually being parallel to one another but usually slanting more back for a relaxed ride or a mountain bike and definitely for bomber type downhill bike and more forward for road bikes and city bikes.

I'm shorter than most of you guys, except Ralph, at 5'9" and if I had to choose one extreme I think I'd go with small. This is how I always buy my road bikes because it seems to transfer power better and makes me feel powerful and in control. Whenever I ride larger bikes it feels like the bike is controlling me and that feels slow and is hard to bunny hop up curbs and stuff.

I realize you took a gamble here ordering online Justin but Currie has good support and I bet the bike will feel great. You'll have plenty of adjustment options between the stem, handle bars (new handle bars?) and the seat post height and the actual seat position front to back. Indeed, the bike does use larger diameter wheels equivalent to 29". The rims are Alex DH19 and the tires are CST hybrid 700x45c (just added this info to the review).

So in conclusion... It all depends on how you like to ride but with the larger wheels I think the small/medium could work well and the six foot height cutoff makes sense to me. Attached below are all of the official specs

 

[Admin]

Hey guys, I just reached out to Currie to ask which size model of the E3 Dash I rode in this review at Interbike. They said it was the Medium/Large frame size at 19" so I hope this provides some context given that I'm 5'9". They also provided the following thoughts on height/frame size:

"We will try to send you a PDF of the geometry chart. We are leery of blanket size statements as there are those who are all leg and those who are all torso, so 5’11” does not mean much without context. It all has to do with inseam and stand-over clearance."

[update] they just sent me the geometry chart for the IZIP, eFlow and Haibike lines and I've attached it here to help figure out which size would work best for the E3 Dash.

 

[Justin McLeod]

Hey guys, I just reached out to Currie to ask which size model of the E3 Dash I rode in this review at Interbike. They said it was the Medium/Large frame size at 19" so I hope this provides some context given that I'm 5'9". They also provided the following thoughts on height/frame size:

"We will try to send you a PDF of the geometry chart. We are leery of blanket size statements as there are those who are all leg and those who are all torso, so 5’11” does not mean much without context. It all has to do with inseam and stand-over clearance."

[update] they just sent me the geometry chart for the IZIP, eFlow and Haibike lines and I've attached it here to help figure out which size would work best for the E3 Dash.

Thank you for this email and all the others. I have read them all and they are all very helpful. So thanks to everyone who responded. I am a rider that defiantly will be bunny hoping over curbs so that was a great example for me! So that statement alone gave me confidence in the 17" s/m.........But now that it was the 19" in your review......hmmmm?? Court, now that you know you rode the 19" - if you were to buy a dash now...would you go s/m or stay with the 19" m/l? Also do you know the size of the 2013 metro?

 

[Admin]

Hi Justin, I think I'd go with the m/l frame now that I realize that's the bike I was riding (and based on the company feedback). Not only would it be less cramped but I think it would be easier to resell someday as most people who would like this bike are probably guys and they tend to be a bit taller. Have no idea on the 2013 Metro btw, sorry...

 

[Justin McLeod]

Hi Justin, I think I'd go with the m/l frame now that I realize that's the bike I was riding (and based on the company feedback). Not only would it be less cramped but I think it would be easier to resell someday as most people who would like this bike are probably guys and they tend to be a bit taller. Have no idea on the 2013 Metro btw, sorry...

Thanks for the feed back Court.

I looked up the size on Curries site for the 2013 metro and the sizes read (Diamond Frame M (18", 46cm), L ( 20", 50cm) and Low Step (17", 43cm) - See more at: http://www.currietech.com/

My wife has the Low Step 2013 metro 17" and I LOVE it! Also with the spec report you sent was very helpful too. The bike itself is just about the same size. The 19" is only 1.2 inches longer. The 2 inches - really 1.9 inches - only comes into play with the Seat tube and I'm a bike rider that likes to be able to have both feet flat on the ground when coming to a stop. BMX feel i guess. Plus i love the size on the metro 2013. On this bike I have the seat as low as it can go and its perfect for me. I can pull right up to the cross walk button with out having to get off the seat or lean one way on the bike. Its still a lil high for my wife so we ordered her a seat post that can go lower bcz the one with the bike has a built in spring. The bike store has it and we are waiting for my bike to come in and do it all at the same time. So i am feeling good about the 17" based on my bike lifestyle and when i get it….SOON I HOPE!!! I will let you know.

Also, bcz you do bring up your size so we can compare ourselves, anyway you can show you getting on and off the bike in future reviews? We can see you on the bike - how high is the seat post? Are your feet flat or tip toed when stopped? That would be awesome! Your website has been extremely helpful! Get up the great work!!

Thanks
Justin

 

[Brambor]

I personally like a large frame. I am 6 feet and possibly shrinking as I age. My current Scott Sub 10 is large and I love the fit. Smaller bike makes me feel like a circus bear on a motorcycle.
the thing is though...im I am sure I am between medium and large on the frame size but psychologically I feel better on a large frame.

 

[Admin]

I feel you Brambor... Just saw this the other day and it came to mind when reading your comment about "circus bear on a motorcycle"

 

[Rob Kaplan]

Hi folks, I am 6", with a 33" inseam, and the lg Dash and Peak feels great to me. If you have <32'" inseam, probably Med, with lots of seatpost.....>32" inseam, I would suggest lg, unless you plan on doing extreme mtb'ing....which you can with the Peak!

As always, best to test ride both.

 

[Admin]

Hi folks, I am 6", with a 33" inseam, and the lg Dash and Peak feels great to me. If you have <32'" inseam, probably Med, with lots of seatpost.....>32" inseam, I would suggest lg, unless you plan on doing extreme mtb'ing....which you can with the Peak!

As always, best to test ride both.

Thanks Rob, welcome to the forum! It's nice to get an official opinion here from someone who has ridden the different models

 

[Ralph]

Rob, I am 5'7". I got the S/M. Fits fine. Great bike.

 

[JoePah]

Justin I'm 5'8" and demo'd a 15 and 17 stromers. Was just a lot more comfortable with the small frame so that what I bought. 900 miles later and am very happy with that choice. More control.

 

[Justin McLeod]

Justin I'm 5'8" and demo'd a 15 and 17 stromers. Was just a lot more comfortable with the small frame so that what I bought. 900 miles later and am very happy with that choice. More control.

I agree…i am 5'11" and i went with the 17"….150 miles later….very happy!!

 

[Chris Nolte]

This is a great post. This is a common issue people encounter when purchasing over the web. Even when purchasing locally it can be a bit of a task. We are often swapping parts like handlebars, stems and seat posts to provide a better fit for our customers, as the fact of the matter is there aren't enough sizes available in the current Ebike market. With the majority of frame sizes ranging from 1-3 options and most of them running big, many consumers are left confused. I mean I'm 5'9" with a short inseam and the stand over height on most bikes I sell are a bit tight, giving me less than an inch of clearance. It generally doesn't deter me from riding, but I wish there were more options. So where do you go from there? I don't really know, but I will say I'm excited about the prospect brands like Haibike bring with 4 size options across the board. I hope more brands will follow suite, but I know it must be difficult to do multiple frame sizes given the size of the market. Until then we will do the best to work with what we got.

We actually just purchased bike fitting tools and software to assist us with this task better and we're excited to start using it. Also, competitivecyclist.com offers a free fit calculator online for those looking to really get dialed in.

 

[Charly Banana]

Lots of good discussion in this post.
Since there aren't any Dashes in the local shops here, I have to rely on ordering a bike without a test ride.
My main concern is stand-over height. I want to be able to stand with both feet on the ground when stopped.
Looking at the geometry chart, H is the stand-over height.
For the 17" Dash the stand-over height is 820mm which is 32".
For the 19" Dash the stand-over height is 860mm which is 34".
So, I held a horizontally leveled 2"x2" up against my crotch with my biking shoes on and measured from the ground to the top of the 2"x2" and it was 32".
From this I figure I should get the 17" S/M since the stand-over height is 32".
By the way I'm 5'11" and wear pants with a 32" inseam.

 

[Admin]

Lots of good discussion in this post.
Since there aren't any Dashes in the local shops here, I have to rely on ordering a bike without a test ride.
My main concern is stand-over height. I want to be able to stand with both feet on the ground when stopped.
Looking at the geometry chart, H is the stand-over height.
For the 17" Dash the stand-over height is 820mm which is 32".
For the 19" Dash the stand-over height is 860mm which is 34".
So, I held a horizontally leveled 2"x2" up against my crotch with my biking shoes on and measured from the ground to the top of the 2"x2" and it was 32".
From this I figure I should get the 17" S/M since the stand-over height is 32".
By the way I'm 5'11" and wear pants with a 32" inseam.

Well Charly... It sounds like you did everything right. The CEO of Currie Technologies and IZIP just liked your post so I'm going to assume he thinks you're doing it right. I personally enjoyed the Medium and I'm 5'9" with a ~32 inseam. Guess I just have long legs for my height

I've been told that I could ride a Medium or Large (I'm right in between) so often times it comes down to preference. I like a smaller, lighter bike that I can throw around and take up curbs and bunny hop with. I lean small but some people like the longer, larger feel. I think you could be happy with either to be honest.

 

[Larry Pizzi]

@Court - Yes, in comparison to Charly, you have long legs for your height. Generally speaking, for a rider that rides aggressively, the reach (distance from saddle to handlebars) is the dimension that we like to fit to. This speaks to upper torso length which can be adjusted through stem length, as well as frame size. Here is some great information from REI on the subject based on type of bike and riding one plans on doing: http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/bike-fit.html#ooid=hiYWRqNTpXE8uEqQmrq8IPlYkRC47USW