Sizing of a Giant MTB

kiwiinmelb

Likes Dirt
Gday, Im a newbie here , just brought my first MTB today (Sat), well put a deposit on it , they order it in and I pick it up through the week

Brought a Giant Talon 2 , Im 5 foot 11, or 180 cm , the guy that served me looked up a chart and said medium is your size,

now..... i have since done a bit of searching online and found a chart ,
http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/contentPages.asp?pageID=61
and from what i can see im smack on the border between medium and large ,

Im just a bit concerned that was all done a bit quick and perhaps I might prefer a large or be better suited to one ?

Should I ring them monday morning or am i being concerned about nothing.

any help or advice appreciated
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Hey mate.

Sizing is personal, and they are rough guidelines those online charts.
I am 183cm tall and have ridden and owned many giants.

I fit both a 19" frame (the old giant sizing, they go up in even numbered two inch increments now) with a long stem (110mm),
or a 20" frame (current giant sizing) with a shorter stem (90mm).

Take one for a ride, see how it feels. If your'e not sure after riding it then try another size.
The shop won't mind, it's their job the help you so don't be afraid to ask.
When you ride it try an out of the saddle effort, a seated spin, a seated big gear, a seated high gear and find a small hill if you have the luxury and try it in the granny ring for a minute or two.
Any sizing issues should be made clear if you try a few ways of riding.

Make sure you feel confident and safe on it, and when you get a close fit you should feel it right away.

If you feel unsure on a bike you can be pretty sure it's not the right size straight up.

If it feels almost perfect, which is normally the case, you can experiment with saddle height and stem length as well. But I would say that you would be a 20" (Large) frame if you have reasonably normal proportions. If you have short arms you may be better suited to an 18 inch frame (med).
 
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armara

Likes Bikes
Hi,
I am 183cm and have both, an 18” (M) Giant Trance and a 20” (L) Giant Anthem 29er. Both have 100mm stems that have been flipped and lowered. I find both comfortable. It will depend on what you want to do with your bike. The Trance is small enough to throw around and still large enough to do the odd 4 and 6 hr race. The Anthem 29er has me in more of a race position allowing me to ride faster. My mate has an 18” (M) Anthem 29er and when I ride that I feel cramped up as I am in a different to the Trance even though it is the same size.
As has been written I think you should test ride at least one of the sizes to confirm whether you would prefer one over the other.
Some stores will change the stem for a longer / shorter one, after you have been riding for a while if you are uncomfortable. My road bike took about one month and two stem changers before I felt comfortable with it.

Good luck,
Mark.
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
There are many things you can go to fit yourself to a bike correctly, likes stem changes in length height, stack height, bar width and height, crank length etc.
It is obviously very important however to get fitted to the right size frame first. To settle it the best thing you can do is ring the store as soon as you can and let them know your concern and tel them you would like to test ride a larger and a medium in that bike, hopefully they have them in stock. If they dont stock them you can ride something similar as it may help give you a rough guide, it is not really ideal as bike feel different but it may be enough if you find one similar enough.

A lot of riders are in between bike sizes and there is always over lap, I would say go get fitted and sized properly but it can be costly, worth it though if you are happy to spend the cash.

It is not only your height that is important but arm reach and leg length as they will vary with rider to rider even if they are the same overall height.
Bottom line, try get a test ride on both sizes it is the best way to be certain of what you need.
 

kiwiinmelb

Likes Dirt
I wasnt sure If i was being pedantic or not , but going off the chart , which is all the guy did that served me, im an in between size anyway , so really, IMO, more time and thought should have been put into that.

I will ring them monday morning.
 

kiwiinmelb

Likes Dirt
They were open today ( Sun) I rang them and they told me to come in ,

They didnt have a Talon in stock in either size, but sat me on both sizes on other giant bikes, and said both sizes look ok ,

They are going to order in both sizes and let me ride both and then let me make my choice, I cant complain about that, happy with that .

One thing, when I stood flat footed , there was clearance , but perhaps only an inch or two between the top bar and the plums with the large , and probably twice that with the medium, how crucial is that ?
 

digbyj

Scooteria
Hey dude,
I've got a Large Giant and I'm about 5 10. Have a bit of clearance but not much but this has never really been an issue or consideration for me. I thought large would be a bit big but I love the fit and I have reasonably long arms.
Sounds like a good bike store letting you try both so just get on and see which feels more comfortable, then just get out there and ride it!
Good luck, from another kiwi in Melbourne!
 

redbruce

Eats Squid
They were open today ( Sun) I rang them and they told me to come in ,

They didnt have a Talon in stock in either size, but sat me on both sizes on other giant bikes, and said both sizes look ok ,

They are going to order in both sizes and let me ride both and then let me make my choice, I cant complain about that, happy with that .

One thing, when I stood flat footed , there was clearance , but perhaps only an inch or two between the top bar and the plums with the large , and probably twice that with the medium, how crucial is that ?
Not as important as top tube length, that is the fundamental parameter for bike fit.

Talon is in Giants sports MTB line. They have significantly shorter top tubes (TT) for a given size than than Giants performance range. It also highlights why you cant just sit on other models in Giants, or others range to see whether you are a medium or large (that just shows ignorance on behalf of the shop staff).

This gives a more upright position, good for bike paths, commuting (can see traffic better), beginner riders and general recreation trail riding, which is what the bike is designed for. For example a medium talon (18" frame) has a 582mm TT and and XTC (17.5") has a 595mm TT. Both are too short for the typical 180cm rider in my experience. While the shorter TT gives more confidence to the beginner descending, It makes climbing more difficult.

My son is 178cm and rides an old Yukon 19" which has a 615mm TT and a 90mm stem. Its a good fit, allowing an efficient position and balance for climbing and comfort descending.

If the Talon design suits your intended purpose I would suggest a large (20" - 600mmTT). Clearance is a bit tight but better that than a short bike. It wont be too long and at least you will get a much more efficient riding position and make it easier on your back climbing.
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
If the other model bike you sat on had the same TT and ST then it will be a good basic guide at best. Riding characteristics will be different depending on geometry.
It is quite good that the store would order both sizes for you, just make sure when they come in you ask to go for a test ride around the block, most shops will let you do this. It is very important to judge how the bike corners etc, so make sure you have a bit of a serve around and feel how the bike is balanced during the test ride.

Once you have got your frame size the next thing you can do is determine your crank length and seat height this will further improve your fitment, you can also try different stem lengths if you find you need a little more or little less reach.

Good luck with it, the LBS sounds quite accommodating which is great.
 

g-fish

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Im going to go the other way from the rest of the suggestions. I work in a giant dealer and (without seeing you) i would suggest the medium. For someone new to mtbing youll find the bike is easier to handle in the smaller size and thus more confidence inspiring. However, the best thing to do would be to take both for a ride and see how it feels after that.

Ultimately it comes down to your body dimensions and what you consider comfy. Im 194cms tall, used to small bikes (bmx), but have long legs, broad shoulders and short arms/torso. So, my xc bike is a 19'' (i.e. technically too small), but with a long seat post, 740mm bars (wide) and a 70mm stem (to keep the length nice and short). Every person is different, and its good your shop is ordering both sizes for you.

Sent from my U20i using Tapatalk
 

kiwiinmelb

Likes Dirt
thanks so much for all your help guys, much appreciated,
why did i choose the talon 2, im a novice rider who plans to do a bit of dirt riding as well as use it for a little bit of road use, but i wanted something that was better in the dirt than a hybrid, and Im on a $600 budget for first mountain bike ,and am paying $585 for the talon 2 , just like the look of what it had to offer for those dollars, and ive read positive reviews

the plot thickens a little though ,

get a call this arvo, the large is unavailable in the Talon2 for a month ( approx),

the medium is coming in ,

So my choices are
medium Talon 2 straight away ,
the top range Boulder , $100 less, no lock out front suspension ( which i sorta wanted for road use)
Or step up to the next Talon, $200 more, dont want to spend that much right now though ,
or Wait a month for the large Talon 2, which if i decide to do , ill be spewing, i was looking forward to riding next weekend (I bet an opposition bike shop out there somewhere has got one sitting in the shop , Ive paid him $200 deposit.)

they have a large boulder in the shop, which is what I sat on today, which felt ok sitting, does that have the same top bar dimensions ,

Im learning a lot in a short time from this forum ,thanks again, awesome.
 

Capt.Gumby

Likes Dirt
I have been tossing up the idea of getting a hardtail and wasn't sure whether to go 26 or 29. A mate lends me his Giant XTC 29er medium for a week while he is on holiday (good fell, big call lending your bike for a week!!). I'm 6 foot and thought it was going to be too small for me considering I have always ridden large sized frames. A was quite surprised that it didn't feel cramped or too small at any stage and I rode it every day on both XC trails and road. A great bike.
 

redbruce

Eats Squid
I have been tossing up the idea of getting a hardtail and wasn't sure whether to go 26 or 29. A mate lends me his Giant XTC 29er medium for a week while he is on holiday (good fell, big call lending your bike for a week!!). I'm 6 foot and thought it was going to be too small for me considering I have always ridden large sized frames. A was quite surprised that it didn't feel cramped or too small at any stage and I rode it every day on both XC trails and road. A great bike.
Thats my point about characterising bike sizes by small, medium, large, 18" or 20".

If you have been riding a large Talon with a TT of 600mm and move to a medium XTC (26 or 29, same TT) then you have gone to 595mm TT. Not much change.

Typical trailworthy large bikes have TT's between 605 and 620mm. A medium talon at 582mm is significantly shorter.

For the OP, go find another shop with both medium and large Talon in stock and try them.

if you cant get your deposit back just wait for the month if the large is the correct size. A week is nothing in the scheme of the life of bike ownership.
 
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terraburn

Squid
They were open today ( Sun) I rang them and they told me to come in ,

They didnt have a Talon in stock in either size, but sat me on both sizes on other giant bikes, and said both sizes look ok ,

They are going to order in both sizes and let me ride both and then let me make my choice, I cant complain about that, happy with that .
...
Nice LBS, look after them.
And your stand-over clearance on both sounds OK, so size for the other factors.
 
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