From NYC To Canyon Showroom in Carlsbad— Story Time about Bike Fit.

Last week I traveled from NY to LA (for a wedding) and carved out a day to visit the Canyon showroom in Carlsbad. It was a 4 hour round trip drive from where I was staying in North Hollywood. Since I’m gearing up to buy a bike, I decided it was worth the drive. Wanting to avoid LA morning traffic, I was out the door at 5:45am and arrived in Carlsbad before 8am. Had breakfast at The Story Caffè, waited for Canyon to open at 10am. Rolled up. Went in. Then the unexpected happened.

This is my Canyon story.

The original reason for my visit was bike type: Aeroad v. Ultimate v. Endurace. By test driving each of the 3, I comfortably answered that question. (Spoiler: I’m going with the Ultimate, as a great all-around option.)

But the real punchline of the story lies in sizing and bike fit.

My man, Cris, from the showroom helped me out. Very cool dude, we talked bikes and I told him where my head was at—my cycling goals, etc.

Then on to the testing phase. Cris guided me in how to stand while gauging my knee height in the upward peddle position. Nailed my saddle height by having me peddle out, rather than consulting a theoretical sizing chart. A few other bike pointers. Etc.

Based on the Canyon sizing chart, at 6’3” with a 35” inseam, I’m XL on Ultimate and Aeroad, and an L on Endurace.

Cris immediately debunked the idea that I should be a L in Endurace. He said if I’m an XL in Ultimate, than I should go XL in Endurace. Okay, done.

I started with the Endurace in XL. A more upright, comfortable ride. Nice bike.

Than the Ultimate XL. Nimble and more aero geometry, with a shorter stack and longer top tube. For me, a more engaging and fun ride than Endurace.

Last but not least— the Aeroad in XL. Same geometry as the Ultimate but somehow more zip, felt quick.

All great bikes.

Then one last test of the Ultimate to seal the deal. Since it’s a good all-around bike, now I made sure to lean into the test by riding it upright (for longer rides), riding lower in more aero posture (for speed). And then in aero, I realized that I couldn’t get long and low with my hands on the top of the hoods without significantly arching my back. I was still on the XL at this point. Why wouldn’t I be?

So I mentioned this back arch situation to Cris. He watched me go, evaluating my riding posture. And this is when he said he thinks I should try a 2XL.

A 2XL?

Based on the Canyon sizing chart, a 2XL starts at 6’5”!

But I followed his lead, trying the 2XL. And the bike felt good! I was able to pitch lower with less of an arch in my back. Didn’t notice any deterioration in other factors like pace and could argue the bike felt more comfortable. The saddle height looked visibly lower. But the stand over height turns out to be less than an inch taller than the XL.

Cris was convinced the 2XL was the right bike for me. He said I could make the XL work by buying a cockpit with a longer neck. But if I wanted to not spend additional $ and wanted a stock bike that fit from go, it’s the 2XL.

All in all, I decide to purchase a the 2XL and I’m waiting on delivery.

Now as I sit here back in NYC, I’m eager to receive the bike and validate my brief test drive experience. I’m trusting my choice. I’m trusting Cris’s expertise. But to be honest, the discrepancy between the size chart and my Carlsbad visit is still peddling in my head.

BTW side note—loved visiting the Canyon showroom!