[Closed] eBike sizing - different to bike sizing?

I've not heard of sizing down for an e-bike but I have only been online browsing and watching some YT vids, I have only ever assumed I would want the ebike to be quite close to my other bike sizing to avoid having to get used to either bike when switching between the two

Ive read a few posts on forums saying the same sort of thing, I'm not really sure if its true .

I bought an e bike that was largely the same dimensions as my normal bike. However my normal bike is relatively short compared to newer bikes. the ebike feels fine to me, I wouldnt want it any smaller though.

Maybe there's something in the size down advice? ebikes are heavy, and that weight does mean that theyre more stable at speed than a similar bike. I dont think I would get on with a bike that was so small it was actually uncomfortable/felt weird though.

That's a good point, with extra weight maybe that negates a bit of the 'length for stability' and you can trade off for a bit of 'chuckability' (I hate that word)

Trek's size guide is L up to 6'2" and XL from 6'1.2" so I'm in both! If it was L up to 5'11" obviously I'd not be considering it

All depends on your body proportions.. Are you a short bodied/long legged 6'2 or the opposite?
I'm a shortarse (5'9, shortlegged (27" inside). Hired a large trek rail5 last year for my son to ride with us for a few days. Had a go on it and I can honestly say even at my height, I'd not want to be sizing down to a medium.

So all that said has anyone else size down if on the border of sizes? Anyone 6’2″ish on a large Rail?

yes. me. my normal bike is an XL bronson with a short stem which feels great. i went for a large rail as the the key dimension with a 50mm stem where there or there about and thought that an XL might be a little cumbersome to throw about or in tight twisty techy stuff. initially felt a little cramped compared to the bronson, but nothing major and now totally used to it. the larger wheels also help as i never feel like i'm hanging too far of the back which normally happens when i ride bikes too small for me. if i was being pedantic then yes technically it is a fraction too small, however i think an XL would be too much of a struggle to hoik about. nothing of this is based on science, just how it feels when i ride it. for reference 6'1 with 33 inch inside leg. btw they are great bikes, far more capable than you might think

Ours are the same size as the normal bikes that we ride, wouldn't want to go any smaller or bigger. We did have the advantage of sitting on them before buying but even looking at the online geometry would have picked the same. Turbo Levos and a Levo SL

My Levo is the same reach (but taller stack) than my Spitfire was, and pretty much the same size as my hardtail too once I'm on the bike. The chainstays are a LOT longer (455mm Levo vs 420mm Zero AM) so having the bars higher helps for chucking it about - and unlike a normal full-sus all that battery weight and the long chainstays helps stick the front wheel to the ground in flat turns or on steep climbs so the high bars aren't a problem then.

I do think that the extra weight and the longer chainstays add significant stability, so I don't think you benefit as much from going to the longest reach and shortest stem possible, as you might with a normal enduro bike. Also, you can have a lot more fun on flat trails on an ebike than a similar full-sus so there's a argument for a longer stem for better cornering.

Have a look at the diagonal of reach and stack, not just the reach. My old Spitfire and Levo are both 455mm reach but the Levo has 38mm more stack height. That makes the bike almost a whole size bigger once you've adjusted the bars to a similar height. I'm 5'10.5" with long limbs (~33" legs, 6'2" armspan) so I'm not exactly riding big bikes for my height, although they're bigger than I used to ride!

@transporter13

I’m a shortarse (5’9, shortlegged (27″ inside). Hired a large trek rail5 last year for my son to ride with us for a few days. Had a go on it and I can honestly say even at my height, I’d not want to be sizing down to a medium.

I'm the same height as you but with a 31" inside leg and I ride a medium, I certainly wouldn't want a large. I'm actually surprised you can manage with the standover of the large. I've spent some time on other ebikes (Whyte, 150 and 180, Levo, Decoy, Cube 160) and the only one I've ridden where I'd take the large over the medium is the Levo.
@chrishc777
I would say that a large Rail would be on the small size for you.

I’m 6”1’ on a large Rail.

I’m a little bit between sizes as i would have had something slightly bigger but I know from personal experience of normal bikes the XL would be too big for me.

Also consider with the movement toward longer bikes it’s there to help stability. An eeb due to its extra weight is inherently more stable than a normal bike anyway, so no, I agree you don’t necessarily need to be ‘like for like’ on sizing. I think if you are on the cusp, I would go smaller than bigger.

FWIW my normal bike is bigger than my eeb. I don’t have any issue switching between them. Actually that’s not true, my normal bike takes a couple of runs to get into things as it feels super flighty and light after a week on the eeb.

"I’m the same height as you but with a 31″ inside leg and I ride a medium, I certainly wouldn’t want a large."

If your measurements are accurate (and you've got similar amounts of head and neck height) then your torso is 4" shorter than Mr Transporter's. Standover may not be ideal for him but I can see why he'd want the extra reach!

@doomanic
I ride a large 2019 focus jam2 6.7nine. Geo is a bit short and steep but it will do until I buy my next bike.
Came from riding a medium 2017 g160 which had pretty much perfect geometry for me.
I've always bought a bike based on the reach/seat tube length/head angle and front centre measurement as that affects me much moreso than worrying about standover height.
I've mostly always looked at larger frames which gave longer dimensions, that also had seat tubes with support braces from the top tube which could be machined off and seat tube shortened to accommodate this. I've done it on at least 5 frames I've had over the years so far.

said that people are sizing down a bit because of all the seated climbing

Weird. I do all my climbing sitting down on my bike. Not sure why people are supposed to sit down even more on an eeb...

(rocking a 28/51)

I'm 6'1" and ride an s4 kenevo with 490mm reach, but my normal bike is a large geometron with 510 reach😁 So I might have sized down a bit, but it's still a big bike. I did test ride the S3 a few times, and just found it a bit small coming from the geometron.

I’m 6”2’, I had both a large & then a XL e-bike, though neither are the treks. The large is significantly the more agile of the two, but the XL fits me better & is my preferred choice. As I’m more comfortable on it, i ride more confidently overall.
I’m old & slow(ish), a more adventurous rider could potentially benefit from the smaller nimbler bike size, with the motor making up for a lot of the disadvantages.

Thanks for all the responses! Sounds like it’s defo worth considering the large. The shop has another ebike on demo which has the same reach, think I’ll give that a go and decide but it looks likely

My trail bike is a medium Bird Aeris and I’m in a large Orbea Wild and roughly the same size

From the numbers you’ve given, the Large Rail sounds too small. It’s not a very large “large” in terms of reach and stack. Same numbers as my medium hardtail. I’m 5’9”.