Giant Stance E+ 1 Pro 2025- to buy medium or large

[Lancelot]

Hi, I'm new to e-biking, from South Africa and I've just ordered two giant Stance E+ 1 Pro LTD.
I'm just not sure of the size I should get.

1. We used to mountain bike many years ago, but back in the days when mountain bikes didn't have back shocks, and we were just average riders but did love easy to intermediate downhills and trails, .and touring (spent two months cycling and hitching around Madagascar back in 1992)
2. We plan on doing a lot of gravel track riding (so easy, not very technical and on the bike for a good few hours) as well as easy to intermediate single track downhill and trail. But nothing too hectic on the single track, no big airs or going too fast or overly technical. We will also be riding on the tar road close to our house just to get some quick and easy time on WOW bike and ride around the lovely passes close to us in Cape Town
3. I have broken my back twenty years ago in a climbing accident, but have been climbing, surfing since, and now wanting to get into cycling again
4. From other accidents I have an elbow that doesn't straighten properly (radial head shattered so left arm about a centimetre shorter than right wind fully straightened and gets tired on long rides) and a wrist on the other arm that it was badly broken many years ago, does not bend back totally, and gets tired on long rides.
5. I have ordered some Ergon GP2-L Evo touring bars which have a slightly wider grip and a little turn up at the edge to allow me to adjust my grip and sit up a bit straighter when I need to on longer rides.
6. I'm 179 cm tall and have average arm width and leg length.
7. This puts me right in the divide between medium and large for the bike.

My gut is saying I should definitely go for the medium where I can sit up a bit more and not be so stretched out and hopefully be a bit more comfortable for general riding. Yes, this will mean I have a little bit less control on the downhills- but how much and how important, given the type of riding we are thinking of doing? I would imagine this shouldn't be such a problem. So I'd imagine if I get the large, I'm just going to be stretched out too much. My wrist and elbows may start hurting on longer rides, and when I'm going slower downhill, it will be less easy to control. But as I'm new to all of this again, I would love some input from those in the know.

Thanks.
Lance.

 

[Stihldog]

I found myself in between sizes also (medium/large) but I opted for a medium size EMTB. My personal geometry was a factor.

There are several ways that the geometry of your bike can be changed to suit your body or riding comfort;
Saddle shape, seat post height, saddle angle, bar type, bar position, bar width, grip style, stem length, stem height, crank length, …and probably a few other things I forgot.

Also; tire width, tread type and size. I personally have two sets of tires for different riding conditions (pavement, light trails and aggressive downhill).

It’s difficult to select the perfect geometry. It can be an experiment and can be expensive $$$. A local Bike Shop may be able to help.

I also found that my body will adapt to slight changes. I don’t notice certain geometry settings when I ride enduro and downhill. But for longer rides on the flats …I do, especially the saddle.

 

[Lancelot]

Thanks for the input, and you are right about the saddle for longer rides, I must look into what type of saddle I could use for that (and I know this will be very important for my wife.) Do you have any suggestions for saddles for longer riding that is not technical?

 

[Stihldog]

Thanks for the input, and you are right about the saddle for longer rides, I must look into what type of saddle I could use for that (and I know this will be very important for my wife.) Do you have any suggestions for saddles for longer riding that is not technical?

For my wife I installed a softer and slightly larger saddle. He friends chose the same model (I call it a Love Seat, and I’m exaggerating a bit here) . More importantly …she was happy .

It took me a while to find a good saddle for myself. I now use the Ergon Core M/L. Has a slight whale-tail, but I use that model on all my bikes. YMMV. Everyone’s sit bones are different.

 

[Lancelot]

Thanks for the info. Will definitely look for a larger "love saddle" for my wife as I want her happy!