SC Vala sizing issues for smaller guys between sizes

[caveirex]

Hello guys!
I will buy a Vala in the next 1 or 2 months.
I live in Azores Portugal so there aren't to many Valas to try before i buy it, and i'm having some issues regarding the sizing of this bike.

I have 5'6'' (167,5cm) ,an inseam of 29,52 inches (75cm) and a wingspan of 167,5cm , so an ape index of 1.

My analogic enduro bike is a Specialized Enduro (size S2) with 437mm of reach and i feel confortable with it, not only in flowy trails, but also at enduro and dh racing. I sized down in the Specialized acording with their site, and with the Vala i really don't know what to do.

According with the Santa Cruz size guide i should get a Medium, but the 460mm reach is scaring me.
Do you have any advice on this?
Are you or have you any friends between sizes, or in the lower spectrum of one size that sized down?

Its easy to gain some reach with a bigger stem than reduce the reach on a bike...
Can you help me?
I will try to test the two sizes, but i'm not sure if they are available anytime soon.


Thanks in advance

 

[ThierryGTLTS]

Hello guys!
I will buy a Vala in the next 1 or 2 months.
I live in Azores Portugal so there aren't to many Valas to try before i buy it, and i'm having some issues regarding the sizing of this bike.

I have 5'6'' (167,5cm) ,an inseam of 29,52 inches (75cm) and a wingspan of 167,5cm , so an ape index of 1.

My analogic enduro bike is a Specialized Enduro (size S2) with 437mm of reach and i feel confortable with it, not only in flowy trails, but also at enduro and dh racing. I sized down in the Specialized acording with their site, and with the Vala i really don't know what to do.

According with the Santa Cruz size guide i should get a Medium, but the 460mm reach is scaring me.
Do you have any advice on this?
Are you or have you any friends between sizes, or in the lower spectrum of one size that sized down?

Its easy to gain some reach with a bigger stem than reduce the reach on a bike...
Can you help me?
I will try to test the two sizes, but i'm not sure if they are available anytime soon.


Thanks in advance

On the French Website, Santa Cruz recommends to take the nearest reach size of your old bike, if it fits well.
So clearly go for the S size with 435mm of reach!
Thierry

 

[JStrube]

The Santa Cruz specs were right on for my wife who is 5'6", in a Medium. I am 5'10ish, and sized to a Large. I like her Medium, but it is a tad small. I think if you cross the 2 sizes, if you like a smaller bike, size down, if you like it larger, up. Thing is, I think with the Small, and larger tires, you get some foot into front wheel issues potentially.

 

[MJO]

On the French Website, Santa Cruz recommends to take the nearest reach size of your old bike, if it fits well.
So clearly go for the S size with 435mm of reach!
Thierry

I'm 165cm and felt spot on with M, being mullet to me, it feels like the reach isn't that long for a medium. It comes with a 42mm stem, so you can always downsize if needed.

 

[DS.]

Same hight small felt better than a medium but everyone’s different

 

[leroy]

i'm 5 foot 7 and medium is perfect

 

[mtnbiker62]

Hello guys!
I will buy a Vala in the next 1 or 2 months.
I live in Azores Portugal so there aren't to many Valas to try before i buy it, and i'm having some issues regarding the sizing of this bike.

I have 5'6'' (167,5cm) ,an inseam of 29,52 inches (75cm) and a wingspan of 167,5cm , so an ape index of 1.

My analogic enduro bike is a Specialized Enduro (size S2) with 437mm of reach and i feel confortable with it, not only in flowy trails, but also at enduro and dh racing. I sized down in the Specialized acording with their site, and with the Vala i really don't know what to do.

According with the Santa Cruz size guide i should get a Medium, but the 460mm reach is scaring me.
Do you have any advice on this?
Are you or have you any friends between sizes, or in the lower spectrum of one size that sized down?

Its easy to gain some reach with a bigger stem than reduce the reach on a bike...
Can you help me?
I will try to test the two sizes, but i'm not sure if they are available anytime soon.


Thanks in advance

I'm 5'7", and have very short legs and a longer torso. I'm very happy with my size M, and the reach is just about perfect for me. I did shorten the travel of the seat post by 10mm, and I shortened the handlebars to 780mm...those are the only changes I made. I'm old-school and learned to ride before dropper posts existed, so I rarely use them. Because of that, I don't mind the shortened travel.

 

[LARROK]

Hi, I have the same issue, almost the exact size 5'6" 29.5" inseam. I currently ride a Tallboy V5 and an Ibis HD5, both in medium, short 35mm stem and bars cut to 760. In between sizes, I would size up. I've had a small blur, and I felt cramped, went to a medium blur, and have never gone back. I'm also looking at the Vala in Medium, so I was wondering what you ended up doing. One thing to think about, I found the small frame size is hard to sell, there is not a big market in my area.

 

[caveirex]

Hi, I have the same issue, almost the exact size 5'6" 29.5" inseam. I currently ride a Tallboy V5 and an Ibis HD5, both in medium, short 35mm stem and bars cut to 760. In between sizes, I would size up. I've had a small blur, and I felt cramped, went to a medium blur, and have never gone back. I'm also looking at the Vala in Medium, so I was wondering what you ended up doing. One thing to think about, I found the small frame size is hard to sell, there is not a big market in my area.

Hi.
I bought a Medium Vala and it was the best decision i could make.
The Vala geometry is quite different from my old Specialized Enduro and with the Vala M i feel more confortable than with the Enduro S2.
Don’t get me wrong, the Vala is a big bike, but when riding doesn't look that big. I just had to put my sadle forward and reduce the travel of the oneup dropper because I have short legs, but i really happy that i bought the M. If i had choose the small i would regret it for sure.

 

[LARROK]

Hi.
I bought a Medium Vala and it was the best decision i could make.
The Vala geometry is quite different from my old Specialized Enduro and with the Vala M i feel more confortable than with the Enduro S2.
Don’t get me wrong, the Vala is a big bike, but when riding doesn't look that big. I just had to put my sadle forward and reduce the travel of the oneup dropper because I have short legs, but i really happy that i bought the M. If i had choose the small i would regret it for sure.

Great, this is the info. Iwas looking for. I did take a ride on a medium at the LBS, but just around their parking lot. I'm planning on demoing it in the spring, but the snow here isn't going anywhere for a while.
Thanks again,
Lk

 

[caveirex]

Great, this is the info. Iwas looking for. I did take a ride on a medium at the LBS, but just around their parking lot. I'm planning on demoing it in the spring, but the snow here isn't going anywhere for a while.
Thanks again,
Lk

No problem. I also take a mini ride at the LBS parking lot and right there i found out that the medium was the one. Now, 6 month and a lot of trails after i really thing that i made the right decision.