@@supercoder7flats might be a good move for some - I raced XC and now gravel on XTR pedals. Some of my gravel races are pretty long affairs. I’d be hesitant to give up the efficiency
Fellow Uthald owner here. Same color, same spec, same size. In fact, I struggled with being in between sizes some as well. Being an endurance bike, I think I skewed more towards comfort and confidently went with the XL. I don't regret it at all. I have a race bike that will scratch that itch, but when I want comfort at speed, "Freyja" in all her Borealis beauty is the one I pick. (I should add, I use the SPD-SL pedals of a slightly newer vintage, but I understand Dave's reasoning for his pick.)
A bit random but I looked into this bike after their original review where they said "if it were my money i'd choose this bike" Note that the price points being pushed via marketing/reviews don't typically take into account VAT/duties from the US, so if you're UK-based you'll need to whack on an extra 20% which completely negates the perceived price point advantage over bigger brands. The base bike shown here is £3700+ post-VAT, and an extra 100 for shipping. To each his own but I wouldn't touch it unless I lived in the US (0 VAT). In the UK there are simply better deals to be found from more established/trusted brands which have higher R&D, and are more likely to be around to support you post-purchase.
Dave - how tall are you? If on edge between L and XL - why did you opt for the XL vs L and increasing the stem length? I'm 6'4" and trying to decide between the 2.
