KHS Alite 2000 SL

tommyd84
tommyd84 Posts: 10
edited November 2012 in MTB buying advice
I'm looking to purchase a KHS Alite 2000 SL. Unfortunately my body size seems to fall directly between two sizes (17" and 19"). I'm 179cm (5'11"), 72kg, inseam of 82.5cm.

I noticed MBR commented on this exact bike in this month's edition saying that someone being 5'10" or more should go for a 19" frame due to the Trail focused stem (as opposed to the general XC geometry of the rest of the bike).

Is anyone able to confirm this or add to it? Any advise, preferably with genuine knowledge/experience of KHS sizing would be much appreciated. Problem is that KHS are direct sale only so whilst I can swap sizes around if I don't like it, it's still a pain in the backside and very time-consuming.

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Picture attached because looking at bikes is always nice!

Thanks

Comments

  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Height is only very rough indicator of what might fit. Your inside leg and reach are more important. So that advice is nonsense, as are the comments on the stem.

    They do have quite long effective top tubes for a given 'size'. If you prefer a more stretched out, racier position, or are long in the upper body, the 19 would be the better bet: if a more upright, shorter stance, then the 17. Unless you have massively long legs then the seatpost should be long enough.
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  • tommyd84
    tommyd84 Posts: 10
    Thanks supersonic

    When you say "They" are you specifically referring to a KHS Alite?

    I'm currently leaning towards the 17". I prefer the closer control I get with a more upright/compact cockpit, my legs are quite long but not unusually so the seatpost length will be fine (my reach is prob slightly on the smaller side) and the standover height of the Alite errs on the highish side too.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    17" is should be then. They as that model, a little longer than the norm for an xc bike.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • stuisnew
    stuisnew Posts: 366
    I've never seen a KHS in the flesh but the Alite has looked a great bike for the last few years.
  • tommyd84
    tommyd84 Posts: 10
    Thanks for all the feedback. I realise not a lot of people come back after requesting advice so I thought I'd buck the trend and post my experiences...

    I purchased the 17". It was definitely the right choice for me. Comfort is good (still need to sort my SPD's out mind), the bike's agility is superb and given the muddy and sodden grounds of England I think this is probably a better preference to a longer outstretched position a 19" frame would have given me. Having been off a MTB in earnest for 10yrs (I used to race when I was a youngster) I felt completely at home on this bike instantly.

    The bike in general feels super responsive but stable, all componentry seems to compliment each other perfectly, with one exception, and that are the tyres. The knobbly bits are a bit rubbish in the mud (but excellent on hardpack and gravel) but tyres are always dependent on rider style, useage, weather and environment anyway. All in all, a highly recommended HT bike.

    stuisnew - I can vouch for the fact that the bike looks superb in the flesh, at least it did at first. It's now caked in mud.
  • winter_zombie
    winter_zombie Posts: 291
    any pictures ????

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