Tall riders

Steve Coll

Hi , I was wondering if there's any tall riders in here and what size frames you have , the reason I ask is I've been in my local bike shop over the last few days and been offered a 2013 trek 4500 disc for £399 it's a 23.5 " frame and feels ok to sit on but there is very little standover clearence about an inch max, the staff in the shop have advised me that it's the correct size for me , but I'm wondering if there just trying to get rid of the old stock , no where local have the next frame size down for me to try so was wondering if you think it sounds about the right size I'm 6ft 4" with a 34" inside leg.

Thanks steve

dusk

I'm 6'5" with slightly longer leg than you and ride 19" frames, I couldn't get away with much smaller in terms of saddle height but I don't feel cramped at all. I like a bit of standover so 23.5"sounds too big to me.

Dawesy92

Im 6ft dead really and about 33" leg I ride a 21.5" frame and feels awesome. If thats any help. :-)

Antm81

I'm 6ft4 with a 35" inside leg, I had a 22" cube and now ride a large giant trance (19 or 20" I believe), at the end of the day it's personal preference and what feels right for you.

Steve Coll

Thanks for your advice guys, it didn't feel silly big just a bit dubious of lack of standover clearence .

rockmonkeysc

Im only 6'1" and ride a 20" Giant Anthem and find it a little small.
Don't worry about stand over clearance, it's not important.

robertzee

I have a 2005 trek 4300 disc 22.5 inch frame. I stand 6ft 3in with 35 in inside leg and the seatpost still sits quite far out of the frame. It just felt right when I sat on it, so my advice is if it feels ok buy it.

kajjal

I am a bit over 6ft6 and ride a 23" specialized carve comp. The bike fits me perfectly and my inside leg is 35" for trousers and 36.5" if measured for a bike fit. On the other hand my road bike is 62cm Trek which in going by the size chart should be too small for me but it fits me fine after I made a few slight adjustments to its setup.

When you are tall it is best to test ride bikes to see what size fits best. Size charts only give a starting point. Lack of stand over height on a mountain bike can be a problem try riding the next size down to get a comparison. Bike shops in general are not as good at sizing bikes for tall riders due to not seeing as many.

coulddobetter

I am another who isn't too worried re standover . Had several falls from the bike but never clobbered my wedding tackle . Also manufactures differ so much it's only worth comparing the same bike in different sizes.

If the bike feels right for you go for it .

cooldad

Size aside, I wouldn't, even for £400.
At the price, this has better bit all round, and a much, much better fork.
The one on the Trek is a nasty undamped POS.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... =true&msg=

coulddobetter

Agrre with cooldad the bantu is well reviewed .

Big_Wheels

Ignore the bike shop unless you really trust them. Most sales people can't get their heads around the fact that people like to choose a frame size and that it's not an absolute. As said above, you should really try one. Most good shops have a demo service.

I'm 6'6" and I ride 21" frame short travel full suss (29er) mostly XC. My last hard tail (26er) was the same size but I have gone down to as small as 17" before. Standover height is important for me so I go for as short a seat tube as I can but a long top tube.

Another point is you might want to consider your bike's second hand value. The larger the frame (above about 20") the smaller the market, therefore the greater the depreciation.

Steve Coll

Thanks for all your input , I've decided to leave the 23.5" frame and look for something a bit smaller.

97th choice

Leg measurement is only one part of the fit, I'm only 5ft 10" but have 33" inside leg measurement. I certainly wouldn't want to try and ride a 23" framed bike!

Kowalski675

At 5 foot 10 with 34" inside leg both my 20" Carerra and 18" Boardman fit me fine so, as has already been said, sizing isn't black and white. Zebras are though, but they don't ride bikes.

Clank

I'm 6'4 with a 36" inside leg.

I currently ride a large Giant Trance 26er - but think an XL probably would have been better. My L sized Kinesis also feels a little small. My large Anthem 29er however felt about right.

Levi_501

6'4", with 21" and 21.5" frames; both with 130mm stems.

I have tried both 19" and 20" frames and felt very cramped.

Being tall, the thing I find more important is the effective top tube. I like around 640mm.

as for stand over height, I have not the foggiest.

lostboysaint

6'4" with a Transition Bandit XL and an On One Inbred 29er 21". Both are an excellent fit.

Standover height is not an issue, as long as you've got lots of clearance when you're on the pedals you won't have a problem!

supersonic

Again, frames are measured in many different ways, I've seen one brands 17 inch frame be longer than another's 21 inch. Then we have bb height, tube profiles and so on. Reach is the important factor.

Giraffoto

6'4", about 34" inside leg: 23" felt right on the Specialized Hardrock, 21.5" feels right with the Scandal 29er. So it depends.

Kiliscott

I'm 6.2 and ride a carbon 456 18" frame and it feels excellent, mind you I do a lot of standing up, but when I climb it feels comfortable and not cramped..