Mountain bike for tall chap

Simmo72

Hi, looking for some advice. The last mountain bike I had was a giant with slx. It was that long ago it didn't even have front shocks. I ride a lot of road. But looking to get a mountain bike for some winter fun on some trails but I am a complete newbie when it comes to off road spec.

First thing, I'm 6ft 5 and have very long legs, so thinking a 29er is the way to go, but now we also have 27"....should I stay on the 29 route?

Budget is going to be somewhere between 700-1000 and hopefully I can get it on the ride to work scheme. I need something with a decent bit of handlebar height, I ride a road bike with bb to top of saddle at around 87cm. I'm not a brand snob, will happily go with one of the big names like trek or specialized but if a lesser known brand gets you a good bike and kit and a comfortable ride then even better. I haven't bought a complete bike in over 25 years, just frames and custom builds so this is a bit of a minefield.

Any suggestions before I start looking around the local shops. Any decent smaller brands producing the good stuff? What short of spec would you go for with this budget. Unlike my road kit, I just want a one of purchase without endless upgrades.....he says knowing the off road bug will probably bite!

MANY THANKS

kajjal

The first thing is to get an idea of what size you need. If you are 6ft5 with long legs you may need to look at bikes like the crave or rockhopper from specialized as they come in sizes to fit over 6ft6. I have a Carve (old name for Crave) and it is the first bike that fits me comfortably with no changes at over 6ft6. Don't try to fit a "better" bike that is too small and do sone test rides to confirm.

supersonic

Being tall does not mean you need larger wheels. Not a at all! Try a few out if you can, I'd be looking at Halfords and Decathlon.

lostboysaint

Also, depending on how much you weigh I would be a little nervous of the Carve/Crave as it's one of the most flexible bikes I've ever ridden (I'm around 98kg).

kajjal

lostboysaint wrote:

Also, depending on how much you weigh I would be a little nervous of the Carve/Crave as it's one of the most flexible bikes I've ever ridden (I'm around 98kg).

I am about the same weight and found it to be fine for xc riding , even at up to 40mph downhill

Maybe you are just a better rider than me or ride much harder on rougher trails

Clank

supersonic wrote:

Being tall does not mean you need larger wheels. Not a at all! Try a few out if you can, I'd be looking at Halfords and Decathlon.

This^^. Totally.

I'm a lanky 6'4" and ride a 26er. I've had a 29er, and if all I ever rode was open bridleways etc, I'd buy another *(because they are really fast!). But I ride all sorts of trails with twists and turns and for me, 29ers are too much effort to hustle through the bends (and I don't care if they're 500 quid hardtails or 8 grand carbon full-sussers - it's a trait I find common to all of them).

You may feel different when you try a few (and that's cool), but the point is - if you're tall, don't let your height define wheel size: it's about how the bike feels to ride.

Levi_501

I ride 26" wheeled bikes and never had a problem.

IMHO, the most important thing to look for in a frame if you are tall, is the effective top tube measurement, not necessarily the frame size.

I would look for something with an effective top tube in the order of 635mm/25"

supersonic

AH, but if you have very long legs, your upper body and reach could be unusually shorter. Is a 'problem' I have. I am 6ft, but have 35 inch legs, and a short upper body and arms.

revmatt

I bought a Rose direct from Germany. Am 6'3 and a L is only just big enough for my Geo.

You can specify loads of spacers so you get a nice tall front end.

Great spec for price.

Simmo72

Cheers all. I'll test a few and see what I think. I do like the rose stuff, but would rather get on a bike to test, though if its similar geo its worth going for.

I like the voodoo stuff, looks like, but the sizing is limited and too small. for some reason i'm not keen on specialized, sick of paying the extra for the brand. I'm up in derbyshire later in the year, I think I'll popinto planet x and one one to see how their stuff fits.

many thanks for the advice, and i'lll keep an open mind on wheel size. most of what I ride would be trails, not into technical riding, so it will probably be the way forward but lets see!

lostboysaint

Kajjal wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

Also, depending on how much you weigh I would be a little nervous of the Carve/Crave as it's one of the most flexible bikes I've ever ridden (I'm around 98kg).

I am about the same weight and found it to be fine for xc riding , even at up to 40mph downhill

Maybe you are just a better rider than me or ride much harder on rougher trails

Possibly. I could get the rear wheel to touch the stays without any effort at all, the flex in the whole rear triangle was quite alarming. This was on a brand new demo bike. I handed it back, they checked it over and everything was done up as required, it was just very flexible. Even the Yeti ASR that I had at the time (XC full sus) was stiffer.

kajjal

lostboysaint wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

Also, depending on how much you weigh I would be a little nervous of the Carve/Crave as it's one of the most flexible bikes I've ever ridden (I'm around 98kg).

I am about the same weight and found it to be fine for xc riding , even at up to 40mph downhill

Maybe you are just a better rider than me or ride much harder on rougher trails

Possibly. I could get the rear wheel to touch the stays without any effort at all, the flex in the whole rear triangle was quite alarming. This was on a brand new demo bike. I handed it back, they checked it over and everything was done up as required, it was just very flexible. Even the Yeti ASR that I had at the time (XC full sus) was stiffer.

:shock: I have not managed to do that to mine yet.