Buying advice for tall a bloke

titchy82

Hi,

Hoping for your advice. I'm 6'6" and I'm finding it really difficult to find a bike with the spec that I want, for the price that I want, in the right size.

My biggest problem is height. According to most size guides, for a person my height, I need a 23" frame or larger. That massively reduces amount of bikes I can consider. In fact some size guides don't even reflect that people like me exist!

I do quite a bit of everything on my bike. Cross country, mtb trails, casual rides with the family and commuting.

My budget is under £700 and I have a couple of bikes on my shortlist at the moment which are the Voodoo Bizango and 13 Incline Beta. They have great specs for the money and good trail geometry, which I'd rather not sacrifice too much on. However they only come in 20" and 21" frames respectively.

I struggle with lower back pain with my current bike, a GT Aggressor XC3 (20" frame) and I put this down to the frame being too small for me. I particularly feel it on climbs.

I've sat on a 21" bike with 650b wheels at Halfords and the guy reckoned that would be fine for me having looked at my posture because the larger wheels (my current bike has 26" wheels) would make the bike feel bigger. I'm by no means an expert so I don't know whether he's telling the truth or just trying to get my to purchase a bike.

Are there any bikes that spring to mind that have a similar spec to the ones above, but available in larger frames? I really want air forks, preferably 120mm, so that further reduces my options. Deore groupset and Shimano brakes would also be ideal and 20 gears as I'm not ready to switch to a single ring on my only bike.

I realise I could ask all these questions of a bike shop, but I'm not quite ready to purchase yet, and particularly wanted independent advice on frame size importance.

Many thanks.
titchy

cooldad

titchy82 wrote:

I've sat on a 21" bike with 650b wheels at Halfords and the guy reckoned that would be fine for me having looked at my posture because the larger wheels (my current bike has 26" wheels) would make the bike feel bigger. I'm by no means an expert so I don't know whether he's telling the truth or just trying to get my to purchase a bike.

Can't really comment on the rest - I'm fairly normal size, but this bit is rubbish. Wheel size has nothing to do with bike size.

It's easy enough to make a bike a bit higher with a long seatpost, but harder to make it long enough - a layback seatpost and longer stem might help a bit, but it really needs to fit lengthways. Whether it fits though only you can really tell.

titchy82

cooldad wrote:

titchy82 wrote:

I've sat on a 21" bike with 650b wheels at Halfords and the guy reckoned that would be fine for me having looked at my posture because the larger wheels (my current bike has 26" wheels) would make the bike feel bigger. I'm by no means an expert so I don't know whether he's telling the truth or just trying to get my to purchase a bike.

Can't really comment on the rest - I'm fairly normal size, but this bit is rubbish. Wheel size has nothing to do with bike size.

It's easy enough to make a bike a bit higher with a long seatpost, but harder to make it long enough - a layback seatpost and longer stem might help a bit, but it really needs to fit lengthways. Whether it fits though only you can really tell.

This is why I wanted independent advice as I can never trust people who work in a bike shop.

Also I find it hard to say whether something feels right or fits right. My current bike has served me 5 years, so I've really not much to compare against. I also can't gauge just by sitting on it in a shop whether it feels right. I'm not going to know until I've put some miles on it. It may feel different but I don't know whether it's good or bad different.

I guess in that respect I really shouldn't compromise on size and stick to the size frame that the manufacturers recommend for my height.

titchy82

oxoman wrote:

Have a look at the Decathlon bikes, mate from work is like yourself head stuck in the clouds at 6ft 7" and he managed to get one of their rockriders all be it low spec to fit of the peg. Dave doesn't do major mtbing but manages local trails and centres like Sherwood with no problems on his rockrider. Not sure which model he got, but it was less than £450

Their size guides seem to be completely out of sync with the rest of the industry. The seat tube length for their "XL" size is 19"!! So that will be no good at all, unless I'm missing something.

Giraffoto

The wheel size but is rubbish - at 6'4" I've found a good fit on both 26" and 29" wheeled bikes. The 26er was a Specialized with a 23" frame, and was if anything a bit too big: my current bike has a 21" frame and fits just fine with space to raise the seatpost and a 90mm stem.

rockmonkeysc

I have a few friends who are around your height and they all swear by Trek for XL bikes. Apparently their geometry works really well for the taller gentleman.
You won't get the best value from Trek but fit is more important than anything else.

The Rookie

The only advantage of a bigger wheel size for taller people is that it helps offset the higher centre of gravity by moving the contact point of the front tyre further forward when it hits a rising feature on the trail so it feels more stable.

Unfortunately the usual budget brands don't cover the very largest sizes for cost reasons. A Friend who is a similar size like his Giant XXL (23").

supersonic

You'll have no problem with getting a bike to fit height wise - as pointed out earlier, the seatpost offers a lot of adjustment. The length/reach is the main factor. Some manufacturers now offer more variation in reach between sizes, and smaller increments in seat tube size - which is why an 19" may be classed as an XL. Indeed, don't get caught up in height guides, they are a very rough estimation. See if you can try a few out - you may not even need the largest some offer.

wolfsbane2k

I understand your pain. I'm 6ft 6/7 depending on the time of day. I have an 07 kona hoss that came in a 22, was one of hundreds i looked at and 6 i tried at the time.
I was looking for a replacement last year after an accident and realisation the entire drive train needed replacing, as did the hub's and the shock didn't have much left in it, but couldn't find anything for the same price and ended up getting lots of second hand parts and doing it back up, despite it not making any financial sense.
You can still find the frame on eBay for dirt cheap, might be worth transferring all your parts over?

Or if you do try a decathlon, I've got a triban 500se road bike that is 63' and is comfortable, and they say good for 6ft6, so a MTB aimed at 6ft6 might just past muster despite the advertised sizing not making sense.

kajjal

Being 6ft7 i understand what you mean and bike that is too small makes for poor riding. Unless you are tall it is hard to appreciate that making a bike fit with longer seat posts etc. does not work unless the bike is only a little too small.

While not the best value compared to other makes specialized make 23" / xxl bikes which will fit tall riders. I ride a 23" / xxl carve which fits me fine with no extra parts or adjustment. I would arrange a test ride of a 23" rockhopper to give you something to compare other bikes to, you may find it too big but at least you will be sure.

rockmonkeysc

While offset seatposts can help they don't properly fit the bike to you. The position when in the saddle will be improved but your weight will be further back which could cause the front to lift when climbing. When out of the saddle the bike will still be too small, your weight will be too far back which will loose you grip and make the bike feel cramped. Longer stems have quite an effect on the way a bike handles and may make it worse.

titchy82

Thanks guys. I can see plenty of 23" bikes in the price point but not one with the spec I'm after. I'm pretty set on air forks and 20/22 gears and I'm really struggling. Once you filter out 23" bikes they're pretty much all 27/30 gears and/or coil forks.

I straddled my current bike last night and measured 7" between my crotch and the top tube :shock: . I'm hoping I can get away with a 21".

kajjal

titchy82 wrote:

Thanks guys. I can see plenty of 23" bikes in the price point but not one with the spec I'm after. I'm pretty set on air forks and 20/22 gears and I'm really struggling. Once you filter out 23" bikes they're pretty much all 27/30 gears and/or coil forks.

I straddled my current bike last night and measured 7" between my crotch and the top tube :shock: . I'm hoping I can get away with a 21".

I know what you mean but a good spec bike at a good price is a waste of money if it is too small for you. First thing you need to do is be sure what size you need and take it from there. Just be careful as different manufacturers 23" frames can be very different in size. Reach and stack measurements are good for comparing actual bike sizes. Nothing beats actually riding a bike to confirm which is the right size.

If you go second hand you can get a better deal just be sure of sizing first. A quick look found this on ebay, i know nothing about the bike and it may be the wrong size for you but your budget leaves funds to do upgrades on a bike like this. You can also get specialized carves / craves which are much better spec bikes for a bit more.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-R ... SwbwlXCjQ~

titchy82

Kajjal wrote:

titchy82 wrote:

Thanks guys. I can see plenty of 23" bikes in the price point but not one with the spec I'm after. I'm pretty set on air forks and 20/22 gears and I'm really struggling. Once you filter out 23" bikes they're pretty much all 27/30 gears and/or coil forks.

I straddled my current bike last night and measured 7" between my crotch and the top tube :shock: . I'm hoping I can get away with a 21".

I know what you mean but a good spec bike at a good price is a waste of money if it is too small for you. First thing you need to do is be sure what size you need and take it from there. Just be careful as different manufacturers 23" frames can be very different in size. Reach and stack measurements are good for comparing actual bike sizes. Nothing beats actually riding a bike to confirm which is the right size.

If you go second hand you can get a better deal just be sure of sizing first. A quick look found this on ebay, i know nothing about the bike and it may be the wrong size for you but your budget leaves funds to do upgrades on a bike like this. You can also get specialized carves / craves which are much better spec bikes for a bit more.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-R ... SwbwlXCjQ~

Thanks for looking on my behalf but, and I neglected to mention this before, I'll be buying on one of the cycle to work schemes once my company sorts it out, so second hand is out of the question. It looks pretty much like what I'm after though.

Do any of the major retailers such as JE James or Evans Cycles offer any 'try before you buy' services as they both have stores close to me in Sheffield?

supersonic

Many will order you them in to try in store. Some may have them in stock and will build it up for you - just give them a call and see what they say. Your GT Aggressor had a very short top tube for its listed size (if I recall correctly only about 560mm - though there were variations), no wonder it feels off!

titchy82

So Evans have recommended the Scott Scale 960 (2016) and Trek X-Caliber 9 (2016) as the best bikes from them under £1000 that will fit me, so looking at 23" frames.

https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-x-cali ... e-EV242019

https://www.evanscycles.com/scott-scale ... e-EV253342


What would you guys choose? Or are there any others that you'd throw into the mix?

I've got these two on order to the store so I can sit on them but that's 10 days away so just doing my research until then.

Cheers.

kajjal

The trek looks quite small going by the geometry chart, the scott is a bigger bike. Either way the scott scale bikes have a good reputation.

titchy82

Kajjal wrote:

The trek looks quite small going by the geometry chart, the scott is a bigger bike. Either way the scott scale bikes have a good reputation.

I was favouring the Scott as well until I learnt that the rims aren't tubeless ready. I know you can convert but still it's a bit of a faff.

cooldad

titchy82 wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

The trek looks quite small going by the geometry chart, the scott is a bigger bike. Either way the scott scale bikes have a good reputation.

I was favouring the Scott as well until I learnt that the rims aren't tubeless ready. I know you can convert but still it's a bit of a faff.

It really isn't.

Giraffoto

titchy82 wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

The trek looks quite small going by the geometry chart, the scott is a bigger bike. Either way the scott scale bikes have a good reputation.

I was favouring the Scott as well until I learnt that the rims aren't tubeless ready. I know you can convert but still it's a bit of a faff.

If it is, it's a very tiny bit of a faff - roughly on a par with changing a rim tape. Compared with the later and far messier faff that is the "getting the sealant in there and inflating it" bit of the job, it's almost irrelevant

dusk

I'm 6'5" and ride a 19" frame with a bit of room to put the saddle further up, I'm pretty long legged as well. I can't imagine many people would be tall enough to need more than a 20" frame and not be able to get the saddle high enough given how much adjustment you can get with seatposts.

FishFish

Well there is a bit more to it than that. Even at its simplest raising the saddle moves your centre of gravity backwards by shifting it backwards as well. If your question is about sizes then you need to try one in the shop or on a test. I don't think that you have asked a question though.

supersonic

For a given chainstay length and seat angle, whether is a 16 inch frame with a foot of seatpost showing or a 28 inch frame with none showing, you are going to be sat in exactly the same position with regards to the rear axle and bottom bracket. Where the bars/headtube are though is a different matter. And this is a big factor in sizing. You simply cannot say that you need an x inch frame or y inch frame when there are more measurements to consider, it is but one measurement - one that has stuck over the years as a standard, but is a loose guide to what you actually need geometry wise.

Dan_xz

Problem is that most manufacturers make bigger sizes by increasing the seatpost in greater proportion to the toptube. Typically 1 inch seattube growth gets you half an inch in extra length. Try to look at this measurement and also headtube height. If you can gain in both of these you can get the seat height via seatpost adjustment and will find a better fit than just going on seatube length.

One other tip that may or may affect you. As a taller (not as tall as you) rider with a long upper body I find 29er wheels less prone to tip me over the bars if I hit something (misjudged a step up or similar). I think due to the higher axle /pivot point. Otherwise look to the usual advice about wheel size.