Tall Rider

navrig2
navrig2 Posts: 1,851
in Road buying advice
Any suggestions for a bike suitable for a 6' 8" very fit newbie? He wants a road bike as the MTB is getting to be a bit heavy over the distances he is doing. I've looked at the usual online shops but none seem to have bikes big enough.

Budget is about £1500.

Comments

  • shortfall
    shortfall Posts: 3,288
    edited August 2020
    I'm well over 6 foot and used to get by on the larger stock sizes but as I got older and less flexible after a few injuries I resorted to a custom built frame. Unfortunately for your friend if he wants to do the same that means he's going to have to extend his budget somewhat and realistically get himself a steel or titanium frame. In my opinion that's a good thing but they're not everyone's cup of tea aesthetically, particularly very large sizes which can look like a farm gate. He might make a 63cm of xxl fit him depending on his flexibility and if he wants to use a stack of spacers, flipped stem, payback seat post etc but they're all compromises.
  • navrig2
    navrig2 Posts: 1,851
    He is young and quite flexible but has no road bike experience so tweaking a frame and cockpit to make it fit will be alien to him.

    I'll suggest he taps his dad for a bigger budget ;-)
  • 50x11
    50x11 Posts: 408
    You should show him the GCN video by Conor Dunne who's 6'7" on how he got bikes to fit, and the tips he shares for better rides.
  • shortfall
    shortfall Posts: 3,288
    https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/video/road-bike-set-up-tips-for-taller-riders

    Here's the video. Very interesting.

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