Quantcast

Downhill bike for a tall person

A

archeee

Chimp
Jul 17, 2011
3
0
Hey guys,

I'm looking at buying my first downhill bike but I'm running into a problem. I'm 6'7" and most bikes I'm seeing are 17" at max with a ~30" SO. My XC bike is a 21" and I have a 36" inseam. What are my options in finding a bike for my size?

Thanks and let me know if there's any information you need to help remedy my problem.
 
A

archeee

Chimp
Jul 17, 2011
3
0
IH8Rice said:
huckbanzai is about 8'1" and he rides a XL V10C.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the quick reply. That's awesome to see that there are options. Only problem is it's 3300 for the frame and I'm a broke college student. I'll continue researching my options.
 
gemini2k

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
I'm 6'7 1/2". I've sat on several XL v-10's. They are more like extra mediums. Definitely NOT suitable for someone 6'7". My friend who has one is ~6'4" and its still too small for him. In fact I've side by side compared it to the "medium" size of my bike, and they are about the same.

The XL vp-free would be a better choice. I used to have one, rode it for a year or 2, it was certainly good enough.

But the XL FB-10 is the only think that comes close IMO for us tall freaks. It's a full 1.5 inches longer than the "XL" DHR and 2.1 inches longer than the v-10. Every other "XL" these days that I've looked at or tried is really just a large, but they're turned a large into something between a medium and a large (Evil Revolts, v-10, turner DHR, canfield F1 etc). I've discussed the bike at length and other threads, do a search or PM me.
 
Last edited:
A

archeee

Chimp
Jul 17, 2011
3
0
Lelandjt said:
There was a recent thread on xl dh bikes. Problem is they were all expensive frames. Since cheap xls dont seem to exist used is your only option.
Click to expand...
I'm looking used as it is. I would like to stay under $2000 for a complete but my max budget is around $2500.

EDIT: Thanks for all the replies everyone :)
 
vinny4130

vinny4130

Monkey
Jun 11, 2007
454
215
albuquerque
a good friend of mine is 6'7" and has had many dh frames the only one he has had two of is a giant glory and that bike is like getting on a horse for me.
 
M

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
given your budget, i would suggest looking for an XL giant glory. best bike/build/availablity and the XL was quiet big. too big for me at 6'2'' by a solid inch of toptube length.
 
bullcrew

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
Dec 8, 2004
8,905
2,564
I'm dude playing dude pretending to b another dude
6'4" (almost lol 1/4" shy) and unfortunently we make large bikes look small and xls are rare. When they are they usually are not a full size bigger.
Rotecs and the older vp free were suposed to be bigger. Im riding a large sunday now came off a xl jedi and rode a slew of other large bikes.
The sunday fits decent i have a buddy 6'8" riding a xl jedi last season he had a custom black market switch made (front triangle) and loves it.

Good luck theres not a huge draw in a already small industry for true xl frames unfortunently.
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,615
7,276
Colorado
I'm 6'4" and riding a large Yeti 303 with a 70mm stem and a tall bar. It fits fine for me, but I think you'd still be too big. Your best bet is likely the Canfield or something like a Rotec which is designed for ogres like us.
 
F

Funkster?

Chimp
Jun 21, 2007
17
0
I'm 6'6'' and ride a Large Sunday with a 55mm stem. I recently got to ride a Large Rocky Mountain WC Flatline and found that to fit pretty well.
 
W

wachtourak

Chimp
Apr 26, 2008
36
0
Wellington, NZ
Guy I know who is either 6'7" or 6'9" has a large Kona Operator and is chuffed with it. They are kinda like the old Glory DH's, there is a huge jump between the medium and the large. I'm only 5'7" and would ride a medium, but the large is so much bigger. Before that he was on a Transition Dirtbag...
 
MmmBones

MmmBones

Monkey
May 8, 2011
272
84
Porkland, OR
gemini2k said:
I'm 6'7 1/2". I've sat on several XL v-10's. They are more like extra mediums. Definitely NOT suitable for someone 6'7". My friend who has one is ~6'4" and its still too small for him. In fact I've side by side compared it to the "medium" size of my bike, and they are about the same.

The XL vp-free would be a better choice. I used to have one, rode it for a year or 2, it was certainly good enough.

But the XL FB-10 is the only think that comes close IMO for us tall freaks. It's a full 1.5 inches longer than the "XL" DHR and 2.1 inches longer than the v-10. Every other "XL" these days that I've looked at or tried is really just a large, but they're turned a large into something between a medium and a large (Evil Revolts, v-10, turner DHR, canfield F1 etc). I've discussed the bike at length and other threads, do a search or PM me.
Click to expand...
the XL V10 fits me fine and I'm 6'5". Aren't Peaty and Minnaar both 6'4" and riding a bike you claim is too small for someone that size? If you ride a Medium at 6'7" would I ride a small? What bike are you riding?
 
gemini2k

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
MmmBones said:
the XL V10 fits me fine and I'm 6'5". Aren't Peaty and Minnaar both 6'4" and riding a bike you claim is too small for someone that size? If you ride a Medium at 6'7" would I ride a small? What bike are you riding?
Click to expand...
I ride an XL fb-10. ~50" WB and ~18" reach. It's ALMOST perfect I think. I'd like to try a slightly shorter CS, slightly longer reach and a shorter stem. Maybe when I finish grad school and can afford a fully custom version :(

Peat is 6'3" and Greg is like 6' 2.5". We can all admit that an inch or 2 can make a difference in sizing.

I long ago stopped using WC riders as a reasonable comparison for anything relating to my riding. They are in another universe of skill, demands, terrain, etc. Plus, we don't know what kind of custom setups they have. They probably have the same front triangles (carbon molds are expensive) but they might have different links, headsets, offset reducers, etc. Anyways.

If guys riding larges are typically 6' tall with 47" WB and 16-16.5" reaches just do the math and you'll find that a 6'4" (and especially 6'7"+) guy, after you compensate for longer torso/legs AND larger arms needs something a little bit bigger than a v-10.

Let say that even if an XL v-10 works okay for someone that height, trust me, a longer bike would work better. All I can say is that everyone I've met who's 6'4"+ and hopped on my bike has had the reaction of "Holy sh*t, I never knew what a properly sized DH bike feels like".

But that's also because I have crazy high and wide bars too, when these days even tall guys seem to make the mistake of going with trendy low bars (I'll admit, took me a while to discover that too). Also, what's with the XL v10 having the same stack height on every size? I'm pretty sure someone on an XL is going to need bars AT LEAST an inch higher than someone on a small, yes?

tl;dr Always try a bigger bike
 
Last edited:
ldw222

ldw222

Monkey
Jun 16, 2009
170
0
Rochester, NY
archeee said:
Hey guys,

I'm looking at buying my first downhill bike but I'm running into a problem. I'm 6'7" and most bikes I'm seeing are 17" at max with a ~30" SO. My XC bike is a 21" and I have a 36" inseam. What are my options in finding a bike for my size?

Thanks and let me know if there's any information you need to help remedy my problem.
Click to expand...
i see Chris Higgerson on an Exprezo this year so they must make some big bikes. They look light and he's been winning on it. Those might be worth checking out...
 
RMboy

RMboy

Monkey
Dec 1, 2006
879
0
England the Great...
Hi mate im 6.6. So i know your pain:D

But luckily the up and coming fashion is to have long bikes. :-)

So you really cant go wrong with any of the new DH rigs. As long as the WB is 47.5+ i think you will find it comfortable

(M9, DHR, Transition, Nicolai, v10, trek etc)

Im on a large M6 atm. Its 46.5.. A little small but i find it fine.

You can do things to make the bike feel a little bigger. Like roll your bars a little forward, move u seat back a touch. I know these are psychological, but they do help make room in the cockpit. :-)

Also longer crank arms, help in the peddling. Its importnat to have the right length ones. Roadies always do. This of course does mean u can hit them a little more often... Just make sure u going fast enough so u dont have to pedal in the rough. 170mm length min!

(I think the crank arm length still counts on a DH bike, but if im wrong correct me):D
 
Huck Banzai

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
gemini2k said:
I'm 6'7 1/2". I've sat on several XL v-10's. They are more like extra mediums. Definitely NOT suitable for someone 6'7". My friend who has one is ~6'4" and its still too small for him. In fact I've side by side compared it to the "medium" size of my bike, and they are about the same.

The XL vp-free would be a better choice. I used to have one, rode it for a year or 2, it was certainly good enough.

But the XL FB-10 is the only think that comes close IMO for us tall freaks. It's a full 1.5 inches longer than the "XL" DHR and 2.1 inches longer than the v-10. Every other "XL" these days that I've looked at or tried is really just a large, but they're turned a large into something between a medium and a large (Evil Revolts, v-10, turner DHR, canfield F1 etc). I've discussed the bike at length and other threads, do a search or PM me.
Click to expand...
Thats absolutely bananas, Ive sat on XL almost everything and the V10 is absolutely the biggest and the best fit. My XL VPfree is Puny in comparison but still much bigger than the DHR or Revolt. I haven't had the chance to sit on XL FTW, but yes to an L, and the XL would have to be 2x the size to approach the V10.
 
Last edited:
Huck Banzai

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
ldw222 said:
i see Chris Higgerson on an Exprezo this year so they must make some big bikes. They look light and he's been winning on it. Those might be worth checking out...
Click to expand...
its absolutely tiny compared to my V10, we swapped bikes at Platty GRT and no contest at all.
 
C

ChrisKring

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
2,399
6
Grand Haven, MI
As others have said, the best bet for your price point would be a used xl vp free. The first gen v10 frames are pretty big i know that there were xl frames made that were huge. Not sure who has one.

As dan pointed out, reach is the important attribute. I'm only 6' so my large v10 carbon is perfect. The xl is an inch longer in reach. Seems to be small for someone 6" taller. Your best bet it to find someone with a big bike and ask if you can ride it.
 
MmmBones

MmmBones

Monkey
May 8, 2011
272
84
Porkland, OR
gemini2k said:
I ride an XL fb-10. ~50" WB and ~18" reach. It's ALMOST perfect I think. I'd like to try a slightly shorter CS, slightly longer reach and a shorter stem. Maybe when I finish grad school and can afford a fully custom version :(

Peat is 6'3" and Greg is like 6' 2.5". We can all admit that an inch or 2 can make a difference in sizing.

I long ago stopped using WC riders as a reasonable comparison for anything relating to my riding. They are in another universe of skill, demands, terrain, etc. Plus, we don't know what kind of custom setups they have. They probably have the same front triangles (carbon molds are expensive) but they might have different links, headsets, offset reducers, etc. Anyways.

If guys riding larges are typically 6' tall with 47" WB and 16-16.5" reaches just do the math and you'll find that a 6'4" (and especially 6'7"+) guy, after you compensate for longer torso/legs AND larger arms needs something a little bit bigger than a v-10.

Let say that even if an XL v-10 works okay for someone that height, trust me, a longer bike would work better. All I can say is that everyone I've met who's 6'4"+ and hopped on my bike has had the reaction of "Holy sh*t, I never knew what a properly sized DH bike feels like".

But that's also because I have crazy high and wide bars too, when these days even tall guys seem to make the mistake of going with trendy low bars (I'll admit, took me a while to discover that too). Also, what's with the XL v10 having the same stack height on every size? I'm pretty sure someone on an XL is going to need bars AT LEAST an inch higher than someone on a small, yes?

tl;dr Always try a bigger bike
Click to expand...
Thanks for the specs on your rig.

I don't think that the Syndicate is running any custom headsets or links or anything that drastically changes the sizing of their bikes. I also think that WC racers are why we have such amazing DH bikes and that they are a great comparison for all things relating to DH bikes.

I never said that an XL V10 would fit someone who is 6'7", although Sandwich seems to like his just fine.

The low stack height allows for many configurations and is less restrictive than one that increases with bike sizing, especially with dual crown forks. If I want to run a high axle to crown, I can do it. Just like the person on the Small. If I want my bars an inch higher, I run an inch of spacers.
 
gemini2k

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
MmmBones said:
The low stack height allows for many configurations and is less restrictive than one that increases with bike sizing, especially with dual crown forks. If I want to run a high axle to crown, I can do it. Just like the person on the Small. If I want my bars an inch higher, I run an inch of spacers.
Click to expand...
I know they COULD. But If I ever run into someone rocking an XL v-10 running slammed bars I will slap them in the face.
 
phycoref

phycoref

Chimp
Oct 6, 2010
84
0
Canada
I think that this is the first thread to make me feel short at 6'2 and I am the tallest of my friends that ride by a couple inches...
 
Z

zipdoa

Chimp
Dec 16, 2011
1
0
I'm 6'7 and I ride a 2005 Ellsworth Dare size Long.

It fits fairly well, but I'd like to get into something bigger. My wingspan (fingertip to fingertip) is 6'10, so reach is very important.

Would you guys reccomend the FTW FB10 XL over the Canfield Jedi XL?

Thanks!

- Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom