if you are 6'4" and around 275 lbs and riding a FS freeride bike, please tell me what you are riding. i am thinking Bullit, Rocky Mtn Edge(Slayer) - Pipeline and Switch won't work for me, and lastly the new Cannondale Gemini (i know Cannondale isn't real popular with the freeride crowd). any help is greatly appreciated!
freeride bike for a LARGE male
- Thread starter fatbastard
- Start date
Honestly, I think the Edge/Slayer could be OK for you as a XC bike only. So you might want to forget about those right away.
You'll need a very, very strong bike if you want to ride urban, DH, drops, etc. Your best bet might be a full on DH rig that will weight 45+. Santa Cruz Super8, Karpiel Armagedon, Brooklyn TMX, etc.
If you don't plan to ride too hard, I think the Bullit "might" work. You could also look for a Specialized BigHit Comp, Norco VPS...
Hope this helps...
Oh yeah... Welcome to RideMonkey!
You'll need a very, very strong bike if you want to ride urban, DH, drops, etc. Your best bet might be a full on DH rig that will weight 45+. Santa Cruz Super8, Karpiel Armagedon, Brooklyn TMX, etc.
If you don't plan to ride too hard, I think the Bullit "might" work. You could also look for a Specialized BigHit Comp, Norco VPS...
Hope this helps...
Oh yeah... Welcome to RideMonkey!
G
Gutty
Guest
You may want to page the TeamXXL guys or cyberjay over in the DH forum.
Not to be a smart ass but at your weight you can't just pick a bike and buy one. If you buy something with too high shock leverage ratio you won't be able to get a heavy enough spring for the rear.
I believe the super 8 is fairly high so you might want to avoid that one.
I don't know of any bikes to reccomend as having low ratios but that is what you should be looking for.
Not to be a smart ass but at your weight you can't just pick a bike and buy one. If you buy something with too high shock leverage ratio you won't be able to get a heavy enough spring for the rear.
I believe the super 8 is fairly high so you might want to avoid that one.
I don't know of any bikes to reccomend as having low ratios but that is what you should be looking for.
One very, very important question...What is your budget like? Cuz the bikes that most of us here are going to recomend are quite pricy... i.e you won't break a TMX but it will break your pocket @ $3600US. If you can afford it I'd go with a Brooklyn or a Canfield. here: See FS Thread you can see a lot of bikes here. I posted some Canfields on Pg. 4.
laters-
D
laters-
Dthanks for the responses. btw - i will be riding extremely rocky XC with short but steep climbs and 6-8 ft drops. i am looking to spend no more than $3k US for a complete bike. thanks again!!
that definitely makes sense considering the amount of sag i get when i go to test ride these bikes but how do i get that info?
Just go to the DH forum and type a thread called Team XXL and ask them the same questions. Or find an old post from Cyberjay and PM him, or members list.
Any of these smaller company's like Brooklyn, Canfield or Like Cortina or something usually will get back to you very, very quick if you e-mail them with a question. Forgot to mention the http://www.frankthewelder.com used to be Spooky Cycles (RIP) you can get prices for the FTW frames @ Unreal Cycles as well as most other big bad burly stuff.
good luck man,
let us know when and what cha find.
and hey, I'll always sell ya my Balfa BB7
laters-
good luck man,
let us know when and what cha find.
and hey, I'll always sell ya my Balfa BB7
laters-
Oh Duh!!!!!!!! ,I have one ,ok if I was as tall as you i would get one great CS ,strong as hell ,and with the 5th Elly it work`s great 
Hey Fat Bastard, I have seen many a bike broken by many a big man (person). Bsolutely nix on the Rocky Switch and RM7. I love the company, but big guys just twist the seat masts. To date, the burliest frames that I've seen are the Banshee bikes. They are similar to Konas, but ramp up faster and are harder to bottom out. In addition, Banshee is one of the few places where you can get hard to find HVY weight springs for 5th Element shocks. The owner of Banshee is a strange cat, but he is a metal and suspension genius and has a passion for strong. The frame will set you back a bit, but it will save you some $ in the long haul.
Yojimbo
Yojimbo
There are a lot of guys here sporting the Scream without issues. It sure is a stout looking machine.
With the pics Manimal posted of his Kona, I would have second thoughts about the Stinky now. Unless you don't go way huge or run after market long travel stuff either. The Stinky my be a good bet. They don't pedal worth a damn though.
With the pics Manimal posted of his Kona, I would have second thoughts about the Stinky now. Unless you don't go way huge or run after market long travel stuff either. The Stinky my be a good bet. They don't pedal worth a damn though.
In addition, the bullet is also a good choice. You'd have to order an extra heavy spring from Banshee or someplace. 5th element doesn't make extra hvy springs and Santa Cruz doesn't have them. I also forgot to mention that as a tall guy, you should really consider these bikes because they have uninterupted seat tubes. You'll appreciate a long seat post on the climbs.
By the by, for those of you cursed with interupted seat tubes, check out Axiom's telescoping seat posts.
Keep riding, Yojimbo
By the by, for those of you cursed with interupted seat tubes, check out Axiom's telescoping seat posts.
Keep riding, Yojimbo
XC with 6-8ft drops?
Man... you are asking for a lot!!
I do that kind of riding all the time. I alternate between my hardtail and DH bike. I however only weigh about 145. I would look into the specialized big hit. I haven't of any failures I don't think and you can get one complete for under 3 grand.Originally posted by -BB-
XC with 6-8ft drops?
Man... you are asking for a lot!!
I wouldn't really call it XC though.
More like agressive trailriding.
All symantics though, I guess
(I do it too...)
Ok here goes...I am 6'5 and 260 and looking for a bike myself. This is the main bike I am look at.
Banshee scream. Built super strong and pip is great for warranties. Get the shock setup right this thing will feel great. I took one for a spin and the weight would take a small amount to get used to but it feels solid and is definately built for what you described. You should easily be able to get it around 3000 american. You can almost get the gucci setup
...I don't know you location but if you are ever close to the shore spin by on top bike shop they have quite a few there and you may even luck out and run into the engineer behind the company.http://www.bansheebikes.com/bikes_scream.php
The only other one I really like is the Cove G-spot for strength. That and I live within a couple of hours of their shop and know warranties will get filled (I know things will break I want them to be fixed
)Cheers.
Check on MTBR or ebay...I recently saw a large Foes Fly taht a bike shop was selling..complete for under 3 grand. That would definitely fit your bill.
I'd highly recommend the Bullit as well. I'm 6'2" and about 215# and love mine. I'm actually using it for my geared XC bike as well these days. It's stiff and strong and most iomportantly, big. I ride an XL because I like a bigger bike. It fits me perfectly and should be no problems for a someone a couple inches taller.
If you go with any DH rigs they will all feel wicked small if you ever try to pedal them around. I've got an Intense M1 DH rig and I run a full length post on it and it's still way to short to climb seated. A large M1 (which I have) is one of the biggest DH rigs going. Alternatively, my wife has a large Giant DH Comp and because the seat angle is much steeper than my M1, you can run the saddle high enough to actually ride the bike around and climb. Down side there is that the seat tube is swayed (bent) so you only get about 4" of variation between full up and full down on the seat post height. Those bikes also pedal incredibly well.
-Couch
If you go with any DH rigs they will all feel wicked small if you ever try to pedal them around. I've got an Intense M1 DH rig and I run a full length post on it and it's still way to short to climb seated. A large M1 (which I have) is one of the biggest DH rigs going. Alternatively, my wife has a large Giant DH Comp and because the seat angle is much steeper than my M1, you can run the saddle high enough to actually ride the bike around and climb. Down side there is that the seat tube is swayed (bent) so you only get about 4" of variation between full up and full down on the seat post height. Those bikes also pedal incredibly well.
-Couch
Definately nix on the Big Hit too, at least for the big guy FB. I have personally seen 4 big hit failures.
Another important point brought up that Roasted mentioned is warranty. Most FR and Down hill rigs are only 6 months or a year. Double check, but I think that Banshee and Norco both have a 5 year warranty.
Is Fat Bastard still out there. I havn't even heard a reply. This all is for you buddy.
It's gonna be a suuny weekend in the great NW. No rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm gonna go ride!
Another important point brought up that Roasted mentioned is warranty. Most FR and Down hill rigs are only 6 months or a year. Double check, but I think that Banshee and Norco both have a 5 year warranty.
Is Fat Bastard still out there. I havn't even heard a reply. This all is for you buddy.
It's gonna be a suuny weekend in the great NW. No rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm gonna go ride!
And I love that bike. I'm not as big as Fat Bastard, but I'm not little either. 6'4" and 225 today in fact. I ride a large because the top tube length is there and it's not too huge to throw around a little. My bullit is extra nice because of the Stratos LR1 fork that let's me drop the front end down on the climbs.
At 40 pounds, it's no XC race bike. But it's plenty stout for freeride and the single pivot is worry free. I don't do huge drops, but it's nice to know I can. The Bullit with 5th shock it 10X better than my Kona Stinky was at pedaling too.
Just so you know, my Bullit was bulit up for $2400 too (fork was a month old, rest was new).
At 40 pounds, it's no XC race bike. But it's plenty stout for freeride and the single pivot is worry free. I don't do huge drops, but it's nice to know I can. The Bullit with 5th shock it 10X better than my Kona Stinky was at pedaling too.
Just so you know, my Bullit was bulit up for $2400 too (fork was a month old, rest was new).
Banshee has a, count it, 10 year warranty!
I suggest you get the SC bullit...i am 5'11" @ about 230lbs...the 5th element is great and can be tuned to your riding style...good luck on the bike you finally decide on
My buddy is 6'7" and rides an extra Large Bullit. He runs a pretty long stem on it but it does not seem to cause any probs. I have personally seen him hit many good size drops and hit some big gaps. He has had no probs with it.
As you can see in this pic, he is pretty comfortable on it.
As you can see in this pic, he is pretty comfortable on it.
thanks for the responses! sorry, i didn't reply earlier. i went with a xl bullit with a monster t. it rocks!!
Wow that bike is going to need some beef on it. I would say: find yourself a full on DH bike and fit it with some really beefy DC forks like a Monster T or something.
Maybe something like this:
Maybe something like this: