I'm a very leggy, fairly large dude - six-foot-six, 37" inseam, 260 pounds - and I'm looking to get a new hardtail. I'd like something in steel. Or titanium, maybe...
I'd also like something more aggressive and taller, stack-wise, than my last-gen Salsa Timberjack, which has a 67.4º HTA, a 135mm headtube, a 1207 mm wheelbase, and 634mm of stack. For datapoints, I also have a last-gen XXL Tallboy IV. It has 656mm stack, a 155mm headtube with 65.5º HTA , and a 1290mm wheelbase. It's a little cumbersome in tight spots and slow techy sections.
The Esker Smokey in XL looks terrific with a 174mm heat tube and 688 mm of stack, but may be TOO long and slack at 64.5º and a 1304mm wheelbase. How much change to wheelbase and handling would i get from, say, using a 1.5º angle-adjust headset to go to 66º? If it's still going to be too much horse for my trails, does anybody have any bike suggestions?
I'd also like something more aggressive and taller, stack-wise, than my last-gen Salsa Timberjack, which has a 67.4º HTA, a 135mm headtube, a 1207 mm wheelbase, and 634mm of stack. For datapoints, I also have a last-gen XXL Tallboy IV. It has 656mm stack, a 155mm headtube with 65.5º HTA , and a 1290mm wheelbase. It's a little cumbersome in tight spots and slow techy sections.
The Esker Smokey in XL looks terrific with a 174mm heat tube and 688 mm of stack, but may be TOO long and slack at 64.5º and a 1304mm wheelbase. How much change to wheelbase and handling would i get from, say, using a 1.5º angle-adjust headset to go to 66º? If it's still going to be too much horse for my trails, does anybody have any bike suggestions?
