I am wanting to get into downhill racing next season and have some questions about sizing for a bike. I am 6ft and i ride a 19inch enduro and was wondering for downhill racing is a smaller frame better or worse and should i just stick with a large frame? Also i am looking to build a frame and would love to get either a Transition Gran Mal or Blindside which one would be better for both a freeride/downhill bike?
Sizing questions for downhill bikes
- Thread starter dsrider
- Start date
It also depends on your riding background.
If you are used to a stretched XC cockpit, then a large will feel better.
If you came from BMX, a medium will be more natural.
Be careful with large DH bikes. Some of them are very large and have unwieldy long wheelbases. For instance, the newer Turners are great. The old ones were a handful in the woods. Many people I know 6ft and over ran the mediums.
If you are used to a stretched XC cockpit, then a large will feel better.
If you came from BMX, a medium will be more natural.
Be careful with large DH bikes. Some of them are very large and have unwieldy long wheelbases. For instance, the newer Turners are great. The old ones were a handful in the woods. Many people I know 6ft and over ran the mediums.
Also, the Gran Mal is the absolute worst bike I have ever ridden in my entire life. I've demo'd tons of DH frames and bikes and have probably owned more, and the Granimal stands out sharpest of any frame I have owned simply because I have never felt that close to my maker.
The Blindside has decent geometry and people seem to like them well enough, it would probably be a good starting point - but there are also tons of other options out there, too, and some of the frames in the price-range of a used Blindside could potentially be much better.
The Blindside has decent geometry and people seem to like them well enough, it would probably be a good starting point - but there are also tons of other options out there, too, and some of the frames in the price-range of a used Blindside could potentially be much better.
Agreed...i'm 5'10" and I just sold my medium '06 DHR to get a smaller bike.
All about preference really.
I'm 6'6", so Large (or even XL) is the way to go for me. At 6', you are right on the line between M and L. It really depends on the geometry of the specific frame as well. Some bikes are bigger or smaller than others. The point about what you are used to also applies. As I recall the Enduro has a pretty long Effective Top Tube. My suggestion is that you look for something with an ETT of ~24" (which is 1/2" shorter than what you are on now). Run it with a shorter stem (~50mm or so) and a wider bar and you are golden.
I cant comment on the Transitions, but I suspect that there is a reason they discontinued the GranMal. The Blindside seems like a decent bike, but there are a TON of good bikes out there. Since you are used to Specialized, try a Demo 8. Actually, try everything to get a feel for what you like. One of the online shops (Go-Ride maybe?) had Ventana DH frames on for a stupid low price - might be worth looking into.
I cant comment on the Transitions, but I suspect that there is a reason they discontinued the GranMal. The Blindside seems like a decent bike, but there are a TON of good bikes out there. Since you are used to Specialized, try a Demo 8. Actually, try everything to get a feel for what you like. One of the online shops (Go-Ride maybe?) had Ventana DH frames on for a stupid low price - might be worth looking into.
weird...
my DHR feels fine
DH bikes with 24" top tubes are hard to find. I'm 6'5" and getting a bike long enough is a pain.
I've got a sweet Devinci for sale with a 24" top tube if you're after something less expensive than a new Transition with a 24" TT.
I've got a sweet Devinci for sale with a 24" top tube if you're after something less expensive than a new Transition with a 24" TT.
I am 6' and ride a large frame in my 5" FS xc/trail rig. I typically prefer a more stretched out feel having come from more of a cross country background. I have owned both medium and large DH frames, and felt comfortable on both. At the end of the day I thought I would have liked the feel of the large frames better, but I actually prefer the medium. It is plenty stable and gives me room to move around the cockpit but feels more nimble and playful.
At 6ft, you're on the edge. The best thing to do is to get on a medium and large for the same bike. Some manufacturers run a bit smaller, others a bit bigger. With almost the same build kit, and friend and I compared my M3 with his Sunday; both mediums. We both agreed that his felt smaller and mine larger.