A Blog For Tall MTBers, By a Tall MTBer

Words by Josh Saunders

Let’s start with some ground rules. First, this probably isn’t the most exhaustive comparison of XL-XXL MTB frames you’ll find on the internet. These are a list of the bikes I’ve considered buying as a tall human myself, and what factors go into my decision making based on my own riding preferences, brand preferences, and trail factors. I haven’t ridden all of these bikes. I sure would love to test them all out. This is a starting point. A place that will help gather all tall humans as they begin the first steps of their next mountain bike purchase. 

Next, let’s start with some data. I’m exactly 6’5¾” tall with no shoes on. I have a 38” inseam and a 6’10” wingspan. Basketball was my first sport of choice, but in my late 20s I knew I needed something a little safer on my body, something that offered lifelong exercise, and something that was affordable. Hey, 1 out of 3 ain’t bad. 

I live in Texas where our riding is anywhere from high speed, flowy, XC Trails, hard charging mini-enduro lines, to chunky white-knucking downhill (albeit short downhill for those with actual mountains). I also love to travel with my bike. I want the bike for the trails I want to ride while on my travels, not necessarily the trails I have to ride because they are closest to my front door. Others may choose to ride the bike for the trails they ride most often, reserving those travel opportunities for rentals, demo bikes, or simply just suffering through the climbs or descents with what you could bring. “Run what ya brung.”

Below you’ll find a geometry comparison of various different bikes, all of which come with Reach numbers over 500mm which was my first “must have” for tall human bike frames. The capabilities of these bikes range from XC race bikes to enduro packed machines. When looking through this list I would recommend going to these brands and looking at other models of bikes within the brands lineup. Don’t see anything you like? There are plenty of other bike models from the manufacturers below who might have something closer to what you’re looking for. There are some more major brands as well who I have not included in this comparison with reach numbers for their bikes over 500mm. Tell me what bikes I missed, and tell me what bike you're riding. I myself might be in the market for something new.

Factors to consider: The most important aspect of geometry for tall riders is the reach and stack numbers. These alone do not tell the whole story on how a bike will ride. Instead of going through each individual bike, I’m going to tell you how each major factor of geometry may affect the riding characteristic of a bike. 

Reach: Longer reach, the more room you have to hinge at your waist. Your knees won’t knock into your shifter and dropper levers. (tall people know this pain more than our shorter mtb friends). Climbing with a longer reach will help keep you torso weight forward and not too upright. Hinged without hunching. Descending with a longer reach will give you perfect pushup position. Try doing a pushup with your hands behind your shoulders. Strong positioning allows for more agile movements. Reach can be manipulated by adjusting your stem length. Doing so changes how the bike will climb and descend. Longer stems are great for climbing, not so great for descending. Shorter stems are great for descending, but might lack some of the leverage and weight distribution you want for technical climbing. My perfect stem length is 50mm.

Stack: This to me is the 2nd most valuable aspect of a bike for tall riders. It varies widely between brands so there’s a lot to consider. The stack of your frame translates to the height of your bars which can be manipulated based on your stem and handlebar combo. Higher rise bars are available, but the higher the bar rise the more you might unweight the front of your bike on technical climbing. Too low of a bar rise and you might find yourself hunching into your handlebars which will cause back pain, especially on long rides. My perfect bar rise is 35mm. I use an 800mm wide bar, but I do wish there were more options in the market up to 820mm. I’m looking at you Enve…

Seat Tube Angle: Here’s where your climbing characteristics will really show through a bike. Long, sustained climbing and you’ll probably want a steep seat tube angle. “Sit and spin”. The higher the degree, the more centered your hips are over the bottom bracket. This metric goes hand in hand with stack and reach to give you that comfortable seated position and allow for all day rides. Your riding style may not call for a steeper seat tube angle though. That slacker angle might give you some extra room for technical climbing, keeping the seat a little further away from your hips while you hop your way up technical feature without needing to automatically reach for that dropper lever. Personally, I’d shy away from slacker seat tube angles because I crave those long rides with big sustained climbs (only because I want the descent). If you’re regular ride is under 2 hours I wouldn’t be too worried about a slacker seat tube. My STA of choice is over 76 degrees.

Wheelbase: A longer wheelbase will offer more stability with straight-line speed, but might hinder you in tight corners. A shorter wheelbase will be less stable at speed, but will be a little easier to lean over and corner. Do your trails have tree gates at the bottom of every fun downhill like we do in Dallas? If so, you might choose a shorter wheelbase. My preferred Wheelbase is over 1275. I prefer stability over tight cornering abilities. I also think that being a taller rider means I have more ability to adjust my balance point while standing on the bike. I’ve had longer wheelbase bikes feel better at some technical climbing features. I won’t bore you with the physics, but shorter wheelbases does not always mean better technical climbers.

Chainstay: This one is really digging into the weeds but I think it’s a very important aspect of how a bike rides, especially for taller riders. Many brands are going to size specific chainstays which I think is a big win for tall riders. I’m not bashing the brands who don’t, I just want to point out that chainstays play a major role in how a bike reacts in corners, in the air, and it’s overall “playfullness”. A shorter chainstay will help you “flick” a bike around. Railing tight corners, throwing some shapes off of a jump, a short chainstay will offer more opportunities for slashing quick maneuvers on the bike. If I’m choosing a bike for my local trails in Texas I’m going for a shorter chainstay, probably in the 430 range. If I’m racing enduro, or going for bike park laps, I want a longer chainstay for that added stability. You’ll find the shorter chainstays on xc/downcountry/trail bikes, and the longer chainstays on the enduro bikes for this exact reason. 

Additional fit considerations: Q-Factor has been a challenge for me over the years. I’m currently testing a super boost crankset with extra spacers to fit my standard boost bottom bracket. Originally I used 170mm cranks but with the extra width I found myself pedal striking way more often so I switched to the 5Dev 165mm cranks. Huge improvement. If you find yourself with a little bit of hip pain during rides (especially from you clipless riders), you may want to consider your Q-factor and how you can widen it. Hubs: tall riders have the ability to put a lot of leverage into their bikes (with the long legs and all). I find myself abusing Hubs quite often. Get a strong hub for your wheelset and service it regularly. Lastly, do you find yourself wanting that larger frame and wheelbase for stability but you don’t want to lose out on the cornering ability of the next smaller size? Try a mullet setup? Many brands are offering mullet 29” front and 27.5” back as a build option. If you don’t see the option on their website, try emailing their sales team to see if they’ve tested a mullet option on the bike. You should note that a 27.5” rear wheel on a bike that’s designed around 29” wheels will change the geometry metrics of the back and thus how it performs.

So which bikes am I choosing from this list? My current bike is the Atherton S.150. If Gee Atherton says it’s good then who am I to argue? Pic for attention. I’m running Enve carbon M7 bar and stem loaded with Hope V4 Brakes. Bikeyoke Revive Dropper (210mm). SRAM AXS Drivetrain with superboost 5Dev cranks in my boost bottom bracket. Don’t knock it til you try it. Zipp 3Zero Moto wheels with Hope Brakes discs and Vittoria enduro rubber front (Mazza) and back (Martello). I’ve also been in the market for a “downcountry” build. Something I can “beef up” with tires, brake rotors, and wheels, to charge up hill and downhill, while also maybe being able to “beef it down” for the occasional XC race I line up for. As large as I am, I’m not trying to be competitive when I race XC, but I sure do love to heckle from the back of the pack. Do not let me pass you on the descent or you might catch a quick side-eyed smirk from me. With those items on my “wishlist” for my next bike I’m choosing the Yeti SB120. Personally I’d get the Lunch Ride version which comes with a more capable shock at the same stroke length and a 140mm fork instead of the 130mm. To make up for the slightly shorter reach than the Tallboy, I’d put a 60mm stem on it instead of my normally 50mm preferred stem. 

Honorable mention: Why am I just now realizing Ibis is making huge bikes? Can’t wait to try out that Ripmo….

Disclaimer: If you are over 6’9” I think you should look at a custom bike. Unfortunately, production bikes just don’t exist to give you a comfortable platform that is apples to apples the same platform “feel” that a shorter rider will have. If I were taller, I would reach out to small boutique brands who work with welded frames to ask about custom sizing. Some of those would be Nicolai, Canfield, Frameworks, (maybe Atherton?). I’m sure there are others, but for a full suspension bike that is where I would start.