Posted by: JBV
met Sam at his Naked bikes shop this weekend. hard to believe but it looks like longer is coming. at least in the hardtail world. the powers that be in that realm have been testing longer and longer and loving it. and we'll be seeing this in production bikes as well. i've been advised to 'stay tuned'. at 6 5 he had interesting thoughts on geometry. i'm not sure how i would transport or store one of these new fangled beasts.
I have an XL Pole Evolink with a 1350mm wheelbase. At 6'6" it's the first bike I've ever had that fits right. But it presents some interesting logistical challenges. Transporting it using an NSR4 is only possible on the road and then not always. There is significantly reduced ground clearance - I've bumped the rear wheel on the ground and popped the head tube out of the cradle going up very steep driveway/curb transitions. That can be exciting when your bike smashes on the ground and is getting dragged while you decide when you should stop in traffic to remount your bike. Negotiating water bars off road is strictly forbidden now. If I set the rack to sit any higher the front wheel won't clear my parkade gate. I'm fine with this as I don't shuttle much anyway.
A horizontal tray rack might be an option but I wonder just how much bike can safely protrude on either side of your vehicle?