gdharries profile

Haha, yep I hear ya. Short neighbourhood trail rides that used to be easy with gears now completely destroy me on a singlespeed. So. Much. Standing. And Pushing (both on the bars and up hill on foot).

I also took advice from other articles you've written and am running my chainstays as long as possible with the sliding drop-out. That extra length makes a big difference in traction, despite being such a seemingly small change.

That's wild about the tire inserts and long/slack geometry acting as a method of suspension, however simple. Far too many people over-bike. Same with automobiles. And life in general. Me included.

First of all, thanks for your advice and help in regards to my bike. I've enjoyed starting over again in a new direction.

Second, I have some questions:

1. What is this semi-knob XC rubber you speak of?

2. How does that 64 degree head angle and long wheelbase behave going up and around short, steep climbs and switchbacks? This is where I feel I'd prefer more agility, but maybe your bike is magical in all directions.

3. Have you had any sudden impacts where even a big 29+ tire and slack head angle can't prevent you from going over the bars or getting injured/slammed due to the rigid fork? For me, I like having that extra 140mm of safety net from a suspension fork in types of scenarios.

With his credentials and legacy, yeah there's not much one can say.

All of my ranting about today's trend of overly short seat-tubes and head-tubes (with matching lowrider stack heights) finally has a clear visual example: the giraffe!

Dude needs to get a Ventana El Capitán in 25 inches, pronto.

Then I guess us "extreme outliers" need to stick together and advocate for one another!

I'm 6'3", 200 lbs and have a 37" inseam. As such, I have a really hard time finding bikes that fit. It's getting worse as the latest trend of XL frames is short seat-tubes and short head-tubes with extremely low stack heights.

Last summer I wrote a review of a clydesdale-sized gravel bike called ironically, the Clydesdale Team. Clydesdale just released a massive 29x3 wheeled hardtail called the Steer. It would be awesome to see some reviews of this bike by popular sites like nsmb.com so the word can spread.

Hey @cam_mcrae if you are interested, let me know. I can send you the email of one of the company owners.

Oh wow, not me. I always have to ram the saddle rearwards as far as it can go, even with a setback seatpost. Otherwise, I can't get enough leg extension no matter how much post is showing.

Finally, someone bigger (taller/heavier) than average chimes in.

What's your height?

I ask because so many bikes now come with very short seat tubes for the very largest frame size. I'm just wondering how much post you have sticking out of its 465mm seat tube.

My hardtail has a 530mm seat tube and with the dropper post slammed, it's still more than enough space. I fear if I rode a bike with a 465mm seat tube, I'd snap the post right off.

Thanks! I didn't know that statement was in relation to the actual photo.

What size is the bike pictured?

I don't have a rigid singlespeed, but I do have a steel hardtail (Kona Explosif) with a 140mm fork and a 2.8" front tire. It's a total party bike. Prior to moving my parts over to the Kona from a Norco Torrent, I ran that Torrent with 2.8" tires front and rear.

You're absolutely right that the big tires, good brakes and more relaxed angles dramatically change the capabilities of the average hardtail or rigid bike. What we used to ride rigid in the early 90s are not at all the same bikes that people can ride now.

Too bad that more people don't start on these bikes; far too many just jump right into full suspension. In the old days, that's all we had and it made you a better rider by default.

Posted by: RideEverything

Here's mine.

A 2019 Honzo ST size XL.

I got this frame at the end of November last year as a warranty for my 2012 Honzo. I wasn't very keen on the green metallic paint so I diy stripped the frame down to raw and put a rattle can matte finish clear coat on it.

2016 RC2 Float 36 160mm non-boost

Works Components -2 angleset

Chromag cockpit with Sensus Meaty Paws grips

A mix of Sram GX, X0 and SunRace drivetrain

Nobl TR36 rim on an E13 LG1 front and a Spank 359 Vibrocore with steel freehub rear

Saint 200mm/180mm brakes

9point8 175mm

Magic Mary with CushCore F/R

Nice! A proper big person bike. Couple of questions:

1. What’s your saddle height? The Honzo seems to have a matching reasonable stack height for taller people.

2. Did you cut your bars? I have the same ones but yours look narrower.

I really dig the bright orange. Cool to see a bike that isn’t grey or black. This, coming from the guy with a brown bike.

I actually used a dropper post for a couple of years, but went back to a rigid post for simplicity's sake.

Where I live (Whitehorse, Yukon) and what I like to ride has a lot of climbing and descending so I don't feel a dropper post is worth it. I know I'm a weirdo as everyone has droppers these days. I guess my old man mountain bike habits formed after almost 30 years are showing.

If I'm doing a lot of descending, I'll just get off my bike and lower the saddle. I'm not in a rush anymore.

@RAHrider - Interesting. Where are you finding this bike is flexing?

Here is my Kona Explosif, size XL. It's a 2017 model but has taken me a few years to get to this point.

I recently installed a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 and some gorgeous TRP G-Spec DH brakes. Running a 2.8" in the front for maximum fun.

This will be my first season riding the new Bomber fork.

Depending on the length of your legs, an XL hardtail from most of the main manufacturers (like from your initial list above) will probably fit you at 6'4". If you have freakishly long legs - that is, a long inseam - then most will be too small.

I had but recently sold a Norco Torrent HT that was awesome, but turns out it was too short in the seat-tube for me and my saddle was super high out of the frame at full height. That said, the Torrent was about $2,000 brand new and is a solid bike for big guys.

If the Torrent fits you in XL and you can find a used one for sale, it's a great option that won't break the bank.

I think you really scored. A bike from 2014 is not "old" or worthless despite what others may think. Lots of life and good times ahead.

Posted by: syncro

I’ve got a couple things to tweak but I think I did well.

Very nice. How does it ride?

I'm 6'3". With the XL Instinct, by the time I got my saddle high enough I was peering way too far over the front hub. I always wanted to push back, and even with a saddle set in its rearmost rail position, it feel like there was never enough reach (and I didn't want to move to a super long stem to compensate).

I had looked over all of the geometry specs of the Instinct before buying it as it seemed to be close to another bike I previously owned and really liked, but I messed up on the reach and stack height (longer and taller, respectively). When you jack your saddle way up to compensate for long legs, you also need a high stack height to balance things out. Those two measurements are where I went wrong.

Posted by: syncro

going to add a 2014 rocky instinct into the mix. older bike but more modern geometry and it's in nice shape. thoughts?

I owned a 2014 Rocky Instinct 950 (photo) and loved that bike. So versatile and just plain fun, everywhere. I sold the Instinct because it was too tight; I bought an XL when I should have had a XXL. Rocky's bikes tend to run small, so if you're looking at a Large, it will fit more like a Medium.