Mountain Biking - Mountain Bike for Tall Guy (on a budget!)

Hi There,

I'm looking to buy a MTB in January for between $600 and $1000 USD. I would be using it on moderate offroad terrain (more extreme if I find I can handle it) and some city rides (I live in SF, CA). Here's the problem:

I'm 6'7" tall and only about 180 lbs. My inseam is about 34" (probably about 35 or 36 standover) and I have a very long torso. Any thoughts? I've been told an XL 29er hardtail would fit the build nicely. Please let me know now if you think this is the wrong direction.

Thanks VERY much in advance for your help,

Tall Guy in SF

Rockhopper Comp Disc 29r (http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=38431&eid=107)
The 23 might be about right we built up one for a guy that was about 6'5-6'6

Thanks for the quick response! Looks like this is right in range and perhaps right up my alley. I'll be calling the local stores to see if it in in stock and give it a test ride. Anything else that I should consider?

Kona Unit will fit you.

Thanks, Jimblairo! I think that the singlespeed would be great for some of the mountain rides that I do, but may be a bit tough in SF. We have a LOT of hills. Wouldn't that be tough with a singlespeed? I do like the look of the Unit, though.

Im 6ft 3 in with a 37in inseam and ride a 21" Rockhopper Comp Disk 29er. With your long torso and Im guessing long arms you might need a 23".

xlg 29er, cannondale makes a "jumbo" the f4 29er is a grand, idk other companies prices top of my head

Redline d460. It's a little "different" but it has nice parts and a great frame if you're ok with rigid and 1x9. That's the upper end of your budget. The d440 uses a lower grade steel and a little bit different frame geometry, as well as not as nice (though solid) parts. It's at the low end of your budget.

They're worth a look, at least, but the rockhopper is a good option if you want a more conventional hardtail. Only real standout weak point on that bike is the fork IMO.

You might test ride a Gary fisher. the Genisis and Genisis 2 geometry lends to longer top tubes which, may fit your long torso.

Kona Kahuna in a 22" should be a pretty great fit. There's also the Big Kahuna, if you want to stretch your budget a little.
http://konaworld.com/09_kahuna_c.cfm

I'm almost exactly like you. I'm 6'5, 185 lbs. with a 34 inseam. I looked around for a while and ended up going with the Giant Yukon. Its an awesome bike, the only thing you might want to upgrade is the forks.

Well, I gave a couple of bikes a spin over the weekend. I tried the Gary Fisher Ferrous 21" 29er, the Paragon (same as the Ferrous, but Aluminum), a $400 29er (don't remember the brand), and a Giant Yukon.

Thoughts:

The Ferrous was fantastic! Great components and solid fit. Really liked the Fox Fork
I prefer steel, so the Ferrous beat the Paragon
The cheapo was terrible - I really did not like the DART shox
The Yukon was OK, but I really like the 29" wheels - makes me feel a little less like I'm driving a clown car :)

All said, the Ferrous comes to $1800 at my local bike shop. That's a bit expensive - but after doing some more research, it seems that some of the components I didn't like on the cheapo are also on the lower end model of the Specialized.

Any thoughts? Should I give in and stick to the Rockhopper 29er, therefore sticking to my budget or shall I shell out some major $s for the better components?

Thanks for everyone's insight so far. Super helpful!!!

6'7" with a 34" inseam...you're a weird lookin'dude! ;) I'm just shy of 6'2" with a 34" inseam and I'm completely normal.:innocent:

My thinking is buy what you really want (if you can $ wise) because you will spend more in the long run by upgrading.

The Ferrous is a nice bike. It is different from other Fisher 29ers in that it doesn't have g2 geometry. G2 29ers have a slackish head angle and fork with lots of offset in order to handle relatively quickly. The Ferrous has a normal offset fork, but a steep head tube angle. If you find it's too twitchy, however, you can increase the travel of the f29 to 100mm.