Wow, Im surprised by some of the folks saying the 17 is perfect that are 5'10 especially retnav94. Cause i tried out a 17 and 19" hardrock at my shop. I know different manufacturers can be different in sizes. The 19 hardrock went right up to my balls in boots. The 17 " was ok if i raised the seat almost all the way up. that told me the 17 was too small. i am the same size and inseam as retnav. The standover height on the 19" hardrock is 32.44" and the motobecane 19" is 31.77" . i am thinking of ordering a 19" motobecane fantom 29er. the hardrock 19" felt very comfy, but I can get a lot more for a lot less with the motobecane being my first mtn. bike. I am a roadie by the way and have a trek madone 5.9 dura ace setup and a felt 55 for a spare bike. I think I can adapt to any position since I am so used to being in an aggressive position on my madone. the hardrock felt like a lazy boy!Also, i dont want to pay state tax here in ny. sick of it! Sorry to butt in on the post, just looking for opinions/ comments . i figured it would be ok to post here because of the topic. thanks