Originally Posted by
DMC707
I am 5'8 and ride a 53 road bike (Well, my current one is a 51 Cannondale but C'dale's sizing is weird) - so we're both a bit vertically challenged -- but this is a pic of my medium Santa Cruz -- it had plenty of height adjustment left and my positioning put the seat a smidge above the bars in a comfortable position for a sporty, cross country oriented ride
Not trying to turn your thread into a personal "show n tell" thread ----- just posting the pics to illustrate that both these bikes, - whose heights are wildly different due to wheel size and differences in suspension travel -- fit and fit well
I think the Nickel is somewhere between these 2 extremes - it will be a little bigger than a 4" travel 26'er, but not as big as a 6" travel 29'er
The popularity of the shorty stems and wide handlebars now also makes dialling in the fit easier
Something to keep in mind -- the old rule of thumb about needing 3-4" of top tube clearance on an MTB is just that -- an old rule from when MTB frames looked like that pewter colored Marin i posted above --- now with bikes having 4-5-6" of travel, bigger wheels , and the frames designed to accomodate that -- this is no longer the case
Thanks for the feedback on sizing, does make me more confident that size
should be ok. Nice bikes too.
Originally Posted by
Maelochs
Might be worth a flyer ... if the bike really is unridably too large, you could repost it for a little more than you bought it , and give the new buyer a "deal" by selling for what you paid. (It could be the first product offered through your imaginary virtual LBS!)
According to the link the bike cost $4K new and it really isn't old ... is the EBay where you are buying blind or Craigslist where you can test?
I would for sure check it out.
Unless the owner weighed 300 lbs and raced, the fork and shock should last a pretty long time, and he says he has serviced them, which is a good thing. According to the review the bike is pretty light and does everything really well, and Santa Cruz is generally considered to be b serious builder of serious mountain bikes. i think you have a deal on your hands ... but only inspection can really determine that.
Not sure how much you ride MTB, but expect a pretty upright seating position if it fits ... Seat-bar drop is generally minimal in the MTB world
Would be my first mountain bike since the rigid Cannondale I had when I was thirteen or so. I've only ridden a hardtail once or twice since, never ridden a full-suspension bike in my life.
He is pretty close from home so I think I might have to go take a look this afternoon.
