6’3”
 

Long legs. I can’t find a bike that feels right.

... a road bike or MTB?

Personally I think the trend is for smaller frames. I'm not a fan of that either. Whether it's better or not, I prefer larger frames. I spent over 35 years on a 26" Varsity. I currently ride a 59 cm Raleigh and 60 cm Schwinn Paramount. At 5'11" I'm told I'm on too big a frame. However I doubt I could ever feel comfortable on smaller.

If performance was all that matter, then maybe I'd try smaller and see what the stats showed.

But before I stray too far.............. for new bikes it's rare that I see a road frame bigger than 58 cm. I'd think other styles similarly are seeing fewer really big frames.

I'm 6'5" and a 64cm traditional (level top tube) road bike usually fits me.

You will need something like a 62 to 64cm bike measured traditionally. Your problem is that most bike stores wont stock such a thing because the orders are few and far between for extra large bikes. You will have to be measured for fit and if you don't like the fit you will probably be stuck with it. It's well worth doing some homework before you walk into a store. Some options in large bikes are the Trek Domane, Emonda and Madone, Pinarello Dogma, Cannondale CAAD, and Cannondale Super Six for road bikes.

Depending on your arm length, you're going to need a frame with a short reach.

e.g. like an old-style (horizontal top tube) road frame whose seat tube is longer than the top tube.
One modern example being an aluminium Alan Super Corsal Ergal in standard geometry, in one of the larger sizes.

Or a Trek Domane should work.

You can forget anything from Cannondale or a Pina.

For something moving toward the gravel bike camp, a Blue Prosecco EX (sloping top tube, now) would work.

Without knowing his arm length I don't know how you came to that conclusion. Further to the point. A CAAD is perhaps the most traditional bike left on the market. So yeah, your post makes about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine.

Im 6 foot 4 and I've always had trouble feeling comfortable on a bike.

damn... thought I saw under this new format it was easy to unsubscribe but can't find it now...

It's at the top of the thread on the first post. Thread tools. I am trying to find the ignore button to add 1500SLR myself...

If you mean that your torso is a lot shorter than normal compared to your legs, than you may need a frame 2 - 3 cm smaller than your height might suggest. (So, a 58 may work, but you'd probably need a stem with a steepish rise if you don't want to get into a lower racing position.)

Assuming you're talking road bikes . . . I also am 6'3" and have no difficulty finding a frame that fits fine. The bike on which I had a pro fit is a 57.5cm Pinarello. I've matched all my other bikes to the measurements on that bike. Some of my other bikes are 58 or 59 cm frames, and they are set up the same as the Pinarello FP-6. I have four Pinarello bikes and find them the most stable and comfortable, (for me). The stems that seem to work best for my body shape are 110 mm or 120 mm. But as alluded to, what works for you depends on how long your torso and arms are. This is just what works for me.

I think you should be trying something around 58cm-ish ETT with hideously large saddle-to-bar drop, like about 17cm. The taller you are the more imperative it is to fine-tune a good horizontal aero position. High head tubes on vintage bicycles, or the new fad of adventure-style bikes with bars level to the saddle will prevent tall people from achieving a comfortable position. When you see a bike like this you might initially think, wow there's no possibility that could be comfortable, but you would be wrong. Tall people need this. Try it and see. This isn't my bike but I'm guessing the rider is about 6'4" or 6'5".

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...da57ffb438.jpg

Same. During my research, I found Cannondale to cater to tall riders the most. Same. Then again what is the paradigm for bike comfortable? When I'm riding my bike I'm fine up to around 4 hours. Longer than that and things (wrist, seat, etc.) begin to hurt. Is that the discomfort associated with the bike's geometry, or just my limit to time in the saddle? Consider that even the most comfortable seat can be come uncomfortable if you set in it long enough.

In any event, just being over 6'2 means that we live in a world full of discomforts where we have to adapt, including convenience and appliance. Consider planes, trains, and automobiles. None of them are designed with tall people in mind, They're designed for those of average height, which for men in the U.S. is 5'9". That's a lot of inches where we have to adapt.

Since men 6'2" and taller only account for 3.9 percent of the population its no surprise that most devices fall well outside our comfort zone. If that's not enough, just having longer limbs means our joint are going to be subject to more stress than someone of average height no matter what the circumstances are. Given all that, isn't a certain amount of discomfort for tall people inherent? Maybe? But there's no way to tell for sure from that photo alone. All we know is that the rider has longer legs but not his overall height.

Just because a big drop works for some -- tall or short -- doesn't mean it works for everyone (comfort or efficiency-wise). I'm 6'1". If I lower my bar from 4cm below saddle to 4.5cm, my power drops 20%+. No discomfort issues until I go a lot lower (mainly in the neck), but given I live and ride in the mountains, I'm MUCH more interested in efficiency than in trying to get aero, even if it were a bit more comfortable.

I've had that issue too, but mostly resolved it by going both lower and shorter reach. Shorter stems makes a huge difference with increased drop. If you drop the bars but keep the same stem power output does decrease.

But wouldn't the shorter reach result in the back becoming more rounded -- which most claim is a big no-no? (My reach is already pretty short due to my ridiculously short torso.)

Short torso chickin in. But I have long legs and Gibbon arms.

This is what bike fit for 6'-3" and all legs looks like, LOL. 61 cm frame, 400 mm seatpost, uncut steerer, and still still have a 6" drop to the bars.https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8a23426583.jpg

It doesn't really work without a model. Height can come in many ratios: long, short and medium torso. As mentioned, I have a short torso, so all my height comes from my legs. Sitting down I'm at the same level of a person 5'9.