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Current Sources for Very Tall Touring Bikes?

Old 08-21-17, 09:04 AM
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Current Sources for Very Tall Touring Bikes?

Hey all

Canadian in the UK for now. Thinking of buying a touring bicycle again. Im 6'8" or 2.03m with a 103cm inseam. I forget the other measurements but you get an idea.

I had a 67cm Apollo frame before that I used to tour England, France and the West Coast of the USA. It was wobbly and not ideal but it survived.

Now I would like another tourer but more robust. All steel or stainless steel or some sort of alloy necessary. I broke the frame on my Apollo after returning to Canada so I'm big on materials that don't fail catastrophically. A shame since I could get a Koga fairly easily but they're aluminium.

Anyway I googled it and mostly got irrelevant results or stuff thats just a bit too small.

Custom would be nice but i don't know any shops that can pull that off fast so off the shelf is preferable. I'm waiting for my boat to sell so once it's sold (could be tomorrow or a year from now) I'll need to be mobile or the cost of living goes way up.

I'm in Northwest England at the moment but courier services are plentiful here or I could always fly somewhere to buy a bike and leave the broker to sell the boat.

Advice?

Also, when does France get cold? I was there in 2009 and it was up to 42° centigrade in June. I'm more a fan of that kind of weather than the 14° wind and rain of English "summers". And I'd love to see Brittany cause i missed it last time.

Travel plans would include western Europe, maybe Morocco and then the Americas from Mexico South to Argentina and Chile.
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Old 08-21-17, 09:18 AM
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Go to Mssr Berthoud's Shop, in Nomandy France and get a made to measure bike built there. racks bags .. they do the full kit.
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Old 08-21-17, 10:30 AM
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Soma Saga DC frame comes in 66cm.

Saga DC Frame Set (Disc/Canti) | SOMA Fabrications
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Old 08-21-17, 11:08 AM
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Originally Posted by TallTourist
...Thinking of buying a touring bicycle again. Im 6'8" or 2.03m with a 103cm inseam. I forget the other measurements but you get an idea...
"tall cyclist" custom builder:
https://zinncycles.com/Zinn/bikes-tall-guys/

custom builders specializing in touring bikes:
https://www.rodbikes.com/index.html
https://co-motion.com/
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Old 08-21-17, 11:26 AM
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Here you go.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...t#gid=36376247
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Old 08-21-17, 11:27 AM
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This link is a couple years old, i think. With that said, its a decent start. options below are from the list...
Specialized AWOL XL: Reach 413mm / Stack 667mm
Surly LHT 64cm: Reach 406mm / Stack 658mm
Columbus Rohre CrMo 65cm: Reach 402mm / Stack 658mm
Id Worx All Rohler 64cm (Flat Bar): Reach 402mm / Stack 702mm
Gunnar Grand Tour 68cm: Reach 392mm / Stack 707mm
Salsa Fargo XL: Reach 391mm / Stack 683mm

Then there is the Soma Saga frame. 66cm frame has 667mm of stack height.


The Gunnar 68cm frame has a huge 70+cm stack height!...but no idea if you can get it shipped from the US. I have to imagine companies over in the UK/Germany have some big stack height touring bikes, right?...at least one or two.


World Tour | Bob Jackson Cycles this comes in a 65cm size. not sure on the stack height, but i would guess its 64/65cm based on the level top tube. its local to you.


I know the frustration of finding touring bikes that fit properly. Stack height, to me, is key to fit.
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Old 08-21-17, 02:19 PM
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Originally Posted by tyrion
Soma Saga DC frame comes in 66cm.

Saga DC Frame Set (Disc/Canti) | SOMA Fabrications
Is that what you ride? I like it. It'd be better with 26" wheels but whatever.

The crux will be getting one built. I have no specialized bike tools so i guess I need a lbs. Will have to call around.
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Old 08-21-17, 02:27 PM
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Originally Posted by TallTourist
Is that what you ride? I like it. It'd be better with 26" wheels but whatever.

The crux will be getting one built. I have no specialized bike tools so i guess I need a lbs. Will have to call around.
No, I have a Novara Randonee, size XXL, which I would guess is about 64cm in traditional measuring terms. There just aren't many touring bikes bigger than 64cm. Rivendell makes some, but they're expensive and it takes a while for them to have it built.
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Old 08-21-17, 03:06 PM
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I certainly don't have suggestions from experience, but I do know two 6'4" riders who ride on aluminum frames, and one of them weighs over 250 and travels with a fairly heavy load of probably at least 70lbs---so I wouldn't discount a koga or other off the shelf XXL frame.
Wheel component choice, as well as tire width and pressures would also be just as important in terms of being robust (living with your weight) and being easier on the frame.

Would you want to go drop bar or mountain bike style bars?
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Old 08-21-17, 04:03 PM
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Originally Posted by tyrion
No, I have a Novara Randonee, size XXL, which I would guess is about 64cm in traditional measuring terms. There just aren't many touring bikes bigger than 64cm. Rivendell makes some, but they're expensive and it takes a while for them to have it built.
Yeah. I looked at rivendell years ago. Didn't like the style or colours or their attitude. How tall are you?
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Old 08-21-17, 04:17 PM
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Originally Posted by TallTourist
Yeah. I looked at rivendell years ago. Didn't like the style or colours or their attitude. How tall are you?
6'5" - usually a 64cm bike fits about right.
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Old 08-21-17, 04:26 PM
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Have you thought about a big old mountain bike for the kind of touring you are thinking of? I don't know if the frame geometry would work but the XL surly troll is designed for the kind of touring you are doing (and you seem partial to 26 inch wheels).

Troll | Bikes | Surly Bikes

This is certainly a bike I'd consider if touring Africa and Latin America

Also the XL Ogre which is a 29er

https://surlybikes.com/bikes/ogre/geometry
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Old 08-21-17, 04:48 PM
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Originally Posted by tyrion
6'5" - usually a 64cm bike fits about right.
dont think ive ever seen you put down your height before, which did make me chuckle.
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Old 08-22-17, 01:34 PM
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Contact Dan Toyle at Rodriguez bikes in Seattle. All of their bikes are built to order and complete custom geometry is only $200 more than their stock sizes.
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Old 08-25-17, 01:46 PM
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Well...I just ordered an XXXL Vivente Deccan.

It's not exactly what I was looking for but given the time constraints, it's pretty close.

Now the next two weeks are going to grind by, haha.
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Old 08-25-17, 04:29 PM
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someone on here a while back last year mentioned them, I looked at their site and was impressed by how comprehensive the packages are. A bit pricey, but look like nice bikes--you can't go wrong with them I reckon.
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Old 08-25-17, 05:24 PM
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Vivente Deccan

I am in Australia and I am interested in a Vivente Anatoli. They are the best Ozzie touring bikes sold in Australia from my perspective. Have a very good warranty, come with a decent tool kit and I think spare spokes. I would buy one tomorrow if I had the cash. I currently own a Gravel Bike I use for touring, a Malvern Star Oppy S1 700c. It is good but not great, but it has done over 5000 km on pretty rough outback roads with no problems. I changed the rear wheel to a 36 h, a steel hub, and an 11-34 mega range cassette and that gearing works well here in the New England.
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Old 08-25-17, 05:35 PM
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Vivente Deccan

I am in Australia and I am interested in a Vivente Anatoli. They are the best Ozzie touring bikes sold in Australia from my perspective. Have a very good warranty, come with a decent tool kit and I think spare spokes. I would buy one tomorrow if I had the cash. I currently own a Gravel Bike I use for touring, a Malvern Star Oppy S1 700c. It is good but not great, but it has done over 5000 km on pretty rough outback roads with no problems. I changed the rear wheel to a 36 h, a steel hub, and an 11-34 mega range cassette and that gearing works well here in the New England.
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Old 08-25-17, 07:45 PM
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you can say that again!
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Old 08-25-17, 08:27 PM
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213 cm/7'1" Shaq rides a DirtySixer 36" wheel bike though for him the $5,600-$8,100 price is pocket change. Testimonials say the large wheel feels a lot better for tall riders. Makes sense to me though I'm not tall & haven't tried that bike. Amazingly Shaq's standover height is almost snug.



https://dirtysixer.com/
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Old 12-25-17, 04:01 PM
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I received the bike very quickly after ordering it in Northwest England and did a brief tour down the West Coast before catching a flight back to Canada. With fewer than 300kms on the bike either the baggage handlers at Gatwick Airport near London or those in Vancouver British Columbia put a good sized dent in the top tube (I'd bet money on this having occurred at Gatwick as the customer service there is always abysmal. Anyway I was quoted $600 and about 8 weeks to replace the top-tube on the frame so I elected to just continue riding on it and hope for the best. The stock saddle that came with the bike is very soft and, therefore, very uncomfortable during long rides. I've had bad saddle sores almost constantly and the saddle I ordered to replace it never showed up so now I'm in Central America where all bike shops have soft and softer saddles contemplating just cutting the padding off and riding on bare plastic.

Overall, I am very pleased with this bike, the wheels are especially good, I've ridden on some rough roads and inadvertently hit quite a few very large potholes while loaded and going fast and the rims are as straight as the day I received them. The Schwalbe tires are amazing. I've only had three flats in around three thousand kilometers of (mostly loaded) touring and I'm a heavy bastard with a lot of heavy stuff so that's been great especially considering my previous bad experiences with Schwalbe tires (I never would have bought Schwalbes again were they not included with the bike) but thanks to Vivente, Schwalbe gets a customer back. Anyway I've ridden a lot of really steep hills where I was dodging cars, sheep and sheep shyte so good brakes are important. In this regard the stock setup of the Deccan was not good. The shifter paddles on the "brifters" interfere with the handlebars and effectively reduce braking ability while simultaneously cutting into the bar tape. To get adequate braking performance I had to adjust the brake pads constantly and the pads were rubbing on the discs a bit as a result. I also found the Brifters' indexing to be unreliable for touring as they would not shift porperly and required fairly constant adjustment as well. Now the barrel adjusters on the down tube have seized and will not loosen with generous applications of oil so I replaced the brifters with bar-end shifters which were sent along with the bike at my request and some Tektro brake levers I found in a shop in Cartagena. It was a huge hassle finding a cable for the rear derailleur on an XXXL frame but fortunately an automotive shop in Medellin was able to fabricate one for me out of coarse braided stainless steel cables. Not ideal but in friction mode I have had ZERO problems with shifting since.

I've had issues with the frame wobbling when the front wheel is loaded up with bags or if I'm riding out of the saddle. because of the very large frame size I'm thinking this is almost inevitable for a traditional double diamond style frame which doesn't have super thick tubing, not sure. I've never had a large framed bike that didn't have significant lateral movement so this one is actually the best in that the wobbling can be anticipated and generally dealt with. While descending out of the saddle (to give my poor ass a break) the bike wobbles like crazy so I just tilt the bike a bit so that the nose of the saddle's leaning on my leg and it calms down. I've got the really wide Ortlieb panniers on the back of the bike so if I'm pushing the bike and it's not vertical or really close to vertical thi bike will flop over on its side really easily especially if there are no bags on the front wheel. Definitely do not recommend the wide Ortliebs (or Ortliebs at all, for that matter). But yeah, now that I've got the brakes and shifters set up the wa I like them they work really well. I can draft slower moving vehicles with relative ease and the brakes work like a charm and haven't needed adjusting for hundreds of kilometers (mind you it's been mostly flat the last several hundred kms) and best of all they are QUIET! because the pads don't need to be so close to the discs. Oh if you buy the XXL I highly recommend you rig up some kind of front fender extension sort of like a mudflap because the front fender that's on the bike doesn't work very well. If you ride in the rain or through puddles your drivetrain and lower legs will get covered in water and whatever crap is mixed in with it so you end up needing to clean the chain and all of that after every wet patch, kind of annoying but I get why the stock fender is the way it is. Oh and the interior of the frame has begun rusting already so I'm going to spray it with oil, I should have done it when I first got the bike but that's hardly unique.

Bottom line, if someone stole the bike from me today, I'd order a new one shortly from the same company
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Old 12-25-17, 04:06 PM
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Originally Posted by DropBarFan
213 cm/7'1" Shaq rides a DirtySixer 36" wheel bike though for him the $5,600-$8,100 price is pocket change. Testimonials say the large wheel feels a lot better for tall riders. Makes sense to me though I'm not tall & haven't tried that bike. Amazingly Shaq's standover height is almost snug.



https://dirtysixer.com/
I just got done riding through relatively developed Colombia and most of Panama. Most of the bike shops I've been to top out at 26' wheels/tires etc. The above is so impractical for touring in most of the world You would HAVE to be a former NBA star to afford all the hotel stays/long waits for parts to be couriered to whatever dusty town you break down in (let's be honest 100kms outside of ofc.)

If I ever get a wacky custom bike again I'm DEFINITELY going with 26" wheels, screw looks! I want reliable/practical!
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Old 12-27-17, 08:51 PM
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Yes, 36" wheel would be silly for expedition touring. BTW I've seen racing tandems with an extra diagonal tube & utility/cargo bikes with an extra top tube, maybe something like that would work to stiffen a large custom frame?
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