Tall Cyclists

[Trev]

First of all let me say hi to all, I`m Trev and am new to the site


I`ve been cycling for a number of years now mainly to work and back and short trips around town rather than getting the car out. Anyway, for the last 12 months or so i`ve not been on the bike much with one thing and another but have recently got back on. Problem being i`m getting chronic back pain if i do anything longer than around half hour and my more savvy cycling pals are saying my bike is far too small for me causing my riding position to add extra strain to my back. I`m 6ft 7" and am tending to agree with them, my question being is there a specific place that can be visited for advice on where i can get a suitably sized bike?...I currently ride a mountain bike but am leaning toward getting a road bike this time.

A mate told me to look on edinboroughbicycle.com but i cant see anything specific to larger cyclists.

Any help would be greatly recieved, Trev.

 

[domtyler]

Watch out when you are cycling under low bridges.

 

[Chris James]

Not sure what to say to help you really Trev but felt I couldn't just leave it at Dom's somewhat daft comment.

I believe bike fitting is pretty much the same regardless of how tall you are. However, I suppose the problem is that you are massive and probably outside the size that most manufacturers would make for.

25 inch (about 62 cm) frames used to be fairly common and probably be okay for you, but with the trend to large standovers and sloping top tubes you don't see many of them around. Possibly you could pick one up second hand?

Also a layback seat post and long riser stem may help.

What sort of bike are you after and what sort of budget (i.e. you could go custom built but it would cost).

 

[Pottsy]

You could look at a custom build bike.

I had a custom Condor built for me a couple of years ago, the difference to comfort is remarkable. I'm not as tall as you (by a long way!) but have short legs long arms syndrome.

 

[rickangus]

Trev,

This guy specialises in bikes for tall people. Unfortunately he's in the US but you can glean a fair bit from his site;

http://www.zinncycles.com/

I am 6' 5" so a little shorter than you but understand the issues well enough. I was dissatisfied with the fit of my 'off the shelf' bike and however many variations I made to the saddle height, stem length/handlebar height/angle etc I could never really get comfortable. However one alteration that definitely worked for me was longer cranks. I'll bore you with that some other time if you want the lowdown.

So a year ago I took a deep breath and went to see Paul Hewitt in Lancs (a long way from my home in sussex). He measured me, identified my objectives (day rides & touring) my riding style (passive), put me on a jig to establish angles/lengths etc - whole process took most of a morning - and a few months later delivered me a frame. To contain costs I transferred parts from my old bike to the new frame.

This bike is totally comfortable for me - supremely so by comparison to my old one - although it's probably unrideable for anyone under 6'! I recently did London-Paris over 4 days and had no problems with comfort whatsoever.

If you are in striking distance of Horsham then you'd be welcome to have a ride.

 

[Trev]

As i`m only a casual user i wouldnt really be looking to spend more than around £500 which i know isnt a great deal in the current market. I certainly wouldnt turn my nose up at a second hand bike no cycle snobbery here!!!

My own personal thoughts were if i could raise my handlebars, even just a couple of inches, i`d be a damn sight more comfortable. But for the life of me i cant find anywhere to advise on that.

If i were to get a replacement bike with a larger frame then it would ideally be a road bike but looking at the kind of prices these days i think adjustments to my current bike maybe the more cost effective option?

 

[Trev]

Trev,

This guy specialises in bikes for tall people. Unfortunately he's in the US but you can glean a fair bit from his site;

http://www.zinncycles.com/

I am 6' 5" so a little shorter than you but understand the issues well enough. I was dissatisfied with the fit of my 'off the shelf' bike and however many variations I made to the saddle height, stem length/handlebar height/angle etc I could never really get comfortable. However one alteration that definitely worked for me was longer cranks. I'll bore you with that some other time if you want the lowdown.

So a year ago I took a deep breath and went to see Paul Hewitt in Lancs (a long way from my home in sussex). He measured me, identified my objectives (day rides & touring) my riding style (passive), put me on a jig to establish angles/lengths etc - whole process took most of a morning - and a few months later delivered me a frame. To contain costs I transferred parts from my old bike to the new frame.

This bike is totally comfortable for me - supremely so by comparison to my old one - although it's probably unrideable for anyone under 6'! I recently did London-Paris over 4 days and had no problems with comfort whatsoever.

If you are in striking distance of Horsham then you'd be welcome to have a ride.

Ah an interesting read, cheers Rick.

I`m interested in the extended stem/handlebar height ammendments i could make. I`m pretty happy with the saddle height but the handlebars being so low leads me into the `haunch` kind of riding position which i`m pretty sure is giving me the back trouble. Where would i be looking to get such stems? as is probably obvious i`m not massively `into` the cycling scene more of a means to an end to avoid the crippling (excuse the pun) prices it costs these days to get to work by other means!!!

 

[rickangus]

Here's another site for tall people, again U.S.

http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=95

 

[fossyant]

Don't forget to go to a proper bike shop - they should be able to advise on components to help with the 'fit' and it will save you buying a whole bike - although it's not a great place to ask, as most of us will say...fix the current one, and get another bike - you can't have enough bikes.

 

[Tynan]

there's some hugh bikes on ebay and you can search for themeasily enough, might be worth a try, I don;t see too many people bidding on bikes that size, best of luck fella

I bet you will need a big bike at that height

Tynan - stumpy short arse 6'2"

 

[rickangus]

Trev,

A quick reply as I'm about to nip out - on my super comfortable bike!

The position of the handlebars in terms of distance from the saddle is just as important as distance of the pedals from the saddle. You have three points of contact with a bike (to state the blindingly obvious) feet/pedals, backside/saddle and hands/handlebars and each are critical for comfort.

I suspect your problem is that the handlebars are too close to you and that they need to be further away, not necessarily higher.

However the best piece of advice has already been given by Fossyant and would save you money in the long run. That is to find a bike shop that really knows what they are doing - rules out Halfords for starters - and pay £30 or whatever they charge (£50 would still be worth it) and get properly fitted. That way you get a handlebar stem the right length, height and fitted to the bike for you etc. That will make the most of what you've got.

In the meantime look for a new frame - if you can swap bits from your existing bike that would save a few quid.

 

[funnymummy]

I injured my back a few years ago & had similar problems with aches & pains caued by riding in a hunched position.
I'm not as tall as you, i'm only 6'2" but for a woman thats pretty tall lol!
I opted for a 21" hybrid(Giant Expression DX) & then had a couple of extras fitted, an extra long stem with adjustbale quill & swapped straight bars for comfort risers.
In all it added more than enough height to make me sit up straight & stop me leaning foward.
If you are happy with the bike you have, maybe just adding a longer stem & changing your bars would do the trick - (i've just done this for my eldest sons bike & got the bits off Ebay dead cheap!)

 

[mr_hippo]

I have a 36" inside leg and have had ridden 25" road frames for years. I needed a new bike and decided on a hybrid. I don't like sloping top tubes as I look like a giant sitting on a kiddies bike! My LBS had a 25" Trek 7200 hybrid in stock. It had a suspension seat post and a saddle that reminded me of John Denver's 'Grandma's Feather Bed'! The saddle has been changed and with the seat post down was just about right for me. I also changed the 700X35s to 700X32s

I've just done about 500kms on it, it is now set up perfectly for me and possibly one of the most comfortable bikes that I have had.

 

[postman]

If this info is any good for you.Giant Compact Road series 58.5/61cm.According to the chart will fit 6'-3'' to 6'-7''.And any good shop will have afew of these.Also known as xl.If you go on Giant bike site you can find a dealer near your home.

 

[Trev]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, some valuable tips regarding accesories i didnt know existed. I`m literally just leaving my house now to go to a relatively close cycle specialist that i never knew existed (shop in the middle of knowhere but comes with a blinding reputation) for anyone in the Birmingham area who didnt know it they have this website...http://www.red-kite.co.uk/. For starters i`m going to try a longer stem, i`ve removed mine and compared to others on the market its fairly short. Also my handlebar is a straight tube, i`m thinking whilst i`m at the shop i may also try a shaped tube. Anyways, we`ll see what the experts say....