i am looking at possibly getting an DB Alpine for normal xc duties and putting a 140mm fork on it.

i am 5'11" and have a 31" inside leg.

I have been in contact with Mike at DB who has advised i am between an 18" & 16" frame.

Does anyone have the same fit and if so what frame size did you go for?

i'm the same height and use a 17" with 22" TT with an in line post. I believe the sizing has changed now though

if it's for XC then i'd er on the side of larger rather than smaller

Jason, as per my e-mail (and Mr MW's advice above), I would go for the 18" with 23.25" top tube for wheels on the ground/xc riding.

Only go for the the 16" frame if you want more of a play/chuckabout bike set up.

I would get a PA if it was for "normal xc duties" – Alpine might be a tad slack.

i would be running a 140mm fork and the PA is only recommended to 130mm max.

it will not be just XC as i enjoy going to trail centres.

can anyone comment on the Alpines climbing ability?

If your only riding XC and trail centres then I'd get a 100 – 120mm travel frame. Dialled Pa would be a better bet.

My Alpine climbs quite well due to the steep seat angle, but its too short for me on XC rides. I bought it over a year ago because I wanted a hardtail for dh riding.

However, I dont really ride much dh on it anymore, and for most of the riding I do I'd be better off having something with less travel and faster handling I reckon. (I currently run 130mm of travel on it)

Prince Albert would possibly be a better bet for general XC riding, but the new Alpines are sized slightly larger and with 140mm travel forks, it will probably climb almost as well as a Prince Albert because of the steep seat angle.

I've been going through a similar dilemma as davidt above, I bought a 21" tt frame and it does seem a little short for me, however I must admit that last night it quite impressed me with how well the bike climbed with my 66's set at 140mm. The steep seat angle helps no end.

The only thing i'm unsure about is the high BB. I thought it was the reach that I was making it feel unusual but it's the height of the BB that is doing it.

Great for cleaning rocky ST though.