Just curious really, a lot of good deals on smaller dh bikes. Im 6 foot and tend to ride a medium in most brand of bikes, would a small dh bike be too small or does it not matter so much cos you barely sit down anyway?

Top tube would be too short surely?

it’s got nothing to do with sitting down and everything to do with reach. The chances of a small frame fitting you are very slim, however which frame(s) are you talking about?

I am 6ft 2″ and used to ride a 15″ 223. A smaller frame is going to be much easier to get down a hill on but the top tube length is going to be the part that you need to check is definitely going to be long enough.

You will rarely sit on the bike unless your pedalling on a fire road etc.

seen deals on 15″ orange, trek, kona and lapierre frames, all similar effective top tubes of just over 22″, my trail bike has about 23.5″ and feels plenty roomy.

222/3/4s have always been bloomin long so you might be fine. You should really try them for size though, you’ll quickly know if you feel like your knees are about the smash off the bars!

the distance between bb and ht is what matters

depends on what frame it is and how you ride.
I’m 5’11” and prefer a small, I’m not a racer anymore and the smaller frame is def less stable than a medium would be but I find it more fun to ride.
eff toptube is a pointless measurement on a DH bike, my TT is listed as 22″ but however you measure it it’s less than 21″. front centre is what you want to measure really or downtube.
get a ride on a few and see what you prefer.

is the cove peeler dh any good?

dunno about 22? sizing.. small 222s were too short even for me and large 224s are far too long (they just do 2 sizes don’t they?)

riding a few might be a problem, im looking at 2nd hand/ discontinued stuff so i might just have to take a bit of a gamble

The best bike I ever rode was a medium, which felt amazing on the descents but punished me with bruised knees on the climbs.

on the climbs

WTF? 😕

I always ride large frames but my Big Hit is a medium and feels bang on.

Just seen the kona operator dh, very tempting…

5’11 here and usually have a small DH bike (15″ 224 currently), and my trail bike is a 16″ – sometimes I feel I could do with a bit more length on steep fast downhills as a shorter bike is less stable, but for the most part prefer a shorter bike – easier to handle and chuck about in the twisties. There’s no “right” size other than what feels right to you.

Generally go down a size for a DH bike over trail etc. Smaller size makes more chuckable, but some proper fast riders prefer not so small for greater stability from longer wheelbase.