are short people better at riding than tall people?
i seem to think that they are. they look better on a bike to start with.
the low center of gravity works better while cornering at speed, and they do not look like they are gonna go over the bars on steep descents.
i know Peaty is a exception to the rule, but most small folk i ride with are better than the talk lanky ones.
am i right?
No 
(but I am 6'2" with long arms... and the 'best' rider in the group I normally ride with)
I don't think Peaty is that big an exception in the World Cups. Minnaar, Rennie, Gee, they're all pretty tall and Rennie was (is) massive.
I think height can be beneficial in some ways but also non-beneficial in others. Lots of weight though is never really a good thing as it is problematic in all directions of acceleration, braking, cornering etc
Yes
I tend to think that in DH the riders who appear near the top are quite often the taller ones. Peat, Minaar, Gwin, Atherton etc. I would speculate that their height gives them longer wheel base bikes that leads to a more stable ride and long levers with which to absorb bumps and put down the power. Of course there are many expections to this generalisation such as Hart and Brosnan but these guys seems to go better at the tighter technical tracks.
In XC then one of the dominant factors is power to weight and as such the smaller riders normally have an advantage here. There will always be certain advantages to being of a specific morphology, it does depend on what discipline and specific track as to whether those advantages yeild anything.
Also, at the end of the day, natural riding talent is the great leveler of any perceived advanges a rider may or may not have.
mostly, i think it's best if you're not a clumsy oaf.
me? - i'm lanky, clumsy oaf.
(think: deck chair on stilts - with an inner ear infection)
i'd rather have limbs that do more-or-less what i tell them to, than be 3" taller or shorter.
i suppose it would also help if my sense of balance functioned - at all.
oh, and i'm a total coward.
In summary then: natural grace, a sense of balance, and a dose of courage, beats wobbly coward with a theoretical height advantage.
however: shortarses (5'10 or less) have better looking bikes.
You need to ask the 6'4", 95kg Magnus Backstedt how he beat the little people at Paris Roubaix. He might have some views (but he does dwarf his bike).
I'm. A short arse and crap so that's that theory out of the window.
I reckon big riders have a noticeable advantage on bumpy trails/roads/etc. I certainly notice it when out riding with smaller people.
I'm 6' and crap...If I was 4'2 I'd still be crap.
I'm 6'5" and thus widely regarded as one of the best bike handlers in the world 
my observations with 2 riding mates. One is tall (6 foot 5), the other about a foot shorter. Both are very closely matched in fitness, skill, etc. Very well matched in all riding except when it gets really tight and twisty. At that point the short arse zooms off into the distance.
Seems that tall people struggle a bit on the change of direction.
So much that the tall one often shoulder barges trees while trying to keep up.
There are advantages for both, and different techniques that will work for one and not the other but in general i'd say it makes no difference.
The small guys you ride with are either fitter, better bike handlers or have bigger melons than you.
So much that the tall one often shoulder barges trees while trying to keep up.
That's very familiar....
Arms and legs are great shock absorbers. Longer limbs = larger travel? Does that work?
am i right?
No,
Ben Cathro
Seems that tall people struggle a bit on the change of direction.
So much that the tall one often shoulder barges trees while trying to keep up.
Obviously haven't seen him ride, but he's probably trying to ride the bike like a small person (i.e. leaning with the bike). One of the advantages of being tall is that you have enough standover height and leverage to lean the bike while keeping your body more upright. This works really well when fast changes of direction are needed or riding in tight spaces.
Obviously haven't seen him ride, but he's probablytrying to ride the bike like a small person (i.e. leaning with the bike). One of the advantages of being tall is that you have enough standover height and leverage to lean the bike while keeping your body more upright. This works really well when fast changes of direction are needed or riding in tight spaces.just a bit of a shit rider
I share bigjim's height and ahwiles' skill. The same applies to things involving boards too, snowboarding, skateboarding, ironing.....crap at them all but it's ok, I'm tall.
GW, I was going for the constructive angle, but that pretty much sums it up.
I'm 6'1" and cr@p, so I think you're right.
Shorties may ride better, but I don't need to ask people to reach for things on high shelves for me, and that's far more humiliating 
I'm short....but with long arms, bit of a chimp!
Good thing about being short is most of the reduced shoes are often tiny 
Fellow tall folk - have you ever been tempted to ask a short-arse to fetch something off a bottom shelf in the supermarket for you? You know, just to cash in on the years of fetching from the top shelf.
No? Just me then...
(I do wonder if I'd get away with it... it *is* easier for them to reach)
I'm 6'2" and awesome! Mind you, bikes big enough for us non midgets do tend to look a bit goony.
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