I did the Anthur Stiniog uplift yesterday and have to admit that my lovely, but ageing Large Santa Cruz Bullit is a bit too small for me and is a little like a clown bike! I’m 6’5″ and 100+kg, so what DH/Freeride frames would give me a little more space? Thanks.

XL Santa Cruz Bullit?

Canyon tourque frx, I am 6’2″ and find the large is probably a bit too long for me.

Thing is as you get into the dual crown bikes, they tend to get longer rather than taller, as a direct mount stem on a dual crown fork is not an adjustable height (well not by much).

V10 – SC only seem to want lofty riders on their WC DH team, I reckon it’s entirely due to the bike being built for giants and ignoring the “Little people”… *

*This might not be entirely true…

Ben Cathro’s about 40 feet tall and seems very happy on a 17 inch Orange

MSP- you can increase the height of a direct mount stem. Either by fitting spacers under the top crown (if you stanchions will allow it) or using direct mount spacers (http://www.workscomponents.co.uk/stem-spacers-17-c.asp)

JEngledow- Do you really want a proper DH bike? They are pretty hopeless on the flat and useless on any uphills. Would you be better off with something like a Bronson?

Cathros Orange is a custom with an extra 30mm in the TT.
XL Santa Cruz V10 ( but not that XL by all accounts)
XL trek session
XL davinci ( Ali not carbon)
New gt furys are reeeaaaly long (670 TT on a medium…..similar to mondrakers forward geometry using tiny stems)
Glorys and Lapierre dhs come up really small.

Do you really want a proper DH bike

I have the DH bike for uplifts and trips to the Alps and a BFe for everything else.

The old XL glorys were proper big, not sure if they still are.

I (6’4″) used to ride a large intense.

I don’t know the sizing off the top of my head, but speshy tend to make some very large sizes so always worth a looksee.

JEngledow
I have the DH bike for uplifts and trips to the Alps and a BFe for everything else.

Have a look at the Morewood Makulu, the large has a 635mm/25 inch top tube, so comparable to the V10 XL

Is the Effective Top Tube length the best way to compare DH bike sizes?

If so my tape-measure wielding skills have given me an effective top tube length of approx 560mm for the Bullit, which looks to be about the same length as a small Session 88 and about 60-70mm shorter than the XL! Are the more modern DH/FR frames lower and longer than in the mid 2000’s?

The bullit isn’t a downhill bike, and I think had a fairy short TT anyway.

You will probably find that most downhill bikes will feel lower and longer compared to that. I recently bought my first dual crown downhill bike, and it has taken some getting used to.

Sir HC – Member

Have a look at the Morewood Makulu, the large has a 635mm/25 inch top tube, so comparable to the V10 XL

+1

I’m 6’1″ on a medium Makulu and it’s plenty big, large should suit you

If you really must, you could look at Lenz. I’d love to try one:

The PBJ