I’ve been keeping my eye out for a XL 29er full sus for a while, but it appears there aren#t that many about. XL frames are fairly scarce anyway, but was thinking that there may be more as people turn to the next wheel size pushed by the manufacturers. Where is best to watch out for one?

ps I’ve not put a wanted add yet on here, and this isn’t meant as one!

I had exactly the same problem so ended up buying a new frame.

It’ll last longer than a 2nd hand one. . . I keep telling myself!

mate has an XL trigger 29r, it’s huge!!
Part of the problem seems to be when you get to XL the whole bike gets a lot bigger, maybe the old height and wheels size thing is indeed bs.

I had my XL pivot 429 trail up forsale just before xmas! I might be tempted to sell it again.
If interested pm carlfragle@aol.com
Bats.

thanks Batman, but that’s going to be a little outside my reach currently. (costwise)

I think the problem is that with such a variety of bikes (what used to be “a mountain bike” could now be XC, trail, AM/enduro, freeride, DH etc- and a lot of manufacturers seem to even have sub-genres in their range of XC+, trail-, trail+, enduro- bikes, before you even start getting into wheel sizes) it’s difficult for manufacturers to predict demand and supply an adequate range in appropriate sizes.

Very big and very small people will suffer more, as there will always be fewer people buying these sizes, so more random variation in stock levels.

Where are they? Even buying new there aren’t many. Most companies don’t even make bikes big enough, which makes sense. Why? …

I’m 6’4″, so me and people taller are < 1% of the population. Why would you make frames you can only sell to < 1%? Not much profit in it. Now, they’ll fit people a little smaller too, but still a small niche.

Even those that do make them, don’t always bring them in to the UK. E.g. when I last looked XXL spesh didn’t come into the uk, only the (small) XL sizes.

20″ Mega 290???

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/nukeproof-mega-290-comp-bike-2017/rp-prod145996

XLs are rare as you said
29ers are now only one subset of the wheel sizes

So it’s a fairly small subset of the market for which you’re probably looking for an even smaller sample (ie you’re not just looking for any 29er in XL but presumably there are some you would want and some you wouldn’t).

I sold mine a few months back 🙂

You can get them direct from China FWIW.

How do you know it’s out of your budget

I’m 6ft 4in /36ins leg- Hightower with 170mm dropper if that helps.

I’m currently waiting for a salsa horsethief in XL. None in stock anywhere. Raleigh are waiting for a new shipment from America.

I would have gone elsewhere or bought 2nd hand but struggled to find anything I wanted.

How do you know it’s out of your budget

my budget would be well under half of what you were wanting for it just over a month ago. I didn’t wish to be rude to offer such a low amount. 😳

6’6″ here, I think I’m hoarding them all. My current collection is:

XXL Specialized Stumpjumper FSR
XL Specialized Enduro
XL Singular Swift

XXL Stumpjumper HT frame (missing a mech hanger bolt, grr)
XL Scandal frame (quite a bit of tyre/grit rub on the seatstays)

I’m mainly legs, the XXL both feel a bit too long if I’m honest, which is why the Stumpy HT ended up in a cupboard and I swapped the the Swift. They look very nicely in proportion though. I’ll probably flog the Stumpys on here at some point, it’s a shame as they’re super rare and in great nick, but probably won’t be worth much.

23″ XXL Stumpy there, managing to not look ridiculous, like most big bikes do.

I have an XL swift which is great. Currently running geared on it. But I prefer it SS. So I have a set of wheels, gears, chainset, etc etc which would love a frame/forks to play with.

I have an XL Stumpjumper 29er which I’d be looking to sell in the next month or so if you’re interested?

Just in case this did turn into a Wanted ad ;-), there is a 2014 XL Merida Big 99 CF3000 about to go on sale in the Bristol area if it is of any interest?

Get chummy with your LBS, I registered an interest with pedals in Edinburgh in an XL Smuggler when they were first getting shipped to the UK , they rang up when they had an idea of their stock allocation and I just managed to snag the last XL frame in the country of the first shipment. Didn’t get the colour choice I would have gone with if there had been a choice but hardly the end of the world. I wouldn’t have got it waiting for something to appear on a website anyway.

Just in case I don’t see your wanted ad, I’m gearing up to move my XL Tallboy lt aluminium frame on shortly…

I’ve got an XL Tallboy 2 Carbon CC that I have been thinking about moving on. White frame and would come with Chris King headset and possibly some other bits. Will have all new bearings in the linkages. Also have some wheels to go with it.

Let me know if that is of any interest: jaffamatt@gmail.com

XL stumpy 29 frames come up fairly regularly. I bought one last year, it is a good bike but I miss how my DW Sultan pedalled. I’d like another DW bike but with more modern geometry. I’d have had batmans Pivot but the reach is too short for me. Are there any other contenders on the market except for mega money 2017 Pivots? And how do modern VPPs pedal compared to DW and horst four bars? Apologies for the hijack OP

Had the same problem ended up makingva frame, it a bit hezvey and in bits at yhe moment.
The trouble i’vd found is that from xl to xxl only seat tube and headtube length change.
Currently got an xl stumpjumper with a longish stem.

The trouble i’vd found is that from xl to xxl only seat tube and headtube length change.

Have you tried an XXL Stumpy? They grow in all directions.

668mm ETT!

Edit: Oof, just spotted your home built frame thread. Amazing work. Is it still going strong?

Hmm not sure what i was looking at then. Got a cheap frame from cycle scene.

Edit: frame is going ok just r&d type stuff reducing rear triangle flex and bearing alternatives. Just dont have the time to focus on it before mk2 gets built.

A lot of the euro bikes do that, stuff like Cube and Canyon looked to be tall, but not overly long in 22/23″. I say this because I was hunting around, as my arms aren’t quite as silly long as my legs. The Stumpy is the only thing I’ve seen that has just scaled up all over.

This doesn’t really help you given the budget constraints but the new Nicolai G series fit well for us taller folk. I have an XL G13 and it is by far the best fitting bike I have ever had.

Hello Dave*, see if you can get your hands on a Banshee Prime or Mondraker 29er – they’re both common-rotating short-link designs which behave quite like DW link. The main difference is the DW link varies less in anti-squat through the travel (so the amount of sag you run doesn’t change pedalling efficiency as much but the flip side is DW link has more pedal feedback and you can’t change the ride character as much by varying sag).

* Currently re-reading 2001…

If you’re struggling, there are some large frames that are as big as/bigger than competitor XLs- Mega, Trailfox spring to mind (my medium Trailfox was almost exactly the same size as an XL Mojo HD3). Personally I’d rather use that to go big/long but it might give you options.

If I was huge I’d go custom.

Plenty of hardtail builders out there will make you something that will fit perfectly.

If you want full suspension… http://www.starlingcycles.com/ or Nicolai will make you something ace assuming the EXTRA longest Geometron is too small.

So the thread title should have been

Where are all the Cheaper big 29ers .

Stif seem to have quite a lot of Niner frames with pretty hefty discounts, including XL frames.

I assume the OP is looking at the 2nd hand marketplace. In which case as a 6’4″ gentleman myself I can only agree. Very little out there (comparatively). If new is an option then I’ve been drooling over the Cotic Flare Max for some time..

That Cotic is indeed a good looking bike, especially as I have a liking for the steel tube look.

Cheezybeenz is probably right regarding the title, but it has generated the conversation I was looking for, especially regarding some of the big frames which have short tt lengths…thanks