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I’m researching eMTBs at the moment, but my question could be for any type of bike.
At 6’5” I’m pretty tall. Getting a bike the right size is always a bit of a challenge.
In an ideal world I’d visit my lbs and sit on a few bikes to see what feels just right.
The problem is that bike shops understandably don’t stock the biggest bike frames, so this isn’t really possible.
You often hear advice saying “go to a demo day and try a few bikes out” but the reality - particularly now -is these don’t really happen and even if they did there is the same availability issue.
I’ve never ordered a bike online before or done a direct sale bike. How on Earth are you supposed to get the right sized bike from a set of statistics and measurements?
Any thoughts or suggestions on this?
I’m tall as well, 6’4”.
Realistically it’s not a case of the “right size” it’s if their largest size is big enough for a given model. No mainstream bike will be too big, as at our height we’re taller than 99% of the population. If it was too big who would it be for?
Anyway that said, a good starting point is measure the bikes you have that fit you. Effective top tube, reach and stack are the most important measurements.
They depend a bit on type of bike, and the stem you’ll likely run, but as a rough guide I look for ETT 630+ and reach 480+
Reach can vary more than ETT tho as it depends on seat angle and type of bike more.
On something big travel (150+) as an ebike is likely to be, I’d be looking for 500+ reach and 660 odd reach.
6'2" here,ordered Wild FS M20, was stuck between L and XL, went XL. Reach is 485, stack 644, coming in 3 weeks.
6'5" here, I agree with IA.
Although I am definitely not interested in an ebike (no, now way, nope, nada...), I would also look for one with decent stack and a Seat tube angle as close as possible to 80degrees.
That would make technical ups great fun, most eBike based injuries I've seen are folk looping out on steep technical pitches and ending with the eBike landing on them. A steep seat angle would go a long way to alleviate that.
now, where are those picture of that lovely new pole...
6’4” here - a Kona Remote 160 fits me pretty well. One of the longer ebikes (or it was at the time I bought it - there’s probably others now).
EDIT - Reach 510. Short chainstays (for an ebike) which may or may mot be your thing.
I'm not as tall as you OP - I'm 6'2 but mostly legs and arms. Thing I've found is that "XL" or whatever the largest size is varies quite a bit by brand. I wouldn't touch another Giant for example, as in the past my experience is that their biggest bike is still quite small. Might be better these days since the LLS thing kicked in.
Two more points to consider on top of reach and stack, as others have said. First is that the trend of increasingly steep seat tube angles can be an issue if you run a high seat, feeling quite cramped in the saddle even if it feels right once stood up. Second thing is that as smaller riders want increasingly long bikes, brands have reduced seat tube lengths to fit them on larger sizes for the extra reach. If you are very long legged you'd need a super long seat post - my Kenesis is the largest size they do and has a 46.5cm seat tube! Good for stand over, but lots of exposed dropper post.
So you need to find a brand that does genuinely big sizes in the areas that matter to you. Online, I think Commencal look quite good but sure stock is a nightmare everywhere!