The Tall Rider - Trek 64cm Madone ?

[DJPetrolHead]

Hello tall riders - still debating (mainly with the wife) on my new bike. I wondered what other tall riders use - I am 6ft 6in and post a measuring up I am told a Trek 64cm frame H2 setup is best. What do other "tall ones" ride?
Road bike, 20-120 mile rides, 3-4k per year.

[Gizmoish]

Hesjedal is about your height, rocks a Cervelo S5...



Swerni will be along in a minute (when he finds his way off his beanstalk).

[duff]

Isn't that an R5?

I thought Trek come up small for a given size. Canyon do some huge frames.

[944fan]

I'm 6'5''. I ride a Trek with a H2 frame. As said above the LBS told me that Treks come up small. I have a 62 cm frame and it seems to fit me fine.

[Rouleur]

Hesjedal's nowhere near 6'6"

I'm 6'4" and used to ride a 62cm Trek so I'd suggest that a 64cm would be right for you assuming your inside leg is something like 36"? You could probably get away with a 62cm but you'd have a lot of seatpost out.

[Some Gump]

Is havng a bike with a lot of seatpost out the same faux pas as having a labrador with it's lipstick out?

[TwistingMyMelon]

My mate is 7ft and loves his Trek , he thinks they accommodate tall people better as a brand

[Rouleur]

Some Gump said:

Is havng a bike with a lot of seatpost out the same faux pas as having a labrador with it's lipstick out?

It's not quite that bad, but not far off.

[rhinochopig]

6'5" with long legs. I ride a Scott Addict Ltd and could probably get away with the XL. I have the XXL (61cm) and it is really roomy.

[rhinochopig]

Rouleur said:

Some Gump said:

Is havng a bike with a lot of seatpost out the same faux pas as having a labrador with it's lipstick out?

It's not quite that bad, but not far off.

The issue - IME - is that taller means heavier and less post inserted so less friction means post slips more, which is a PITA on long rides. One of the reasons I ride a bike with an integrated seatpost.

[esuuv]

rhinochopig said:

6'5" with long legs. I ride a Scott Addict Ltd and could probably get away with the XL. I have the XXL (61cm) and it is really roomy.

This - I'm 6'6" and I have a XXL (61) Scott Foil - fits me great.

[duff]

I'm 6'4 on a XXL Foil - it does fit but that's with a 110mm stem and the seat set forward although I like to be sat over the pedals anyway. The seatpost is specific to the Foil so make sure the fit is spot on as it'd be expensive to change later on.

[bigdom]

I'm 6' 5", with 36" inside leg. I'm on a Giant Defy XL with extended stem, fits like a glove.

[outnumbered]

I'm 194cm (aka 6'4"), I've got an XL-sized Giant and a 65cm (!) traditional geom Colnago C50.

The Colnago geometry is interesting as from 60-65cm sizes, the top tube doesn't really change length much, just the seat tube and head tube extend further above it. The advantage of that is you don't have to run with a massively upward-pointing stem just to get a reasonable saddle/bar height drop. Whereas I still need a somewhat upward-pointy stem on the Giant, with an 11cm saddle/bar drop.

So I'd say you should look for something with a long head tube as a major consideration, given your height.

OTOH if you are as flexible as Hejsedal, maybe you can tolerate a 15cm+ drop !

[DJPetrolHead]

Thank you all - very helpful (ESP the lipstick incident with dogs!)

I got measured and the stack needs to be 63cm and the top tube 63cm with a 440mm handlebars and 177.5 cranks. Basically I've decided I am a freak of nature with long arms, long legs and long torso.... Weird combo really. I like the point that Treks are better for bigger people and I think that's fair given their US roots. Everything comes bigger - cars, bikes, burgers....

Current bike is an XL Wilier and I love Wilier bikes. I just know I am being inefficient as hell (58cm with an insane drop!!)