weiwentg

This is based on a discussion elsewhere. As indicated in the title, the rider says he is 6 foot 7 inches. The bike is a 62cm Trek Emonda SL 5, which has frame stack 634mm, frame reach 398mm, stock stem is a 110mm Bontrager Elite 7 degree stem. A 64cm Emonda exists, and it has stack 654mm, reach 401mm, stock 120mm stem.

I believe this bike fundamentally does not fit the rider, and that the 64cm Emonda would still require that head tube extender. Also, given his setup, I thought he might do better on a 64cm Domane, their endurance bike, or perhaps even a 66cm Domane. The problem is that neither of these two sizes appear to exist.

Am I right, or am I full of it?

Secondarily and not directly related to bike fit: if you look closely, there's a white line visible under his seat mast. What line is that?

ChinookTx

Arghhh. I'll admit at 6'7" it must be hard to find a frame that fits, but to me this looks like pushing it a bit. The seat post looks overly extended and such a long steerer tube can't be good. Hopefully the rider is not too heavy!

The line on the mast could be a "don't go any lower than that". If you search for pics of this model, the line is visible on a lot of them.

brianmcg123

At 6’7 the guy needs a custom or s specialty bike that fits.

He should have at least tried the 64. But it wouldn’t have made much difference.

Maybe the guy really wanted the emonda.

Maybe this one was on sale.

Darth Lefty 

If the price is not such an object then maybe you could consult with a custom specialist like Zinn or someone who makes CF bikes from tubes like Calfee. There are not many production bikes this big. KHS makes one. It's steel and also has extra long cranks and other heavy duty features. It has a high head tube.

On the MTB side, Ventana makes extra large custom frames.

https://khsbicycles.com/bikes/2014-k.../flite-747-14/

ksryder

There's a guy who makes bikes with 36" tires for really tall people but I have to imagine tire selection is extremely limited.

sumgy

Just looking at the headtube and I will say it does not fit the bloke (or the fitter is really bad at their job).

sumgy

Actually, looking at it more (as much as it hurts my eyes and feelings), why are the bars raised so high AND the saddle slammed forward at the same time?

BengalCat

For most people 6'7" a 62 cm may be workable but usually is too small. A 64 cm if available should work for the majority of folks that are 6'7" tall.

ChinookTx

The stem is oriented down as well... ?!?! And the cables look so stretched it probably shifts gears whenever the bars are turned!

sumgy

Yep, it is one of the worst fits I have seen for a while.
I hope he did not pay good money for it.

CliffordK

I didn't realize that Trek actually made a 64cm bike. That is HUGE.

According to the page you linked:

62cm for 6'2 to 6'5
64cm for 6'4 to 6'7

So, your friend would just barely be at the top end for the 64cm.

For a basic 520 steel bike, 64 or 66 cm that KHS looks nice. 36 spoke wheels

Add Parlee to your list of custom Carbon frame builders.

Lots of custom builders working in steel. Plus quite a few used steel bikes that are very TALL.

A few custom builders working with Titanium too.

Anyway, if the OP's friend likes the Émonda, then get the largest size available, and it should be good enough. The seat tube on the 64 has a bit less slope (along with steeper head tube). So, with the seat all the way forward, that could be an issue. Unless it is in the wrong place.

Or consider full custom for a 2nd to 3rd bike.

CliffordK

64cm Paramount Track Bike up in Portland?

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/...947834226.html

I am seeing a few 64cm bikes for sale locally on Craigslist. Not much taller at this time. But, if one hunts, bikes up to about 70cm (which may be too tall) are around.

There is a "facilitator" thread on Bike Forums that will help with shipping the "perfect bike find".
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ling-able.html

DrIsotope

Beyond any actual fit issues, there's a lot wrong with the bike in the pic. As mentioned, the cables/hoses are all way too short-- as if they put the riser on and didn't touch the cables/hoses. The seatmast appears to be above what I imagine is the max height line on the frame.

Everything points to the frame being too small. Guy should be on a 64 or a 66.

weiwentg

Just to be clear, this is not my bike. This is a discussion I was having with someone on a forum I can't mention by name (I may be too new to do so, any link I post to the discussion is censored). I'm following up with this guy. If the handlebar position is where he wants it to be in the pic, then merely going to a 64cm Emonda may not do the trick. It would gain him 20mm of stack height. There appear to be 35mm of spacers under the head tube extension. That extension itself looks like at least 40mm total stack height. So, he'd go from 75mm total spacers to 55mm on the 64cm Emonda. I believe the Emonda is a road racing bike, so this is partly an indication that this guy may be on the wrong type of bike entirely.

DrIsotope

That's way more than 75mm of spacers-- the headset cap + spacers + riser looks to be about the same length as the 120mm stem.

Possibly unpopular opinion: this doesn't surprise me that it came out of a Trek store. In my experience, they will do almost anything to put a buyer on a new bike.

sumgy

Until you stripped that bike back to stock, and started again, it is very hard to say. The raised extension, plus the slammed forward saddle, means that the effective top tube is basically shortened.
Whoever did that fit should hang their heads. There is just so much wrong with it.

noOriginalNames

Based purely on my own experiences as a taller rider (6'4") and buying a bike that was too small, then buying a bike that was the right size, and then working with a fitter I would think the 64cm Emonda would be a better fit. An additional 20 mm of stack height paired with a higher rise stem (12 deg?) flipped up (uncool I know, but it gets some extra height) probably gets another 20 mm it might be pretty close to fitting. Unfortunately finding a good bike fitter is tough for many people. It seems like lots of them just want to sell bikes or parts instead of help the rider achieve a better position for riding.

I sympathize with the owner of that bike, being my height was tough, being any taller would be REALLY tough, and unless you're super well informed and knowledgeable you're stuck putting your trust in someone else, and they may not have your best interests at heart.

weiwentg

A follow up: the bike's owner said that he had removed that headtube extension completely and is in a position with more drop. He does have an up-angled stem. He has ridden 20+ miles on the bike. I'm still skeptical, but that is what he said.