grnmasi

Interested in hearing any personal experiences of the 2019 vs 2020 Tallboy, as I am considering purchasing one of the 2019 at the current discount prices. A little background - over the last few years (2018-2019), I was thinking about buying an XL 5010 as an all-around mtn bike, I am 6'1" or so. When I demoed it, I always liked the feel of that bike and thought it would suit me well. I never needed anything more aggressive because, at my age, late 50's early 60's, it takes too long to heal from injuries. Also, I like the feeling of climbing and riding fast and quick trails. In late 2018, I demoed a Tallboy and re-calibrated my requirements and really thought that bike in its 29" wheel configuration was plenty aggressive for me and actually felt much more akin to what I needed. It also felt pretty plush for me. But due to an injury unrelated to biking, I ended up not buying anything and that time.

Fast forward to now. Recently, I have been informed that I have bad cervical stenosis and I need to take it easy - as a matter of fact my doctor recommended I don't mtn bike. But, I still want to ride fast and off-road (I am also a road rider who needs to adjust my geometry due to the diagnosis). I won't be jumping off any cliffs, so I definitely want to stick more to trail and x-country riding. The newer 2020 Tallboy has more of a relaxed geometry and a bit more plushness, but I am thinking that for my limitations, I am still better off with the older 2019 version of the Tallboy.

I would appreciate any recommendations or thoughts about my needs and how the two versions of the bike may compare in that respect.

Thanks,
Nick

Kapusta

What do you mean when you say that the 2020 has a more “relaxed” geometry?

If it just means a slacker head angle, I don’t think that is going to make any difference for you.

You need to be more specific about what your diagnosis means for the fit you are looking for. More upright? Less weight on your hands?

grnmasi

Good point Kapusta,

Yes, the 2020 model has a slacker head angle - I inadvertently used the "relaxed" term. In the XL size and "Low" setting, the newer model has a 3° steeper seat tube, 13 mm longer reach, and 22 mm higher stack. If I compare the effective top tube lengths, the newer model is actually 6 mm shorter. It seems that while the overall newer geometry would appear to put the rider more forward on the frame, it barely changes the amount of extension of the rider's body. It does seem to give almost an inch of higher stack, which from my perspective pust the rider in a more upright position.

While the more upright position is better for me - less bending of the spine and more neutral position of the neck for viewing the trail ahead - I am thinking the difference would be minimal for me. Ideally, I should really get on both versions of the bike and adjust the seat to my preferred height and see how it feels. But it is impossible for me to find the bikes at local retailers to do such a comparison. Hence, I am looking for feedback from others who might have tried both.