RenaissanceGian

Looking for advice on any larger bikes that might fit me - any help is appreciated.
I'm currently on a Cannondale Adventure 400 - Jumbo Frame. Replaced the handlebar riser and the seat post with extended versions.
It works... but isn't super comfortable. On hills I still find myself shifting my weight to the very back of the seat to try to extend my legs a little more...

I'm 6'10", 36" inseam, and ~300 pounds. I like the basic hybrid design of the Adventure 400, and it was recommended to me as a strong/durable bike for my size and weight.

Located in Redmond, WA (near Seattle)

For riding, I'm mostly:

• Back and forth to work (~7 miles one way) over sidewalks, roads, and occasionally a dirt trail. A few hundred feet of elevation change along the way.
• Pleasure rides with a couple steep hills - combination of road and dirt/small gravel path.
• I'd like to extend into longer rides mostly on road.
• very little interest in mountain biking. Me and gravity have a "you stay in your place, and I'll stay in mine" relationship - I don't take very many chances on falling.

I'm having trouble finding size specs on either my existing bike or summaries of new bikes.
Local bike shop sent me to trekbikes.com to check out sizes, and there certainly wasn't any easy way I could find to answer the question of "show me your biggest hybrid." So many models and so many numbers to print out and compare by hand.

The biggest help I've had so far is from a gym trainer working on my legs - we seem to have cured my knee pain that took me off the bike before I met the trainer. Combination of strength training and stretching - particularly the IT band.

Thanks for any help.

Notgrownup

Get you a 62cm Secteur and get some HD wheels. Surly also makes a big'on....I think KHS Aldo makes a Bid'on.

BugDude

It just dawned on me. I'm not over-weight, I'm under-tall.

Given your height I'm sure it is very difficult to find a properly fit bike. You may need to find a bike shop that specializes in proper fit to help you figure out options for seat position, crank dimensions, etc.

TrojanHorse

62cm will be small for you!

I believe KHS makes bikes for super tall folk (the 747 model in XXXL has a 63.5cm effective top tube, which *might* work for you) and Lennard Zinn as well. Gunnar might be another brand to look into.

You are so far out on the end of the bell curve that any solution will be difficult to find and probably expensive. Depending on your stamina for such activities, you should probably look at ebay and various other used sites. Your chief disadvantage might work out to be a plus - not many people in the market for a bike that big, which means a seller won't have much of a market either.

bassjones

Honestly, you're going to need a custom frame to REALLY fit. Zinn cycles may have some "semi-custom" options. If you have to go that route, I wouldn't do a flat bar hybrid setup though, but a touring type setup with drop bars and capable of wide touring tires. You're really not going to find a good off the rack solution. Maybe a Surly LHT build on a 64cm frame, but even that is going to be on the small side and require some serious manipulation with stem and post, bars, steering tube length, etc...

bassjones

Zinn Cycles :: Big Apple XXL, XXXL, or 4XL road, commuter, touring bicycle | Zinn Cycles website

bassjones

Cheaper option - the 3XL might be good to go with a basic fit. KHS Flite 747 tall road bike designed by Lennard Zinn

alfonsejr

This, and as said earlier, check out the Zinn-designed KHS Flite 747 XXXL. Very similar geometry to Big Apple and good (105) components, and much less expensive. You could put a flat bar on it if that's what you want.

edit: oops, bassjones added same thing while I was posting...

jeff556

Volagi has a bike that might work. The steel framed Viaje goes up to a 63cm size. Might be worth looking at.

Viaje / Flatbar / Shimano XT | Volagi Cycles

CliffordK

There are some tall road bikes that hit Craigslist periodically.

These are all here locally in Eugene.
Tall Bike Custom Built for 6'7" rider, 10 speed Ultegra
Extra Tall Bike-Completely rebuilt for riders 6' 3" to 6' 10"- 10 Spee
XL Tall Bike Custom Built 10 Speed Ultegra
Cannondale XL 66cm Frame with Shimano 600-8 speed- Ultegra 6400

Another thing to look at might be a 36" wheel based bike.
DirtySixer: The only big 36er bike | DirtySixer is the only bicycle endorsed by the NBRPA (National Basketball Retired Player Association).

RenaissanceGian

Thank you! Wow, I'm drooling at the options. And cringing at the prospect of $1500 and up... I'm trying to remind myself that you shouldn't put a price on getting healthier in a rational way. I'll start working through these. The dirtysixer look amazing.

@BugDude's "I'm not overweight, I'm under-tall" reminds me of an off-topic and slightly off-color joke. I haven't been here long enough to know whether to inflict it on ya'll.

Notgrownup

I was wY off on the 62cm but I will tell you that it will be money well spent to buy a bike that fits you right...I just did...
Look on eBay, also you might get lucky.

CyclingAbout

A Surly ECR has one of the biggest stack/reach measurements of stock bikes:
CyclingAbout.com ? List of XXL Touring Bikes for Tall Cyclists: 62cm, 63cm, 64cm

Here is a list of road bikes for tall folk:
CyclingAbout.com ? List of XXL XXXL Bikes for Tall Cyclists: 62, 63, 64cm+

BugDude

You can PM it to me...I dig jokes and am not offended by them being off color.

CliffordK

On the "vintage" market, often the monster bikes move slowly. Hopefully not too many are bought and stripped for their parts. Those bikes that had showed up in Eugene appeared to be somewhat modern or modernized which adds to the cost. It appears as if 1 or 2 sellers are dumping those on the market.

This search seems to snag quite a few of the tall bikes. Throw it into Craigslist or Searchtempest.

"66 cm" | "66cm" | "67 cm" | "67cm" | "68 cm" | "68cm" | "69 cm" | "69cm" | "70 cm" | "70cm" | "71 cm" | "71cm" | "72 cm" | "72cm"


It looks like there are a few tall bikes in the Seattle area in the $140 to $300 range.
seattle bicycles ""66 cm" | "66cm" | "67 cm" | "67cm" | "68 cm" | "68cm" | "69 cm" | "69cm" | "70 cm" | "70cm" | "71 cm" | "71cm" | "72 cm" | "72cm"" - craigslist

For one of those, it appears as if the right side is $140 and the left side is $165. Hmmm, maybe, different tires, pedals, and reflectors, but they look very similar.
Vintage Raleigh Record Ace Road Bike
Vintage Raleigh Record Ace Road Bike

Oddly, it seems as if most of the "tall" bikes are road bikes.

I think even Walmart sells a 32" wheel bike, and the 36" is available elsewhere, but those are designed for more ordinary people, so the dimensions would be off for you.

digibud

Listen, a great bike in a good size for you will be a dream thing for years to come. If you have a decent job and some money in the bank and can afford it but "just don't want to spend that much" then bite the bullet and spend it. A great bike will encourage you to remain fit for years and years and add years to your life. If you have to ride on dirt be sure to check what size tires the Zinn bikes can take. If they can take a big enough tire for your needs they should be high on your potential list. They are really well designed by someone with years and years of experience.

H.S.Clydesdale

I have the smaller of the two 747s. I am 6'7" with a 36" inseem. I actually think the frame may be too large for me. Definetly should fit you well. Dont think you have to go for a super big frame. The 200mm cranks are the critical thing. A tall frame with 175 cranks is just ridiculous. And when the cranks are longer, the seat tube and reach can also be shorter.

Thattalldude

Totally agree with H.S. Clydesdale; long cranks is the way to go for tall riders. 300lbs is no problem as long as it has strong wheels (36 spoke count), and your not beating the crap out of it.

I am going that route and I'm only 6'5" with a 35" bicycle inseam. Been riding the biggest size they put on production bikes, 175mm, for the last ten years. I put 180s on a few months ago and like them a lot; gunna get 185s or 190s very soon. I test rode the 747 with 200s but it was a little much for me (have an old knee injury that didn't like them) but should be great for you.

Unless you go with custom length cranks (like on the khs 747 xxl & xxxl) your bike will have the same crank length a bike for a person that's 6 ft tall...

The 747 is a custom designed just for tall people; basically everything else you'll find (except for Zinn bikes or those 36ers) are just goofy extensions of bikes designed for regularly sized people.

If you can, find a shop that stocks khs 747s so you can test ride the 200mm cranks and compare it to anything else that "fits" you; it should be worlds better.

The only thing is some big guys like yourself need to upgrade to forged gears upfront due to flexing problems with those long cranks, but praxis makes them I believe for under $200.

The 747 does not like gravel or unpaved roads, unless they are hard packed... You might be able to go with a 64cm sized 29er (surly's 64cm frames are giant) and get 200mm long cranks if the bike needs to do unpaved/gravel & probably for around $1000-1500. You'd wanna get a frame designed for off-road so it has a high bottom-bracket so those long cranks won't strike the ground when pedaling through corners...

I'd say test ride a bike with long cranks (200s) and make sure they don't aggravate that knee pain. It would suck if a bike "made for you" bothers your knees...

If just wanna get out on the road there first, look on Craigslist; you'll find a 66cm 1980s 12 speed street bike no problem for like $300 no problem and should be able to fit 1 3/8" "city tires" that should work well enough on unpaved roads. Then when you get hooked (you will) you can go shopping for a good bike really made for you...

CliffordK

180 cranks are available as production models, and show up on e-bay

Longer cranks are much more expensive.

Thattalldude

Yep, 180s with chainrings are easy to get online and under $200

ird does 180s, 200s, and 220mm crank arms for ~ $150; the rest start at ~ $400

Ronno6

If you don't mind going retro, search for a 27" frame Cannondale ST series from 1986-1992 or so.
They are not only huge, but very stiff and lively.
And, if you are lucky, you can find them with up to 135mm rear spacing, so drivetrain possibilities are wide open.
I was 6'6" in my heyday (and up to 270# when I got lazy.) I still ride 63cm Cannondale SR series race frames,
and have an ST400 in 27" set up with skinny tires and race bike gearing.
At your weight, you may want to ride wider tiers, 28-32c or so, and the ST frame will handle those no problem.
That has been my solution for years FWIW.