Tall rider looking for help choosing 1st E-bike

[loginhater]

Hi, wondering if any one has any recommendations for a tall rider looking to purchase his first e-bike. I know there are a few manufacturers out there with good size ranges, but there are many that offer only one or two size options. Or they offer a size L bike but then use the 170 mm cranks that they use on their smaller models.

I am 6' 3"-- not overly tall -- but I ride a 62 cm road bike and still show a lot of post because of my long legs.

Basically looking to commute (18 miles round trip) across a mix of bike paths and streets, and just have fun on the weekends. Riding position maybe a cross between forward and upright? Route is very flat so hills are not an issue. Would even consider a single speed (or a 3-speed). Budget is mid-range, but less is better. Suspension fork is not required.

I read the The Best Electric Bikes for Large People article, which had some really nice recommendations, but it really seemed to focus on cruiser-type and high-budget bikes.

Rode the Trek XM700+ and it was great. Biggest size is a 60, so a little on the small size. Juiced CrossCurrent is on my list because it is an XL. CrossCurrent AIR seems great with the rigid fork but it only goes up to size L.

Anything else I should add to my list? Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnT]

Sorry I didn't read the article, but there are plenty of Pedegos that will fit someone 6'3". Some might need a longer seatpost and maybe a handlebar riser, but those are easy to add. I'm sure the same is true for other brands.

Our tallest bike is the Pedego City Commuter Classic with 28" tires. Off the top of my head, I can think of one 6'4" customer who rides it stock. I've put customers about 6'3" on the Pedego Interceptor Classic, but a longer seatpost was needed. The stock bar height was okay, so we didn't use a riser.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Hi, wondering if any one has any recommendations for a tall rider looking to purchase his first e-bike. I know there are a few manufacturers out there with good size ranges, but there are many that offer only one or two size options. Or they offer a size L bike but then use the 170 mm cranks that they use on their smaller models.

I am 6' 3"-- not overly tall -- but I ride a 62 cm road bike and still show a lot of post because of my long legs.

Basically looking to commute (18 miles round trip) across a mix of bike paths and streets, and just have fun on the weekends. Riding position maybe a cross between forward and upright? Route is very flat so hills are not an issue. Would even consider a single speed (or a 3-speed). Budget is mid-range, but less is better. Suspension fork is not required.

I read the The Best Electric Bikes for Large People article, which had some really nice recommendations, but it really seemed to focus on cruiser-type and high-budget bikes.

Rode the Trek XM700+ and it was great. Biggest size is a 60, so a little on the small size. Juiced CrossCurrent is on my list because it is an XL. CrossCurrent AIR seems great with the rigid fork but it only goes up to size L.

Anything else I should add to my list? Thanks in advance.

I am 6ft and ride a 52cm Haibike Trekking S Rx.

Based on the experience of helping few people pick the right bike and
I would suggest you to look into following bikes:

Haibike Sduro Trekking SL - 60cm (it's good for upto 6ft 7")

Haibike Xduro Cross RC - 60cm
This one has very good specs.

BH Easy Motion EVO 29er - large frame

 

[mrgold35]

I'm 6'3", 34 inseam, +270lbs, long arms (38/39 length in dress shirts). I have two (his & her) Radrovers since Sept/2016 I use both about 80% for work commuting around 45-75 miles per week. I ride more than my wife and switch off bikes to keep mileage and wear/tear about the same (1500 miles between both bikes). The Radrover+shipping+accessories+light+rack+any upgrades was under $2000 for a very comfortable daily commuter bike. I like to trail ride on the weekend or after work and the fat tires can handle both paved road commuting and down to deep sandy trail duties with ease.

I find the Radrover a very comfortable bike for rough trail riding and long distance commuting. I've gone as far as 36 miles on a single charge at PAS 3 averaging around 12-14 mph on level ground. This is a Class II bike with 0-5 PAS and throttle. The throttle provide full 750w of power in any PAS level; which, is a very nice feature to tackle small inclines or moving across an intersection in a hurry.

My mods for extra comfort:
- 350mm (wife) and 400mm (me) Suntour SP-12 NCX suspension seatpost, $90, eBay
- Sunlite 11.5X12.5 Cloud-9 cruiser seat, $29, Amazon
- Sunlite 0-60 degree 95mm adjustable stem, $32, Amazon

The 350mm suspension seat post does also work for me. I'm at the max height limit for the 350mm seat post and the extra thick Sunlite Cloud-9 seat does give some additional height. The seatpost might be too short if I had a thinner seat. I later updated to 350mm Bodyfloat, $249, orange springs, for me; but, the Bodyfloat is touch shorter overall compared to the 350mm Suntour.

Sunlite Stem:


My Radrover during Grand Canyon trip Nov/16:

 

[Keith_W]

Pardon the n00b question, but what does the "60cm" refer to? Is that the measurement from the bottom of the seatpost to the bottom bracket?

 

[J.R.]

Pardon the n00b question, but what does the "60cm" refer to? Is that the measurement from the bottom of the seatpost to the bottom bracket?

That would be the seat-tube, as in H1 below.



BTW that is the frame of the BH Easy Motion Evo 29'er mentioned above. BH offers better than most frame geometry information online. I've owned the 29'er for about 1-1/2 years, and I'm 6'2", 190 lb. It's a tall bike with a long wheel base, not unlike an extra large road bike. I added a few comfort components like a BodyFloat. I love the bike, fits my size better than most bikes I've owned.

 

[loginhater]

Thanks for the recommendations Ravi.

How is the Easy Motion Evo Cross vs, the 29er? I am wondering if maybe the Cross is a little better for road riding?

I am 6ft and ride a 52cm Haibike Trekking S Rx.

Based on the experience of helping few people pick the right bike and
I would suggest you to look into following bikes:

Haibike Sduro Trekking SL - 60cm (it's good for upto 6ft 7")

Haibike Xduro Cross RC - 60cm
This one has very good specs.

BH Easy Motion EVO 29er - large frame

 

[loginhater]

Really surprised about the lack of geometry information on many manufacturer websites.

I contacted 4 manufacturers through their web contact forms to get geometry information, and only 1 replied. The one that did reply had their info on the web site, but I didn't see it right away.

That would be the seat-tube, as in H1 below.

View attachment 15670

BTW that is the frame of the BH Easy Motion Evo 29'er mentioned above. BH offers better than most frame geometry information online. I've owned the 29'er for about 1-1/2 years, and I'm 6'2", 190 lb. It's a tall bike with a long wheel base, not unlike an extra large road bike. I added a few comfort components like a BodyFloat. I love the bike, fits my size better than most bikes I've owned.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Thanks for the recommendations Ravi.

How is the Easy Motion Evo Cross vs, the 29er? I am wondering if maybe the Cross is a little better for road riding?

Cross and 29er are similar but 29er is lot more versatile and has better componentry (better shocks, drive train and MTB rims). You could always run street tires on them and make it a nice commuter.
Also, the Large frame of 29er is slightly bigger than the cross. and I think for your size, large- 29er would be a more apt.

What bikes have you tried so far?

 

[loginhater]

I rode the Trek XM700+, the Raleigh Misceo iE with the Alfine hub, and the Raleigh Detour IE. I liked them in that order, although none of them were an XL frame. Hoping to ride a Juiced Cross Current next week.

Cross and 29er are similar but 29er is lot more versatile and has better componentry (better shocks, drive train and MTB rims). You could always run street tires on them and make it a nice commuter.
Also, the Large frame of 29er is slightly bigger than the cross. and I think for your size, large- 29er would be a more apt.

What bikes have you tried so far?