29er Frame Size

[SlickSticker]

Im a little larger than the average dude, 1.94m tall and 94kg's.

The kind of cycling I enjoy is long distance touring, cycling to durban from jo'burg and so on.

Trouble is I had to fit my Merida MATTS TFS 700D (XL frame, 26" rims) with all kinds of silly stuff to stop my neck snapping in half and my wrists from hurting like hell. (some pics included)

Trouble with this is:

- It makes the bike feel unstable when going over 60kmph, wobble of death

- Because I had to fit a massive bolt on the headset I had to move the spider slightly down but now I cant revert back if I want to go do some rock bashing

- I wouldnt chance doing rock bashing with the headset the way it is, I hate the dentist...

 

ANYAWAY, the question is, are XL 29" bikes frames bigger than lets say that of a 26'er?

I have heard this but I need to know for sure before looking for a new bike.

 

Thaaaank you guys in advance.

[Greg29]

I moved from an XL Yeti 575 to a XL Scott Spark '29, the frame is much bigger.

[Raydek]

Dunno if it helps, but I'm very close to your height/weight and ride a L 29er which is very comfortable for me.

[BigToe]

If you are not racing, go for an XL 29er. I had an XL Gary Fisher 26 and jumped onto a XL Spark and instead of sitting 'on' the 26, I now sit 'in' the Spark…

[Greg29]

That's a good way of putting it.

[SlickSticker]

I appreciate all the info guys!

Keep 'em coming.

[The MTBer]

I am 1.9m and I am riding a XL29. The XL bike is very big and will thake some time to get used to, like throwing it into the corners and doing some tricks, you have a lot of space in the cockpit. It is like riding in a S-class Merc, you cannot roll down the passanger window while riding (lets leave al the fancy things out like electronics), while sitting in a Aygo and you can almost open the passanger window with both hands on the streering wheel.

[lerouc]

Im 1.85 and between L and XL but I opted for the Large and couldnt be happier. I came from a large 26" as well (but never felt comfortable on the large). A friend of mine is 2.01 and he rides an XXL frame as all the XL he tried didn't fit him.

[lerouc]

Also different makes is different sizes so check them out.

[JXV]

Some manufacturers have sizing charts on their websites so you can get a rough idea which frames you should go looking for

[Albatross]

Go for a bike fitment  (eg. Ergofit) at a LBS that stocks the bike you are keen on, they can do a scientific assessment of the correct frame size for you. Nothing worse than having a bike setup done AFTER you have bought a bike and be told you should have gone for the bigger frame size!

[HOEKVLAG]

One of my riding buddies is 1.93m and he was never comfortable on his 26" bike. He switched to a 29'er about a year ago and is as happy as a pig in mud.

[Bizkit031]

Have a look at BMC bikes they have a long top tube,short chain stays and a short stem similar to Mondraker,they handle like crazy and are comfortable.

[Musketeer]

Also different makes is different sizes so check them out.

 

I agree. Maybe you should go to your LBS and try a few, maybe go for a fit if you can.

 

I'm 1.86 and I moved from a L 26" Scott to a XL 29" Giant. We measured a friend's Titan against the Giant at a race the other day and the Titan (Marked a L) was actually almost the same size as the Giant.

[scotty]

Different frames have different specs, same height as you and i have a XL Silverback 29 and a M/L 29 Fuji, The Fuji feels bigger. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

The short answer is - no. A 29er of the same geometry is no bigger or smaller than a 26er with the same geometry. 

 

Different bikes have different measurements - you can't compare an XL Yeti 575 to an XL Scott Spark, as they are 2 very different bikes, with different focuses and different geometries. 

 

The things that you need to look at are - Top tube Length & Reach (related) as well as Seat Tube length. 29ers do not have longer top tubes than 26ers just because they're 29ers. Some niners have shorter top tubes than some 26ers, and some 26ers have shorter top tubes than some 29ers. It's all in the design of the bike. 

 

That Merida that you have there is actually a smallish bike for an XL. I'd recommend looking at all manufacturers AFTER you've determined what your ideal reach / top tube length is (with a reasonable stem length - 60 - 80mm) and then decide where to go from there. Buy the bike that fits YOU, and don't think about wheel size. It may well be that the best fit for you is a sixer, or a 650b'er. You never know. 

 

BTW - the feeling of going OTB on the tech stuff is directly linked to the length of that stem on there, which is also linked to the bars being too narrow, and the top tube being too short. 

 

Simply put - the bike is too small for you in more than one way, and you're trying to compensate by putting a longer stem on there, which lends itself to the jitteriiness that you're feeling when things get fast, and results in those speed wobbles you're getting. 

 

First step - find out your ideal reach (independent of stem length)

Step 2 - get a stem ranging between 60 & 80mm

Step 3 - get a WIDE bar. You're a big boy, and the wide bar will give you more control, open up your chest (lungs) and also bring you a bit further forward

Step 4 - find a frame that will fit you without resorting to getting a stem longer than the flagpole outside the Whitehouse. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT WHEELSIZE. That is separate to the numbers you need to be looking at. 

Step 5 - buy the bike. 

 

All those saying that their niners fit them better than their sixers ever did, or you feel more "in" the bike than on it are missing the point completely - it wasn't the wheelsize that meant your bike was wrong - you just plain had the wrong size bike for your needs. That's all.