I’m 6′3 and pretty long arms and legs. Several people told me to get the XL but is this too big? I test rode an xl enduro specialized 07 bike and it feels about right. I think I may tower over the large. I ride up the mountains and then downhill the switchbacks, roots, clifff trails, etc… Is the Large a better bikek for the trails because of the tighter wheel base and lower center of gravity or the the XL a better fit and thus more important?
Also, what body chest armour and full face carbon helmet is good? Something that is not too hot for the carbon full face helmet and chest armor.
I am 5′-11" and am usually comfortable on large mountain bike frames. That said, I’ve ridden a few comfortable mediums. Personally, I like to feel as if I am within the bike moreso than on top of it. (If that makes any sense.)
I wouldn’t worry about the performance of a large vs XL based on frame geometry and proportions. The differences in performance are going to be pretty minimal. The most important thing is that you are comfortable riding the bike. From personal experience, I can tell you there is nothing worse than a poorly fit bike.
The best advice is to ride both a large and an XL and see which feels better given the kind of riding you want to do. By riding, I don’t mean taking a 10 minute spin around the bike shop’s parking lot. Take a good long ride on each and see what works best on the trails you ride.
Hope this helps.
http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/bullit/
This is our standard “RealSurvival Kit” packed in a different container and bag and set up for mounting on ATV’s, Mountain Bikes, and Jeeps. We also added couple features, 32 oz Nalgene Bottle and 12oz stainless steel cup. Soon available at our online store.
Wendy from Race Face shows us some highlights of their 2011 collection including jerseys, shorts, gloves, armor and a super cool messenger bag made out of recycled car seat belts!
If you ever had any doubt as to if you could do the ICEMAN, watch this video and see for yourself. This shows a little of everything from the 2008 Iceman Cometh mountain bike race here in Traverse City, MI. The music was produced by “JTZ” you can hear more of him by clicking his MySpace link through the music page on mashersmedia.com.