How Tall is too small?

[red_dog]

I was looking at a picture of Steve Peat on his V10, and it got me wondering,
that proportionately, he looks to be the ideal height.
Now we all know that in most cases bike manufacturers make their frames in more than one size.
But when are you considered to be too short for the average 'small' sized bike?
The change in size really only reflects the heights of the seat tube and to some degree down tube.
The bike doesnt actually get closer to the ground, you would end up losing clearance if it did, your pedals would touch the ground..

I'll use Robbie Bourdon as an example -
Most people have seen him ride in the NWD vids, and his stance looks so awkward. His legs dont even clear the top tube!
Do you get a point where you say, geez I'm soo short, I have to run 24"s front and rear for DH....

Some short people just get on with it, even if their bike may be too big, but surely being around the 6' tall mark is an advantage with the average size frame.
So how does the short person counteract this

[christopher riding]

I'm a fraction under 6 feet tall but I have a large bike. Medium frames just feel too small for me as I have pretty long ape like arms. The large is supposidly too big for me but to me it feels just right.
I can hardly stand over the top tube but again a medium just feels too small. If it feels right , ride it I say. :D

[T-Bone]

The large is supposidly too big for me but to me it feels just right.

Thats it. A bike should feel right to the rider. Not "supposed" to be a certain size. Each rider has different proportions and style.

Besides, anyone would normally adapt to a certain ride soon enough.

[Grip]

Unlike a road bike that has the rider in a constant position, pushing a constant cadance and looking for the absolute maximum and most efficient delivery of power through the pedals while IN that constant position, the size of DH frames is not so important compared to rider comfort and manoeuvrability.

[cooper_sgs]

Unlike a road bike that has the rider in a constant position, pushing a constant cadance and looking for the absolute maximum and most efficient delivery of power through the pedals while IN that constant position, the size of DH frames is not so important compared to rider comfort and manoeuvrability.

was waiting for that 1 to come up. All that matters is that you feel confident and comfortable on you're ride. Plus you can allways chuck in or remove some spacers.

[Big_Al]

Check out the size of rennie in some shots
He is a big fella

[I-AM-TEH-FASTEST-11]

peaty is a big boy.. bigger than rennie for sure.
but it makes no difference. Millsy is about 3 foot tall and looks 12 years old, but handles a bike better than anyone.
Size is totally irrelvant

[Binaural]

Size is totally irrelvant

Keep telling yourself that ;)

I'm taller than Rennie and Peaty but I would say at some point it becomes more of a handicap than an advantages. Not many tall guys have a particularly built upper body, which you need to throw around a DH bike at the top level, and the taller you get the more likely you are to be a bit weedy. I'm reasonably well built for my height but I am still much better at basketball than I am at DH.

[Binaural]

I'll use Robbie Bourdon as an example -
Most people have seen him ride in the NWD vids, and his stance looks so awkward. His legs dont even clear the top tube!
Do you get a point where you say, geez I'm soo short, I have to run 24"s front and rear for DH....

I always thought that guy looks like a performing monkey on a bike :D I recall he used to ride a 6" bike off the same cliffs as the 8" crew. Being able to get away with less travel and better pedalling efficiency might be an advantage for shorties.

[I-AM-TEH-FASTEST-11]

how about kirkaldie? (sp?) he is a giant..

meh, I don't believe in all this body type crap. I have to hear it from heaps of people every day who think they are different or special.

they are all wrong


but meh it's easy for me to say.. since I'm perfect

haha

[fleshbone]

to me,height don't matter,so-long as you can use the bike weather it's a large frame and your 5ft or it's a small from and your 7ft.a few guys i ride with get flamed because they are short compared to us and have a bigger frame then some.i just say,so-long as you can use it and feel happy with it everyone should just back the fark off.

[Binaural]

how about kirkaldie? (sp?) he is a giant..

Yeah, he's about 6"2 and I am about 6"5.

meh, I don't believe in all this body type crap. I have to hear it from heaps of people every day who think they are different or special.

Body type matters a LOT for practically every sport, MTB is no different. But it's a question of working out what body features are most important. Height is paramount in basketball because giving up a couple of inches to someone you are guarding makes it much harder to block their shot, shoot over them or rebound against. But within a normal range of rider heights being taller gives you no special advantages. You can't jump higher, rail faster due any specific feature of having longer legs and arms (maybe bunnyhopping). I would go so far as to say you are at a slight disavantage on fast courses due to aerodynamics alone, and your centre of gravity will always be higher. Rennie and Peaty are good riders because they have lots of upper body strength and fast legs, enough to overcome their disadvantages.

All in all, I'd say being taller is more dis than advantage.

[spam]

i'm guessing peats using a small frame mainly because he is coming from orange were his bikes were tiny therefor he feels mores comfortable on the small, personally i feel the need for small, feels easier to pedal, stabler, easier to throw around and gives a better stand over height, i dont see why it matters though whatever people feel comfy with......

[Stone67]

Its not the size but the way that you use it, universal rule:D

[Ivan]

i'm guessing peats using a small frame mainly because he is coming from orange were his bikes were tiny therefor he feels mores comfortable on the small, personally i feel the need for small, feels easier to pedal, stabler, easier to throw around and gives a better stand over height, i dont see why it matters though whatever people feel comfy with......

Eh? I thought Peaty's orange was a custom size (HUGE!)

[red_dog]

Height is paramount in basketball because giving up a couple of inches to someone you are guarding makes it much harder to block their shot, shoot over them or rebound against.

Off Topic but....
Most people who play the 4 or 5 spot may think like that.
But there are many people who are under 6' who have made the big time.
Like you said, height has its dissadvantages in B'Ball too, the smaller guy can blow by most bigger guys

[Squidly Didly]

Eh? I thought Peaty's orange was a custom size (HUGE!)
You're right. Peaty's Orange was larger then the largest stock model they make today. I'm 6'3 and couldn't ride the larger size, but have since gone back to the smaller frame and it's a hell of a lot easier for me.
Size doesn't matter in DH. It's all about technique. Lets remember Nico on the podium now eh ... the dude in 2nd was always taller!

[floody]

Long arms and long legs are advantageous in DH, in my opinion. They allow you to better absorb impacts, maintain more control while the bike is moving around, and allow greater possibilities in weight positioning.

You don't see many Wade Bootes build guys at the top end downhill racing, its predominantly tall and/or lanky guys. Smaller guys tend to trade on pedalling power, fitness and picking smoother lines to maintain the same pace.

[Gravjunkie]

Its not the size but the way that you use it, universal rule:D

I always thought the universal rule was, "It's not the size that counts, it's the pile drivin' arse behind it." Obviously pertaining to downhilling. ;)

[mtbmamma]

But when are you considered to be too short for the average 'small' sized bike?
The change in size really only reflects the heights of the seat tube and to some degree down tube.
The bike doesnt actually get closer to the ground, you would end up losing clearance if it did, your pedals would touch the ground..
So how does the short person counteract this

I am just 5'5" and I ride a petite size bike. Even the small felt just toooooo big, the only problem I now have is that my hands are so small I am having trouble getting the levers in close enough for me to feel comfortable. The bottom bracket is at the same height on the petite size of my bike as on the x large size. It is shorter, has a bent top tube and seems to be scaled down by degrees in most sections. It works beautifully.

I love the size of my bike and it has a great stand over for me so I feel that I have relatively good control especially for someone who is pretty new to mountain biking. Though my son, who at 14 is 6' and has so much upper body strength its amazing, seems to manage most things with ease. It could be starting early in life too that helps with style and technique, as it just seems to be second nature for a lot of the guys who ride and race and are very good. All seem to have started before they were 5 or 6. Just a theory. :)