Ebike for very tall rider. Orbea Wild?

[_Tom_]

Grrrr....my bullit order was cancelled, because Santa Cruz cancelled the jan-feb. shippment for the whole EU.....

 

[Loamranger]

Sorry to hear. May not be the only bike company cancelling orders. I read that Canyon have cancelled orders to the U.K. atm. There’s a World shortage of parts is my understanding. Anybody else know more?

 

[Will337]

Hi all, Really great forum ! My situation : 6ft 7" (200cm) tall and 95kg wet. Old skool rider been out the scene for 20 years looking to get back in with an E-MTB. Rides will be up and down trails (20km+), some flat stuff with the occasional bike park thrown in for good measure.

I've previously borrowed a 2018 Haibike Sduro full seven in XL 27er (Reach 453mm, Stack 612mm), it seemed 'okay' but never tested on anything challenging TBH. Looking to get something a tad better, I've done some research and narrowed it down to a couple of choices (these are based on price, availability, componentry and aesthetics - (debatable ?)) :

Haibike AllMTN 7.0 2021 XL - £5600
Good points : Available now. Seems like a mega spec bike for the money. XT spec, Fox 38 Factory and DPX2. Full Carbon frame.
Negatives : Appears smaller in size on paper to the bikes below, but bigger than the 2018 sduro I've used.. Reach 485mm, Stack 615mm. Chain suck & battery cover issues?

Haibike AllMTTN 6.0 2021 XL - £5050
Good points : Available Early March. Again nice spec, 490mm Reach, 666mm Stack.
Negatives : Seems like you get a hell of a lot more for £600 by getting the Haibike 7.0, carbon, suspension etc?

Focus Sam 2 6.8 2021 XL - £4999
Good points : Can buy now in Stock. 510mm reach and 666mm Stack, Zeb fork, components okay.. could be better. Bosch motor good IMO.
Negatives : Non-Carbon Heavy.. XL must be at least 27kg? More downhill orientated or wont be an issue with the motor?

Commencal META POWER SX RIDE 27" 2021 XL- £4800 approx
Good points : 510 Reach, 623mm Stack, Zeb fork. I like the Shimano EP8 and colour LCD best looking IMO. Good looking bike.
Negatives : Estimated May delivery... In reality will probably be pushed back. e-thirteen crank issues.

Commencal META POWER 29 ESSENTIAL DIRT 2021 XL - £5300 approx
Similar to above but 29er bit more expensive though and reach is less at 500mm. Looks nice though! Expected June ?.

I am edging towards the Focus Sam2 6.8 it's just the weight thing I'm concerned with. Any input most welcomed!

Side note : @marekkuzian We are roughly the same size. Have you ordered a bike yet? I'm surprised the Mondraker was cramped for you as I heard they're good for tall people..

 

[Loamranger]

For your height imo minimum reach 520. This means S5 Kenevo or Nicolai. Nicolai go up to 550. Specialized S6 around 535 might happen later this year. 510 would work perhaps with a 40 or 50 stem. Santa Cruz Bullit would be another option but expensive.

 

[marekkuzian]

Hi all, Really great forum ! My situation : 6ft 7" (200cm) tall and 95kg wet. Old skool rider been out the scene for 20 years looking to get back in with an E-MTB. Rides will be up and down trails (20km+), some flat stuff with the occasional bike park thrown in for good measure.
.....
Commencal META POWER 29 ESSENTIAL DIRT 2021 XL - £5300 approx
Similar to above but 29er bit more expensive though and reach is less at 500mm. Looks nice though! Expected June ?.

I am edging towards the Focus Sam2 6.8 it's just the weight thing I'm concerned with. Any input most welcomed!

Side note : @marekkuzian We are roughly the same size. Have you ordered a bike yet? I'm surprised the Mondraker was cramped for you as I heard they're good for tall people..

I have not got a bike yet. Almost resigned myself to the thought that will need to settle for a 500-510 reach and to teh fact that I'll just have to get a bike without trying it out (hardly any shops around here have XL/XXL demos). Add Brexit and CV19 Wave 3 - u got no change to get hold of anything.

I do like the concept of the lighter EMTBs and was thinking of the Orbea Rise (R=500) but again, cant try how the reduced assist feels like so difficult to commit based on the youtube reviews.

Any other thoughts you have let me know.

I also do like the sound of S6 Specialized (but for now it's just a "hope" I guess)

 

[The Hodge]

Don't get hung up too much by the weight of the bike ( any bike ) its assisted so will ride lighter than you think ..problems only arise if you run out of charge ..

 

[Will337]

For your height imo minimum reach 520. This means S5 Kenevo or Nicolai. Nicolai go up to 550. Specialized S6 around 535 might happen later this year. 510 would work perhaps with a 40 or 50 stem. Santa Cruz Bullit would be another option but expensive.

Kenevo in an s6 perhaps, sounds like that could be some time though. Nicolai just look weird to me they do have that longer reach though, not sold on them. SantaCruz very nice but too much really, my limit is max £5k.

I have not got a bike yet. Almost resigned myself to the thought that will need to settle for a 500-510 reach and to teh fact that I'll just have to get a bike without trying it out (hardly any shops around here have XL/XXL demos). Add Brexit and CV19 Wave 3 - u got no change to get hold of anything.

I do like the concept of the lighter EMTBs and was thinking of the Orbea Rise (R=500) but again, cant try how the reduced assist feels like so difficult to commit based on the youtube reviews.

Any other thoughts you have let me know.

I also do like the sound of S6 Specialized (but for now it's just a "hope" I guess)

If I want something for this Spring/Summer it's looking like a 'settle for a 510 scenario'. Perhaps the Focus Sam2 6.8.. I ran a geometry compare and it looks okay size wise, I mean much bigger than the Haibike i used last year. Anything more expensive and better components wise would just be wasted on me. As @The Hodge mentioned, weight only really a problem if the battery runs out.

You're right it's a difficult climate right now compounded by XL / XXL requirements and global supply chains. Orbea looks cool, but as you mention how will you know without a test-ride.

 

[tomhollywood]

Great thread and nice to know i'm not the only tall person with bike buying problems!
I'm 6"6 but with long legs and find that stack is the most important to me.

However, i've been thinking lately that maybe I shouldn't worry as much about the efficiency of being able to properly get the full perfect leg position as on an ebike I will be assisted when needing to put the power down.

I own an Orange P7 in XL and the stack is 666 and is the most comfortable bike i've ridden. Barley any ebikes get near that stack though.

 

[Loamranger]

Numbers on the Marin ebikes look ok’ish?

 

[tomhollywood]

Marin come in with a stack of 640mm.

Turbo Levo - 647
Trek Rail - 636
Giant Trance X E - 631
Whyte E-150 - 657

As you can see, only one getting near my P7 is the Whyte.
Those are the bikes on my shortlist. Budget £4-5k ish when people have some stock in.

I can tweak and change various bits however to adjust the comfort. Higher rise bars etc.

 

[Loamranger]

Reach is the measurement you need to consider. A longer reach also enables a designer to steepen the seat tube, which puts the rider in a better position when seated climbing. Imo bike with good numbers in this respect are the Kenevo, Nicolai Eboxx , Marin Alpine E2, Santa Cruz Bullit. I can’t think of any others but there may be. The new Canyon Torque On has good reach but too slack seat tube imo.

 

[Loamranger]

Just thought of two more that have pretty good numbers: Commencal Power SX and Lapierre GLP2 Overvolt.

 

[Will337]

Just thought of two more that have pretty good numbers: Commencal Power SX and Lapierre GLP2 Overvolt.

I was looking at the Commencal SX and apparently there's a problem with the e-thirteen cranks falling off...don't want to risk an injury so that's a no go for me.
Lapierre GLP2 Overvolt / Overvolt am 8.6, their older e-bikes kept snapping so again I'm not going to risk them even if these are a new ground up design with improved testing? Geo looked promising though.
Focus Sam2 looks like a 95kg weight limit is a bit too close for me and there's a thread on the shock pivot mount wearing out, guess the FOLD system isn't so great? You know we're paying £5k plus on a mountain bike don't expect to be some BETA tester.. I want something that works right off the bat and lasts no BS. The usual e-mtb chain and cassette issues I accept, other stuff no.

I also watched yesterday the MBR e-bike group-test video review, it featured the Commencal Meta Power Essential 29er they gave it a 7/10 in the test.. which is fine but I'd rather get the 9/10 if price and size match up, so now looking at the Whyte e-160 or e-180 even the e-150 if anyone has thoughts on those bikes? Budget still around £5k.

 

[Loamranger]

Around here (FOD) the Whyte is a popular option. The Bosch motor is reliable and powerful. It’s in the heavyweight category though. Geometry for a taller rider is ok, I’ve ridden an XL but not as good as my Nicolai. If the stem on the Whyte is 35mm, one could consider a 50mm perhaps?

 

[Will337]

Good to know, yeah bit on the weightier side but the low centre of gravity should make up for that. Yes a 50mm stem could be a shout. If the e160 in a size L is 25kg (MBR article) i'll assume the XL e180 to be about 26KG and the 29er 150 XL in at around 24 . something kg. My conundrum is..Will I get away with the shorter travel 150 or just go for all round comfort of the 180.

How was the ride for you apart from the GEO? What's your height btw?
Nicolai is just too luxurious unfortunately ££££ visually at first I wasn't keen on them, but actually starting to see the appeal of them.

 

[Loamranger]

Whyte haven’t cut a whole in the downtube like most of the other Bosch designs which means they can loose a bit of weight and lower the c of g. It’s a bit more fiddling to remove the battery though.

I’m 6ft 3.5 ins. Nicolai are a quality constructed bike built in their own factory in Germany. Welds second to none. Adjustable. Plenty of reach choices like 520 and 535 in the longer sizes. Solid build. The down side is the weight which is around 25kg but you have plenty of power on hand from the new Bosch motor. It’s definitely a full fat kind of ebike along the lines of the Kenevo.

If you want a lighter bike then the Orbea Rise with a reach of 500 and use a 50 mm stem, is worth considering.

Possibly something from Specialized soon?

 

[The Hodge]

Good to know, yeah bit on the weightier side but the low centre of gravity should make up for that. Yes a 50mm stem could be a shout. If the e160 in a size L is 25kg (MBR article) i'll assume the XL e180 to be about 26KG and the 29er 150 XL in at around 24 . something kg. My conundrum is..Will I get away with the shorter travel 150 or just go for all round comfort of the 180.

How was the ride for you apart from the GEO? What's your height btw?
Nicolai is just too luxurious unfortunately ££££ visually at first I wasn't keen on them, but actually starting to see the appeal of them.

Have a look in the Whyte section of the forum for owner reviews ..

 

[James7475]

I would probably look elsewhere as they do size up small. A few of the review's i have read says if you are taller forgot it. Iam 5.8 usually a medium and have a large orbea FS wild ordered and felt perfect for me. So i reckon over 6 foot might start to feel a little cramped on a XL ?

Hi Steveo. I hope this finds you well. I’ve ordered a size S/M and I’m 5ft 7.5 but comically short arms. Would you say I still need a L though. Thanks

 

[BloBBerT]

I have not got a bike yet. Almost resigned myself to the thought that will need to settle for a 500-510 reach and to teh fact that I'll just have to get a bike without trying it out (hardly any shops around here have XL/XXL demos). Add Brexit and CV19 Wave 3 - u got no change to get hold of anything.

I do like the concept of the lighter EMTBs and was thinking of the Orbea Rise (R=500) but again, cant try how the reduced assist feels like so difficult to commit based on the youtube reviews.

Any other thoughts you have let me know.

I also do like the sound of S6 Specialized (but for now it's just a "hope" I guess)

Im also considering the Orbea Rise with a reach of 500mm. I'm 6'4 (196cm) and think the bike will be big enough, I mostly ride XC and trails, so a lighter bike will be the best choice for me

 

[_Tom_]

Just an update about my SC BULLIT delivery time: next summer ...if all goes well!

 

[Loamranger]

Im also considering the Orbea Rise with a reach of 500mm. I'm 6'4 (196cm) and think the bike will be big enough, I mostly ride XC and trails, so a lighter bike will be the best choice for me

Due to try one in XL in the next week. Let you know.

 

[_Tom_]

I simply dont understand YT and similar b.bilders...their XXL models are always sold out (the smaller sizes are not), and they dont make a XXXL model...

 

[BloBBerT]

Due to try one in XL in the next week. Let you know.

Please report back It would be appreciated, I was just about to order one tomorrow, but now i'll wait to hear from you

 

[Loamranger]

Testing SL now first in size XL. Rise will be with me in a few days to try.

 

[Loamranger]

Sorry about delay in testing Rise, not my fault.

 

[bikernaut]

I believe all bikes are too small. I have 498mm reach (76° STA, 684mm stack) with 110mm stem and it's still too small.
I'm 189cm tall with 201cm armspan.
Maybe XXL Nicolai G1 with 555 reach would be ok with 70-90mm stem.