Lightweight Bike for a very tall rider

[G-Sport]

Got a very tall friend looking for an SL type ebike, Enduro/Trail ish 160mm ish. He's 6'9" which puts the Specialized SL etc out of contention I think. Anyone got any ideas? Could just be a frameset as he has plenty of parts to build up with, but complete bikes too.

 

[HugoStiglitz]

Got a very tall friend looking for an SL type ebike, Enduro/Trail ish 160mm ish. He's 6'9" which puts the Specialized SL etc out of contention I think. Anyone got any ideas? Could just be a frameset as he has plenty of parts to build up with, but complete bikes too.

I haven't ridden either, but the SC Heckler SL, Specialized Levo SL and possibly the Transition Relay are HUGE bikes! I'm 6'8" (actually almost 6'9"), ride a 2019 Megatower, and it's even slightly smaller than those 3! And those 3 bikes are bigger. No idea why he's putting the Levo SL "out of contention." It's massive! There's only a few EMTB's or SL's that big. The Heckler/Heckler SL, Bullit, Levo/Levo SL and the Transition Repeater PT/Relay. They all have 510-535 reach. 655-666 stack. 1300-1330 wheelbase and very long top tubes. So the Levo SL should definitely be on his radar or in contention as he won't find anything bigger.

The Heckler is larger in every way over my Megatower and the Levo SL (and the others I mentioned), are actually bigger in reach and wheelbase and reach. And my Megatower feels big. Of course, that's because I've never ridden a bike in my life that actually fits, haha. So getting used to a massively long 29er FS MTB, coming from a size L old 90's Stumpy "feels" like I'm riding a boat. When in actuality, it's still probably a tad too small in certain ways (mostly the wheel sizes are too small for us really tall guys, the frames are pretty close to the correct size).

The Heckler has 520mm reach and 666mm of stack! That is MASSIVE compared to any other MTB's E or otherwise. And the Levo SL is 532 reach with 653 stack. Also massive. All the bikes I've mentioned at the beginning have 1300 or more wheelbase and very long top tubes. And they all have medium to very long chainstays, which is VERY important for us tall guys to feel and be more centered on the bike. I've tried my Megatower in the shorter CS setting and never like it. So a 440-460 chainstay is a MUST for really tall guys. And all of these bikes can be made that way or have long CS's.

The bikes I mentioned above will definitely be his best bet for a EMTB or SL EMTB. Plus the Heckler SL and Levo SL just happen to be the two best SL MTBs on the market. At least for an All Mtn or Light Enduro type SL. The Heckler SL will be better as a light Enduro and the Levo SL as a Trail/All Mtn. But both are killer bikes that can be your ONE main bike for sure.

I'm actually in the market for an EMTB myself and I'm considering both. Of course, I'm not sure yet if I want to go FF or SL. Only demo'ng will make up my mind. I'm leaning towards FF though, as I don't want this bike for being light, playful and quick steering. I already have a normal bike for that. I just want to go really fast all the time pedaling and want the most power and fun. If I'm riding an EMTB, I just want to go fast, go far and have fun. Don't care about playfulness, jumping, all that stuff. That is what a regular MTB is for.