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Mountain biking is an incredible sport that has the ability to help you get fit, get outdoors into nature, and also can help you make lots of new friends. Cycling is heavily growing in popularity, and many people are taking to the trails for their outdoor and fitness fixes.
Bikes come in all shapes and sizes, and finding the right bike for you can be very challenging, especially if you’re a taller rider. In this article, we want to tell you what we look for when buying a mountain bike for a tall rider, give you some recommendations and also answer some of your commonly asked questions.
What do we look for in a Mountain Bike for tall riders?
All bikes come with unique properties and are all equipped differently. It’s important to break the bike down and look at it separately. Here’s what we look for when picking the best bikes for you.
Frame and Forks
The first thing we look at is the frame and the forks. Does it have good geometry for a taller rider? Does the sizing go nice and high? Is made to a high-quality standard?
Suspension
Does the bike have suspension, and if so, does it have a good amount of travel, and what kind of mountain biking is it capable of?
Gearing
When we get a mountain bike, we want to ensure it has a lot of low gears for climbing on rough terrain. We want to know that it has come from a reputable brand and will be durable.
Wheels and Tires
When it comes to the taller rider, we need the right wheels and tires. Having wheels and tires to suit a taller rider will help handling and speed. A larger wheel or bigger tire would be ideal.
Special Features
Special features such as dropper posts or fork lockouts can add a lot of value to your mountain biking experience. It’s important to mention them as these can take a basic bike to something quite special.
Value for Money
It’s important to look at the bike as a whole to ensure it is good value for money. We want the best components for the lowest price.
The Bikes!
Now it’s time for us to take a look at some bikes. These are our recommended mountain bikes. They offer more than their competition and are well worth every cent. Enjoy our bike descriptions.
1- Mongoose Dolomite
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- Frame: Steel
- Forks: Rigid
- Gearing: 7-Speed
- Brakes: Cable Disc
- Wheels: 26″
- Tires: 4″
- Cost: $234
- Weight: 52lbs
Mongoose has an excellent heritage in mountain bikes and has always made unique bikes. The Dolomite is a fat mountain bike, and it comes with some excellent features and an incredibly low price tag. The frame is made of steel which is strong and comfortable. It has rigid forks and boasts a relaxed geometry.
It has 7-speed gearing and will give you a good ability to get up climbs even if you are not a powerful rider. The brakes are disc brakes, so you have good stopping power, and they use cables, making them easy to maintain and very reliable.
The best thing about this bike is the wheels. They are only 26″, so fairly small but are equipped with huge 4″ fat tires. These will allow you to ride on very rough and loose terrain and soak up every bump.
The Mongoose Dolomite is a great bike with so much to offer. It is basic and fairly heavy, but it will be a huge amount of fun to ride and a great bike for leisure.
2- Mongoose Juneau
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- Frame: Aluminum
- Forks: Rigid
- Gearing: 16 Speed
- Brakes: Cable Disc
- Wheels: 26″
- Tires: 4″
- Cost: $470
- Weight: 43lbs
If you love the look of the Dolomite but want something that can offer a little more performance, then the Juneau is perfect for you. It has an aluminum bike frame paired with rigid aluminum forks.
It has an upgraded groupset giving you 16 different gears on a 2×8 system. This means you get lots of low gears for those super steep climbs and high gears for descending quickly. It has cable disc brakes to help you stop quickly, and it can also ride in all weather conditions.
It’s equipped with the small 26″ wheel and those giant 4″ tires. We love these because they give so much ability and are amazing for riding on loose terrain and even work on sandy trails.
If you have a larger budget and want an amazing fat mountain bike, something a little more equipped than the Dolomite, the Mongoose Juneau is perfect. It’s a lot of fun and will be great on a mix of trails.
3- Hiland 29
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- Frame: Aluminum
- Forks: Suspension
- Gearing: 21 Speed
- Brakes: Cable Disc
- Wheels: 29″
- Tires: 2.1″
- Cost: $339
- Weight: 30lbs
The Hiland mountain bike is a favorite amongst taller riders because it has the ability to go all the way up to people who are 6ft 8″. That’s not all though. It’s an excellent bike with great trail ability. The aluminum frame is made with a relaxed geometry for those longer rides, and this is paired up with a nice set of Highland’s own suspension forks offering great bike handling control.
It has 21 speeds with a 3×7 groupset from Shimano, who we all know make excellent reliable gearing. You have trigger shifters to run through the bike’s gears which is a nice touch. These are paired up with Repute cable disc brakes ready to stop you quickly on those trails.
It comes with 29″ wheels which are perfect for larger riders, and the 2.1″ tires make this a very fast rolling bike and the perfect cross-country machine. Coming in at only 30lbs, it’s incredibly light and will feel fun and agile to ride. You wont find a bike lighter on this list.
The Hiland is an excellent bike and is going to offer an amazing experience on a decent mountain bike trail. The only thing that lets it down is the bolt-through axle. Quick-release skewers would have been much better.
4- Mongoose Flatrock
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- Frame: Aluminum
- Forks: Suspension
- Gearing: 21 Speed
- Brakes: Cable Disc
- Wheels: 29″
- Tires: 2.1″
- Cost: $342
- Weight: 33lbs
The Mongoose Flatrock is the third bike on our list and an excellent hardtail bike that many tall riders use. It comes in at a great price and has some great features, such as the 6061 aluminum frame with suspension forks and an excellent choice of colors.
The gearing is unlike many others on this list and comes in the form of grip shifters instead of trigger shifters. It’s seen more on older bikes, but many people prefer this. It has 21 speeds on a 3×7 system. It comes with cable disc brakes like the other bikes on this list, and they are going to work great on those rough trails.
The 29″ wheels are great for taller riders and are going to be amazing at getting over obstacles smoothly and quickly. The tires are well equipped for cross-country and trail riding; overall, this bike will have great ability.
The Mongoose Flatrock is an excellent all-round bike with a lot to offer a taller person. We really like how it looks, and it will offer a great ride on a light trail.
5- Schwinn Bonafide
- Frame: Aluminum
- Forks: Suspension
- Gearing: 24 Speed
- Brakes: Cable Disc
- Wheels: 29″
- Tires: 2.25″
- Cost: $495
- Weight: 39lbs
This mountain bike list wouldn’t be complete without a Schwinn. Schwinn makes excellent mountain bikes and has been in the industry for many years. The Bonafide is a great example of their heritage. The Bonafide has an aluminum frame equipped with a set of XC suspension forks. It comes in a sporty matt red and black with detailing even on the wheels.
The Bonafide has the most gears out of all the bikes on this list, with 24. It’s a 3×8 system and gives you a huge range of gears for climbing and descending. Like the other bikes on this list, you get cable disc brakes which are easy to use and maintain, although we would have love to see hydraulic disc brakes.
To suit taller riders, the Schwinn uses 29″ wheels, and unlike other bikes on this list, larger 2.25″ tires which are made for fast, loose trails with loose terrain. This bike is very capable and will be excellent on those more technical trails compared to the other bikes on this list.
The Schwinn Bonafide is an excellent bike and probably the most capable on this list, with a large range of gearing and larger fast trail tires. We highly recommend it even though it’s a little bit more expensive.
How to pick a bike for a taller rider
If none of these bikes takes your fancy, then how do you go about choosing the right bike for you? Here’s what we would recommend looking for;
Larger Sizes
If you are taller, then you will definitely not want to compromise when it comes to frame sizes. If you get a frame too small, it is going to make the bike feel really aggressive, and it might cause you back pain. Always go for a frame that is going to suit your height, even if it needs to be an XL or the biggest bike of XXL. The average bike rider who is tall might need to search for sizes as XXL can be rare for bike brands and bike companies to produce.
Larger Wheels
Larger wheels are much better for taller riders because they make the bike much easier to control and offer a smooth ride. The best wheel size for a taller rider on a mountain bike is 29″. This is the largest size you will find on the market on mountain bikes, and you get thousands of different options for tires. 27.5″ bikes with wide tires might be a little small for you unless the terrain is very technical.
Finishing Kit
When we speak about finishing kits, we’re talking about the stem, handlebars, and seat post which sit in the seat tube. When you purchase a bike, it will come with a fairly standard kit. Don’t be scared to change these out, as stems, seat posts, and handlebars all come in different lengths and sizes that, as a taller rider, could suit you better.
You can get stems that push you more forward to help your upper body or seat posts which take your seat position back. These are nice upgrades to make we recommend seeing a bike fitter for a bike fit if you go down this route.
Frequently Asked Questions
So now you have heard about our recommended bikes and know what to look for, let’s answer some of the questions we regularly get asked by our readers about a bike for taller riders.
What size mountain bike do I need if I’m 6 feet tall?
Typically you will need a large if you are above 6ft or an XL if you are above 6ft 5″ We recommend finding a bike demo to try a bike at a bike shop if too unsure.
What is a 29er bike good for?
They are good for many different types of riding but excellent at cross-country and trail riding. They are not ideal of very technical bikes such as downhill mountain bikes.
What is a good mountain bike for a 300-pound man?
Most bikes will go up to 300lbs, but we recommend checking with the manufacturers before buying to ensure it will be safe for you to ride. Cheaper bikes like steel and aluminum bikes typically can carry more.
Are there disadvantages to being a tall mountain biker?
The bikes weigh a little more in larger sizes, and you might need slightly wider handlebars if you are racing.
