[mikeri]

I curreently have a Large KM single speed. I want to build up a geared 29er. I love the KM, just wish it had more standover. My question is will a medium KM fit me and how would it ride differently. I'm 6'1" tall with a 32" inseam, using a 90 mm stem with Mary bars.

Anybody out there around 6' tall riding a medium? The guys at Surly thought the L would ride better, could this be due to the wheelbase?

 

[pedalsoftly]

I curreently have a Large KM single speed. I want to build up a geared 29er. I love the KM, just wish it had more standover. My question is will a medium KM fit me and how would it ride differently. I'm 6'1" tall with a 32" inseam, using a 90 mm stem with Mary bars.

Anybody out there around 6' tall riding a medium? The guys at Surly thought the L would ride better, could this be due to the wheelbase?

I have ridden both 18 and 20" KMs. I'm just under 6', with about a 32" pubic bone height. The clearance on the 18" was a great improvement over the 20", but the top tube length didn't justify the extra clearance to me. The 18" just felt too short in the TT, felt like I was too far out front, so much so that i launched over the bars several times due to misjudging the handling. Not unheard of, but rare for me to OTB. Probably could get used to it but considering the reality of racking the nards (low chance, and anyway you can hit your nards on bikes that fit perfectly), i opted for the right ride fit and stayed with the 20". Couldn't be happier with the choice.

 

[steevo]

i have both

I'm about 6'1" with shoes on and about 33-34 inch inseam. My large KM was set up single speed and I was totally digging it except I started wishing it had a little more clearance over the top tube. So I asked the same question you're asking over in the 29er forum and got a lot of different opinions. It appears that there are quite a few people about 6 ft tall that love the fit of the medium. So I ended up buying a medium to try. I've only ridden it 5 times since I put it together, but so far it feels much better than the large. Weight distribution definitely changed, but for the better as far as I can tell. It feels like the weight is more evenly distributed over the front and rear wheel. I have a jones-hbar with a 130mm stem and my seat is way back on the rails, so I've pretty much maxed out the cockpit length, but it feels good for me. Of course, if you have a much longer reach than me, you might feel cramped. If you don't want to go custom or with another manufacturer at this time, there's not much risk money-wise in trying a medium KM, swapping your parts, and then selling whichever frame you don't want. Or keeping them both, like i did : )

 

[frankenbike]

Incase this is useful, here is a link to another thread on KM sizing:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=147496

I am right between sizes (16 and 18) and in the end I chose the smaller of the two because I like the extra standover. I have never minded the combo or a slightly longer stem and setback seatpost, but some people don't like that that.

In case you are open to other brands, SOMA also makes a 29er frame for $400 (frame only, no fork) that has a bent top tube that provides more standover. If you cruise over to the 29er forum, there are a couple threads with pics of the SOMA Juice build.

 

[mikeri]

Thanks for the input!

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I guess I should really get ahold of a med KM and actually ride it. The Soma looks interesting but I will probably stick with the Surly. The KM is such a sweet ride. It rides better than anything I have owned to date including custom bikes and my Blur which gathers dust.

Happy trails.

 

[Bob the Wheelbuilder]

I'm a little late to the party, but

I rode a 18 inch "medium" KM at interbike and I felt that was the best size for me. I'm just over 6 feet tall with a 34 inch inseam and long arms. I usually ride a "large" mountain bike, which have been described as 19 to 19.5 inches, but the 20 seemed to be too big, the 18 just right.

Goldilocks