size of a new Gary Fisher Cake...

What type of riding do you forsee him doing the most? If it's mostly XC, I'd say go with the larger of the two.

Yeah, he'll be doing mostly XC (michigan trail riding), but the effective top tube on these bikes are really long for their standover height.

Why not let him decide?

I would guess that the LBS would allow you to purchase a store credit for what the bike costs. If you want to suprise him it's easier that way , i.e. you could get a picture of the bike and put it in some random sized box and put it under the tree.

KC.K. said:

For Christmas, I am buying my father a Gary Fisher Cake with the new frame design (dropped top tube) and 4" of travel. The only problem is he is an in-betweener. I cant decide wether to get him a 19" or 21". He is 6'2" with a 34" inseem. any opinions?

Click to expand...

I am 6'2" with a 34.5" inseam. I rode the 05 Cake3 for 1 year. If he is doing ONLY XC then go with the XL. If he wants to experiment with some technical singletrack, get the L or a different bike.

I sold my Cake and got a Specialized Stumpy XL. The fork is better, the rear suspension and shock is better, and the level of components are better for only a few hundred more than what I paid for the Cake. The Stumpy is a superior bike in all aspects. Not only that the geometry is not as stretched so I have better control and a more comfortable riding position.

The only advantage the Cake had over the Stumpy is that it felt faster and racier (if that is a word).