My 6'8" 320lb friend wants to ride a free ride/down hill bike

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My 6'8" 320lb friend wants to ride a free ride/down hill bike
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flag PL408
Posted: Dec 11, 2012 at 20:02 Quote
I'm having a hard time trying to find something for him to ride
anybody have any ideas
Thanks
flag overkillphil
Posted: Dec 17, 2012 at 19:13 Quote
Banshee Scream with a Marzocchi Monster T fork, and Intense Mag 30, Sun Doubletrack, or EX729 wheelset.
flag bkchef2000
O+
Posted: Dec 17, 2012 at 19:25 Quote
Being 6'7" and 275 pounds I feel his pain. It is not easy to get a bike... I will say that Transition and Santa Cruz have been by far the best fitting bikes I have ridden but not the cheapest. You can get springs made for his size, difficult but doable. I have also done some work on my forks to withstand my weight like heavier weight oil which has a sacrifice on performance. I know none of my friends like riding my bikes... Fox DHX 5.0 is good, Boxxers work great tuned properly, and the transition and santa cruz bikes are built tough.
flag PL408
Posted: Dec 18, 2012 at 8:07 Quote
Awesome fellas! Thanks for your help
He is liking the Santa Cruz VP Free so far and I just saw a Blur in XL a few days ago on ebay but the air shock would have to be replaced
flag bkchef2000
O+
Posted: Dec 18, 2012 at 9:13 Quote
How much is he willing to spend? I might be willing to let my xl blur lt go for the right price...
flag overkillphil
Posted: Dec 18, 2012 at 17:59 Quote
VP Free in XL is the ticket!! That's gonna be my next freeride build. I'm 6'6" 315lbs btw.
flag PL408
Posted: Dec 18, 2012 at 21:45 Quote
bkchef2000 wrote:
How much is he willing to spend? I might be willing to let my xl blur lt go for the right price...

He's on a tight budget but inbox me the info and I will pass it along, and also who would custom make some springs
Thank you
flag PL408
Posted: Dec 18, 2012 at 21:49 Quote
overkillphil wrote:
VP Free in XL is the ticket!! That's gonna be my next freeride build. I'm 6'6" 315lbs btw.

such a good bike for sure!
flag spaced
FL
Posted: Dec 19, 2012 at 5:40 Quote
overkillphil wrote:
Banshee Scream with a Marzocchi Monster T fork, and Intense Mag 30, Sun Doubletrack, or EX729 wheelset.

That makes no sense. Especially that the scream is very short.


To be honest if he has cash go custom nicolai ion. They are bombproof and make custom geo bikes. If not FTW or just look up the big guy bike thread on ridemonkey. As for forks use 888s , the new ones and 823s, full saint. You don't need to go heavy to be durable. I know quite a few guys around 130kg riding 18-19kg bikes.
flag inked-up-metalhead
Posted: Dec 19, 2012 at 5:49 Quote
im 6ft 3, 290lbs without armour, and ride a large nukeproof scalp. i like a nice long, low bike, and thats nice for me Smile very strong frames aswell. ive just ordered a 600lb manitou spring for the rear, the 550 ive got is just a little soft for my liking, and its got totems with an extra firm spring in.

build wise, saint cranks, 9 speed gearing (9spd chains are usually stronger, gusset do one with extra material, only one i never broke, just wore out) mavic 823s or spank stiffys, even halo SASs if wanting ultimate strength. it wouldnt be too hard to get a bike big/strong enough for him, just needs to look about a bit.
flag overkillphil
Posted: Dec 19, 2012 at 7:21 Quote
spaced wrote:
overkillphil wrote:
Banshee Scream with a Marzocchi Monster T fork, and Intense Mag 30, Sun Doubletrack, or EX729 wheelset.

That makes no sense. Especially that the scream is very short.
My first downhill bike was an '05 Bighit Spec modded to 7.5" with a 5th Element shock, Monster T and 48h Halo SAS
wheels with a 2.7 rear and a 3" Gaz up front. It was fairly short, but super slack and pretty damn tough with a fairly low rear suspension leverage ratio. Perfect for bombing down good ol Bootleg.
The two big things to consider about a frame when building for a giant guy is suspension leverage ratio and frame durability. If the leverage ratio is too high, by the time you get a strong enough spring for your weight, there's no way the shock valving can hang. I love the Monster T because it is dual spring open bath, and completely bombproof, although it is a f#@king boat anchor. The Halos I had were stupid heavy, but fairly strong, though not enough to justify the weight as there are other equally strong, yet much lighter choices.
flag spaced
FL
Posted: Dec 19, 2012 at 16:40 Quote
overkillphil wrote:
spaced wrote:
overkillphil wrote:
Banshee Scream with a Marzocchi Monster T fork, and Intense Mag 30, Sun Doubletrack, or EX729 wheelset.

That makes no sense. Especially that the scream is very short.
My first downhill bike was an '05 Bighit Spec modded to 7.5" with a 5th Element shock, Monster T and 48h Halo SAS
wheels with a 2.7 rear and a 3" Gaz up front. It was fairly short, but super slack and pretty damn tough with a fairly low rear suspension leverage ratio. Perfect for bombing down good ol Bootleg.
The two big things to consider about a frame when building for a giant guy is suspension leverage ratio and frame durability. If the leverage ratio is too high, by the time you get a strong enough spring for your weight, there's no way the shock valving can hang. I love the Monster T because it is dual spring open bath, and completely bombproof, although it is a f#@king boat anchor. The Halos I had were stupid heavy, but fairly strong, though not enough to justify the weight as there are other equally strong, yet much lighter choices.

That's the thing. With the current tech you don't need a 2003 boat anchor. I also had a heavy bike but it was harder to ride and as most old frames it had idiotic geometry. Getting a proper bike is important too
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