help needed for bike fool

craig scott said:

Hi guys and gals, I'm a returned biker from the land of young children and responsibility.
About 6 weeks back I got the high cholesterol news and my face was on the front page.....so out came the '90 Montari Avanti and to the hills I headed.
Absolutely addicted now, dropped 5 kg so far and need to get with the times bikewise.
Firstly, I have a rigid front, can anyone remember these?
Does it actually make the ride better in the hills, I'm getting shaken to pieces on every rocky downhill, I just cant see from the vibrations , and.. I cant stop either, well, not very well anyway, my centrepulls are dreadful, nuff said...I am getting tiresome I know.
I am looking very closely at the '06 Giant xtc2..... any comments would be greatfully received.
I would go with the 23"frame as I am 187cm (90kg at the mo). This seems one of the only bikes with this large frame ( does it matter, would 22" suit, then the options are much more varied).
This bike sits neatly at the $2K bracket, i am very open to other suggestions in this level.
This looks like a great site, I'm sure I'll burn many hours here, Bye, Craig.

Congratulations on riding again, and losing 5kg. I myself have a problem with cholesterol, and am riding to lose weight and get fit.

Unfortunately I dont ride a Mtb and cant really help you on your bike choice. But I myself need encouragement to lose weight and continue riding, if you would like to email me at [email hidden] .... hopefully we can spur each other on.

You would be really better off going to a good bike shop where you can get some professional advice on bike sizing.

Quoted post said:

I would go with the 23"frame as I am 187cm (90kg at the mo). This seems one of the only bikes with this large frame ( does it matter, would 22" suit, then the options are much more varied).

G'day Craig, get a good shop to fit you or try to take a few different sizes for a ride as some of them can be a bit misleading if you've been away from bike for a while. I'm 5'11" and find 17.5"-18" to be the most comfortable, and as for 23", I've got a mate that rides that size but he's 6'5".
6'1" would roughly (and I do mean roughly) put you somewhere between 19" and 21" on an XTC.

HTH