SS 29er recommendations

golem said:

I'd really like to get single speed 29er suitable for my 6'5" frame. I am hoping to spend $500-600 at most. I plan to mostly use it for commuting or some light riding on trails (nothing that I think absolutely requires shocks). I heard redline makes a decent 29er SS in my price range but I was wondering if anyone had suggestions.

I'm not sure which bikes you are already looking at ...

I know that a NOS, 2008-or-2009 Raleigh XXIX should sell for about $500 +/- ... ready-to-ride.

If your shop doesn't have a 2008-or-2009 Raleigh, then periodically check eBay for an XL framed Raleigh XXIX ... they are out there.

Thanks for replying!
I was considering the Monocog 29er from Redline, the basic version not the monocog flight 29er. I am new to 29er and SS but it seems like a good match for the kind of riding I have done the most in the past and the fact that I have long legs.
I had a 23" frame on my last bike, would having 29" wheels change the size of the frame I should be looking at?
I'll take a look at the bike you mentioned.

golem said:

Thanks for replying!
I was considering the Monocog 29er from Redline, the basic version not the monocog flight 29er. I am new to 29er and SS but it seems like a good match for the kind of riding I have done the most in the past and the fact that I have long legs.
I had a 23" frame on my last bike, would having 29" wheels change the size of the frame I should be looking at?
I'll take a look at the bike you mentioned.

I presume that the 23" was the seat tube length and not the top tube length ... heck, the first 10-speed I was sold by a bike shop a bazillion years ago had a 24"/60cm seat tube length, and I'm only 5'9". WTF? Well, I think it was purely by accident that combined length of the top tube on that frame (a Gitane) and stem were the right length for me (57cm + 9cm).

Even though a typical 29er tire (700-52 & 700-58) is truly massive, I think that at your height that you'll want the LARGEST frame that is available off-the-peg ... you'll probably want whatever frame has something close to a 64cm virtual top tube (which I think is the longest, non-custom length that is available) ... so, I presume the XL (presuming that there isn't an XXL!) is the size of the frame that you will probably want.

If there is a non-custom frame with an even longer top tube (i.e., 66cm), then you should think about it.

The BB on a 29er frame is similar to that on a road bike -- the final BB height is really dependent on the fork.

I've seen ads for the Redline ... they are a good choice, too ... availability may be scarcer.

If you can get 180mm crank arms (the longest which Shimano makes for over the counter sale, AFAIK), then do so ...

At 6'5" you could probably use 200mm crank arms ... BMX crank arms are available in really long lengths but many of those cranks use what I would consider to be an odd-ball BB which may not be suitable for a "regular" bike frame. ZINN sells cranks with long arms (up to 220mm, I think) for a lot of money ... something approaching the current GDP of Greece.

To be honest, I don't know exactly how they measure the 23", all I know is that if I go into an American bike shop they know what I am talking about. I have never thought about modifying/changing the crank arms but that is certainly worth considering. I was actually thinking that the tires and brakes would be would I most likely upgrade (maybe disk brakes?) in the future.
I have no idea what BB is although in a general sense I understand that you mean that the frame size should be the same irregardless of the tire size (this answers my question).

golem said:

To be honest, I don't know exactly how they measure the 23", all I know is that if I go into an American bike shop they know what I am talking about. I have never thought about modifying/changing the crank arms but that is certainly worth considering. I was actually thinking that the tires and brakes would be would I most likely upgrade (maybe disk brakes?) in the future.
I have no idea what BB is although in a general sense I understand that you mean that the frame size should be the same irregardless of the tire size (this answers my question).

At 6'5", an XL 29er frame won't be too large for you ... heck, the seatpost which will probably be 400mm long will probably be close-to-or-at its maximum extension (I reckon that a 400mm seatpost has about 13" of useable, exposed seatpost above the clamp).

The Raleigh XXIX comes with disc brakes ... I presume that is also true of the Redline 29er.

BB == Bottom Bracket