question for tall riders 6'3"+

[Brent Eastman]

rivs latest frames max out at 60/61cm. in a semi-recent email, Will explained how these frames are still plenty big enough for the taller riders out there. I'm curious if the tall riders here would agree? 

i have a friend who is 6'4", long legs, and i found a 60cm hillborne i want to build him, but he thinks it's going to be too small. 

my other friend who is 6'1" was recommended a 60cm hillborne and still went with a 57cm, because he rode mine and liked it. so maybe they all fit larger than advertised?

[Kim H.]

@Brent,

Suggestively speaking, keep in mind that every body is proportionally different in their torso length, arms and legs.

Several years ago, I was insisted that a 59cm Clem would fit me with my PBH of 80.1cm. It did not fit me. It was too large for me. I turned around a bought a 52cm Clem after selling the 59cm Clem. Needless to say, I am very comfortable on my 52cm Clem. I have short legs and arms with a long torso standing a 5'11". 

Kim Hetzel.

[Bill Lindsay]

Have him buy the 68cm Atlantis offered for sale on the list right now.  That's a huge bike.  

BL in EC

[Brent Eastman]

Thanks both.

There's a 60cm hillborne frame for sale near me at a really great price so I'm hoping to hear relevant experience on a modern 60-61cm Riv from a rider over 6' tall.

[larson....@gmail.com]

I think the Rivendell frames are able to accommodate taller riders well. I am just over 6'4" and proportional - my 62cm Appaloosa 2TT fits me better than any bike I've owned. I am contemplating a 60cm Hillborne; the stack number is higher/ the reach slightly less than my 64cm Black Mountain Cycles monster cross which fits me well. Your friend may have a little more seatpost showing and need a longer stem, but I believe the Hillborne would ride great. Does he plan on a drop bar setup or swept back bars? This is my Appaloosa, seat height about 85cm.

Randy in WI

[iamkeith]

Suggestively speaking, keep in mind that every body is proportionally different in their torso length, arms and legs.

Several years ago, I was insisted that a 59cm Clem would fit me with my PBH of 80.1cm. It did not fit me. It was too large for me. I turned around a bought a 52cm Clem after selling the 59cm Clem. Needless to say, I am very comfortable on my 52cm Clem. I have short legs and arms with a long torso standing a 5'11". 

Kim Hetzel.

This should be a huge part of the consideration.  Referencing the above examples :

I am 6'2" and have an even shorter PBH than you, Kim.  So I'm "next level," in terms of long torso /short legs.  I have a 60 Clem H.  I don't really have ideally adequate stndover clearance at all, but I feel like the top tube is way too short. At least for my swept back bosco bars.

Brenton's friend, with long legs and short torso should theoretically have the opposite issue - which is to say none at all.  He'll have a lot of seat post exposed, but all that extension translates to the saddle moving rearward and away from the handlebars.  So they'll feel further away.   And then, when he leans forward in a normal riding position (somewhere beyond 45 degrees, like 50 degrees? ), his shoulders won't extend as far forward as someone with a longer torso but otherwise same saddle height. So the bike will still feel long enough.

As an aside, this later case is also why Rivendell's long chainstays are so great, but why mainstream bike people with average builds don't get it.   When a tall person gets on a bike with typical, in-vogue, short chainstays, they end up with their butt right on top of the rear wheel.  It's a totally different riding experience than someone of averge height and proportions has, but those average-built people will still argue that short chainstays are better....  and that all sizes of a frame should have the SAME chainstay length.

On Friday, March 13, 2026 at 10:16:56 AM UTC-6 krhe...@gmail.com wrote:

[Bill Shaw]

I'm 6'4" and my 60cm Platy and 61cm Gallop are perfect fits. I have a 61cm Roadini that feels a tad bit large, but it's still an overall comfortable ride. 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/155690b1-9e6f-4876-a1c0-759622a6f258n%40googlegroups.com.

[iamkeith]

one more thougth:  The very first generation of Hilbornes had a longer top tube than later generations.  I don't know which one you found.  

(These were goldish-green or orange, had gold decals, and did not have creme colored head tubes.) 

[Rick Harries]

The BikeInsights website might be useful, too. It has geometry data for many bikes, including many of the Riv models and different generation of the same model so comparison is easier. 

Randy, I like the photo of your Appaloosa. 

Rick Harries

Easton, MD

[Kyle Mitchell]

My suggestion would be to load up one of their existing bikes (or something close) into https://bikeinsights.com/ along with the Sam so that they can get a visual indication of the sizing. I think that it will also make a difference how they want it to fit. It would probably be better as a more sporty (bars at or slightly below saddle) drop bar bike than an upright flat/sweep bar bike. For a flat/sweep bar bike, I would think that they would be better off with the largest Clem or Atlantis.

[Boon Hughey]

Hey Brent - I'm 6'4" with a 93.5 pbh and have purchased a couple of new Rivendells from the most recent offerings. My 62cm Atlantis is *almost* too large for me with 50cm tires, and my 60cm Hillborne feels just about perfect with 45cm tires. The 62 Atlantis is a BIG bicycle.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/8bbbc841-eef4-47f9-ba68-b07a64ffd281n%40googlegroups.com.

[Eric Daume]

I’m 6’3” with a 34” pants inseam. I find that a bike like a 60cm Sam fits well with drop bars, but for upright bars, something longer works better. 

Eric

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/155690b1-9e6f-4876-a1c0-759622a6f258n%40googlegroups.com.

[Josh Lubben]

FWIW, I'm 6'3" with a 94 cm PBH and my 61.5 Homer fits great. 

On Friday, March 13, 2026 at 8:49:49 PM UTC-4 Eric Daume wrote:

I’m 6’3” with a 34” pants inseam. I find that a bike like a 60cm Sam fits well with drop bars, but for upright bars, something longer works better. 

Eric

On Friday, March 13, 2026, Brent Eastman <brenton...@gmail.com> wrote:

rivs latest frames max out at 60/61cm. in a semi-recent email, Will explained how these frames are still plenty big enough for the taller riders out there. I'm curious if the tall riders here would agree? 

i have a friend who is 6'4", long legs, and i found a 60cm hillborne i want to build him, but he thinks it's going to be too small. 

my other friend who is 6'1" was recommended a 60cm hillborne and still went with a 57cm, because he rode mine and liked it. so maybe they all fit larger than advertised?

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

[mark e]

I am 6'6" and have a Roadini that fits me well. Although I am probably at the upper end of riders that will fit on it. Lot's of seatpost showing and longish stem, but rides great and fit me. I would definitely recommend it for a 6'4" rider. 

[Richard Borneman]

I'm 6'-02" tall with 93cm PBH. I have a first gen 60cm Hillborne that fits me very good. Had a newer 62cm Hillborne that was too big no matter how it was set up. Traded it for the older green Sam.

The green Sam has a 60cm top tube and 45.5cm chain stays. 

Also own a first gen 64 Atlantis I bought around 2000. Fits great, lot of miles on that one. Same with my orange Ram. 

Have a 59 Clem H that fits also. The newer frames fit much larger than than older ones.

Richard

[Nick A.]

Hey there, 6'3" with a 6'3" wingspan. I ride a 59 cm 2020s Atlantis (first riv) and a 61cm lugged roadini. PBH of 92ish. They both, after the normal adjustments with a new build, fit like a dream.

Nick in Falls Church, VA

[Feliks Ulvåen Isaksen]

Hey! I'm 6'4 with long legs (98 pbh), and used to ride a 60 Hillborne (2024 model I think… or something close to it). I set it up swept back and upright, and I found it to be too small for that kind of riding. The whole riding situation felt cramped and it made me contort in kinda weird ways. I sold it, but in retrospect I think it would have been fine if I set it up more stretched out. I did have a whoole lot of seatpost showing, and I kinda dislike that feeling of being perched up so far off the bike, but thats more of a mental thing, rather than a fitment issue. 

I have a 64 Clem now which is perfect, but I think a 62 Atlantis with the new "bigger" geo would be sweet as hell.