Is It True? Tall Riders Ride Better?

[spider]

being 5'6 i think i'm not in an ideal hight, is it true? i can do max 1 meter bunny hop (rear wheel nailed to a wall) and thats it. 1.80 meter gap ( to anobject on the same level). am i too short? i have an echo es4r and run a 75 mm stem . can you help?

soon i will ride a brand new alibongo...

[Iain C]

Mainly technique i reckon. People like the short person who is good and Matt Staples both show that you don't have to be massive to be very good. Maybe it may be easier for the taller person to use power but the short person can be just as good with better technique.

In my opinion.

Edited February 7, 2005 by T-rex rider

[Will Arnold]

Mainly technique i reckon. People like benito ross and matt staples both show that you don't have to be massive to be amazing. Maybe it may be easier for the taller person to use power but the short person can be just as good with better technique.

In my opinion.

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benito ross is over 6ft :P

[Iain C]

Damn, i meant some other koxx blokey

Caisso?..He's pretty short?

I dunno. sshh i never said anything.

Edited February 7, 2005 by T-rex rider

[Burton]

benito ross is over 6ft :P

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(Y)

i think the whole koxx team are tall. even that atsuyla(sp!) (Y)

[Iain C]

What about the caisso guy? He looks well small?

I don't really know, not my type of riding.

Who really cares.

Edited February 7, 2005 by T-rex rider

[thefletch]

na just think, chai aint exactly the tallest person, nore people like sam wheel. And by better rider do u mean big stuff, balance, power, ups, downs, gaps........Each different symatotype has good and bad points. (cant spell symatotype btw, been a whiole since p.e.)

[Burton]

the bigger you are, the more arm+leg exstention you can get.

[spunkey_monkey_boy]

it seems to be the leadin uci style guys are bean poles but look at the streety riders, they're not all giants!

for natural i would ride a huge bike 1100 ish but street 1020 is great so i guess it depedns on style, what sort of moves you wana do and a bit the bike. btw i'm 6ft1" and can't gap or up nearly as big as you!!!

[Fishwog]

na just think, chai aint exactly the tallest person, nore people like sam wheel. And by better rider do u mean big stuff, balance, power, ups, downs, gaps........Each different symatotype has good and bad points. (cant spell symatotype btw, been a whiole since p.e.)

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Somatotype :P A unique physique.

I think a good power:weight ratio is very important, if your a short arse, but have very little fat and a lot of slim, toned muscle, you should have a good advantage.

[Mr Motivator]

I rectum its all down to technique,

Maybe having longer limbs will mean you can possibly lift your bike higher?

Dunno. Only dis-ad is that when tall peeps ride short bike they make them look like mods

[Will Arnold]

waynio isnt exactly tall but he does huuuuge moves :P

[tank_rider]

i do think being tall helps, but technique plays a bigger factor in my opinion, Matt Staples, Andy Chai, Ad Read, Ben Slinger, Wayne Mohamet (sp?) are all pretty short but pretty damn good riders. Im hardly massive at 5ft 10, but manage to get by.

[trialsguru]

yer marc caisso is tiny and i think he was world champ a few year back and ashton and hawzie arent exactly tall

[cant_ride]

id say in the end the taller guys definitely have the advantage. I think that your height does limit you to a certain point unfortuantely.. not saying that a shorter rider could never win the worlds but theres a reason why the taller riders normally do. And I'm not comparing all the top level riders but compare all the top riders with dam good riders that dont scrape the top 10 at the worlds... most of them are actually shorter.

oli

never mind .. in the end it is how you ride the bike but im just saying that i think height limits when trying to go bigger.

[andyroo]

Im tall and im crap, so that theory obviously doesnt work :P"

[Pauly]

sam wheeler is pretty mint alot beterthan me and he is tiny lol

Pauly

[colly]

im 5ft 9, big body small legs and small, arms, still chuck the bike about though, only lacking leverage from my legs. :P

[thefletch]

could people stop comparing others to themselves because half the people will have no idea how good u r.

Its like saying vincent hermance is better than me but i'm taller so the theorys (sp?) is wrong. :P

Edited February 7, 2005 by thefletch

[spider]

i think that you can throw more "bike" if your arms and legs are longer. its like a short guy on a mod, but a mod has it own limits even with a good rider. thats my opinion :P

[TomN]

Always thought thought Ben was tall, oh well but looking at certain people i.e. Wayne think it comes down to technique mostly if yer not that big.

[Davetrials]

james porter, matt staples both ride silly good

and there both under 6foot(sorry if that has nothing to do with anything i heavent read the post)

[SQuiT-man]

I think taller people do have an advantage, because naturallly they have a longer maximum possible extension to preload over and pull the bike up more, etc. But small riders can be amasing too (just look at Riki Muruta... he's AMASING rider in my opinion, I look up to him because Im not exactly tall but it gives me something to aim towards when Im blaming my lack of trialsing skill on my height!).

Smaller riders may be a little more limited, but its up to skill and exercise to reach your physical limits before taller people should really exell over you.

[rathergoodpie]

i think its more down to power to weight ratio than anything.

[John Shrewsbury]

I think being tall help's abit, but you could just say the same to short people riding 20inch.

24inch has helped me alot, and made me a better rider. Many thanks to edd tongue, leading me the right way. :P