DirtySixer 36er

DirtySixer on a 36er

I rode a bike today that caused me to pause and rethink what I  thought I knew about bikes. This afternoon I took a brief ride on DirtySixer's 36er.  While there are a small number of people who are making 36" bikes ( most notably Waltworks and Black Sheep Bikes)  Dave Folch of DirtySixer is taking a slightly different approach in that he wanted to make big wheel bikes for taller riders that looked proportionately in tune as the frame and fork where scaled up in order to accept the larger wheels.

At 6' 6" Dave's a big guy. At 6'6" Dave needs a big bike.  Even though Dave has a custom made 29" Ventana full suspension bike he was dissatisfied with it's climbing ability and wanted to have something that had the same benefits as a 29" bike but was scaled up for bigger riders, hence his 36" hardtail was born.

Dave's complaint about most 36" bikes where either a) the were geared more towards on road use and were essentially big wheeled cruisers or they tried their best to shorten the wheelbase length putting the rider almost directly over the rear wheel thus making it more difficult to maintain front end control of the bike.

L. DirtySixer 36er. R. Ventana 29er.

With a little help from Triton Bikes  Dave has a working prototype he's been field testing. After grabbing a quick bite to eat with Dave at an Indian lunch spot in downtown San Francisco Dave  graciously allowed me to borrow his bike for a quick spin.

The scale of the bike takes a bit getting used to. While the 10" disc rotors look proportionate to the rest of the bike they are still massive in comparison to anything else. At 6' 4" I'm not a shrimp but I practically had to slam the seat into the seat tube in order to get it anywhere near close to a ridable seat height. Like the disc rotors initially the bike's cranks look quite suitable for the size of the bike but it wasn't until you got riding did the sheer length of the 220mm cranks become really apparent.

The other thing I noticed was how high the toptube was. At stoplights I almost "nutted" myself  on the top tube when I needed to put a foot down while waiting for the light to change.

Yes, yes, it's a big bike with big parts but how did it ride? Um... big!  It's astonishing how close the front wheel seemed to the handlebar. I came of age in the dirt during the time when 26" wheels where the norm but I've since switched to 29"ers and a bike with a fatty 26" so I'm used to the visual impact of a larger front wheel but while not disturbing I will say it will take a little getting used to.

From a dead stop it took a little effort to get the big wheels moving. Any one who has ridden a bike with a fatty 26" will have an automatic idea of that sensation as you overcome the initial inertia of a heavier wheel.

Once rolling the bike practically pulled you along until, that is you needed to make a turn. I found that I needed to rely on quite a bit of counter steering in order to make the bike do as I wanted but that may have also been due to the extra wide bars too.

Truss forks have a reputation of being a bit noodly, titanium forks particularly so but Triton made truss was reassuringly stiff, partly due to the 20mm through axle Phil Wood hub.

Who would want such a beast ? Taller riders obviously but I think it could also find a home for some one who wants a unique riding experience and who isn't afraid of answering a lot of questions while stopped.

Riding a bike like this around the streets of S.F. isn't a great indication of how it will ride off road but with any luck Dave will let me borrow it for an afternoon.