You could try the Spot Rocker 29er as well.

I recently had the belt-drive SS to review and really liked the way it rode the rough stuff. Even though I love my dually, as a 3x9 or 3x10 derailleured bike I'd seriously consider the Rocker for enduro racing. The steel frame and big wheels really seemed to take the edge off the hits, and it was fast.

Adz, what about a Giant Anthem 29er? The spec looks pretty decent for $3500. Might be worth a look. One thing to be wary of on any 29er that you are keen on is foot clearance between the front wheel. I'm guessing you have big feet being 6'7" which means you will have limited clearance with the front wheel on some bikes & the toe of your shoe when turning.

While it's definitely something to keep an eye open for, I don't think toe overlap will be an issue for him.

It was no problem for me on the Spot Rocker and with another 6 inches of height compared my 6'1" he's going to be using a longer frame. It really only impacts medium or smaller riders on frames with steeper head angles.

Morgan has a Zinn discussed here. It looks very nicely proportioned, but those are 29" wheels and 210mm cranks!

Don't know his exact height... if you're reading this.. how tall are you mate?

Here's how his ride looks next to a standard rider

I would certainly recommend looking at the Giant Anthem 29er. I think the price is $3500 and the build is usual Giant, very strong. Worth seeing Brad in the new KoM shop on Pacific Highway at Crows Nest.

I read of a current recall on Anthem 29ers due to a fault with the top tube welds on the seat tube. Apparently all small medium and large frame sizes have been recalled and a stop-sell order has been issued until new frames come into production.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=646261

http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?199542-Giant-Anthem-X-29e...

@hawkeye
I was expecting to ride the angry doctor this weekend on an anthem 29er. If only I was another 6 inches taller

See if you can test ride the Fisher, which 2011 will be under the Trek name.

All the Fisher 29ers ride sweet due to the G2 geometry this means no more super steep head angles which you see on all other 29ers including the Giants which look very steep, another advantage of the G2 is more toe clearence.

I have been riding a Fisher SuperFly SS for some time now and it flys through the twisty single track. Try to overlook speck on bikes as a quality frame is more important at the end of the day.

Check out the new 2011 prices as Trek has lowered prices from 2010. Let me know if you would like some prices. Cheers, Bartman

The Zinn looks great but a little past my budget at the moment i am afraid...

size 15 shoes, so toe clearance might be an issue... will need to check..