Aplam,
The case is also about weight and size and fit. You should know that heavy and large riders like me (6,4 and 250lbs) are hard to find factory bikes for that fit AND will last. My advice is born from buying and breaking several frames over the years and not from doing stunts and jumps – just riding.
Good news it can work without buying custom built therefore pricey stuff.
My first bike was a Trek hardtail and I LOVED IT and it broke after about 2 yrs. Worth the investment – yes! But prepare yourself for this kind of experience if you are large and over 220lbs. Good news, Trek replaced frame no problems, no questions. It broke later too. Anyway, I’m trying to tell you a story that will help.
Broken several brand name dual suspension units too.
The point is:
Large hardtail of steel and carbon fiber are just stronger than the dual suspension frames. Lots of sizes available.
Yes SVteam is accurate – YT does make an XXL which would likely be a great fit for you. However you should investigate with knowledge that the frame will likely die sometime.
Trek, Specilaized have great sizing and frame replacement warranties but these often have to go through the local bike shop which may help or hinder your frame replacement. Santa Cruz, Pivot etc all have great warranties too but the buy-in price can be high. AND the sizing is just too small for your body.
Recommend a Thomson setback post.
Recommend a long reach, riser stem.
Recommend a riser bar too.
My opinion is that a smile on the trail is worth the price in time, worry and money. You should sit on a ride some bikes from LBS and maybe a few from Craigslist to know what is important to your body. Again, the bigger the smile the better the choice.
I know this is a lot for a request for a simple answer but realistically there is often just more to it.
My current answer is a Soma Juice XL hardtail, steel, Fox 36 with 29er wheels, Thomson setback post, riser stem and riser bars. Because I wrenched this myself I saved some shop costs but it still falls within the $3-4K range. Fits the best frame so far and is easy to replace when it fails. I learned to build/fix bikes because I don’t have the budget or the temperament to keep purchasing whole bikes just to have them fail and then have to start over again with mismatched parts, incompatible suspension components, etc.
Good News – my hardtail keeps me cranking and smiling with the best of them.
See you out there and good luck with your search.
Oh almost forgot to say that GT and Marin make nice size bikes with decent components and would make a great starter bike. I rode a Marin for a few months. No it didn’t break but was stolen after a few months so who knows 🙂