New Love Life- MTB Fitting Question

So I met this great guy a few months ago- things are going really well except one thing-
- He tele skis- I love cross-country skiing.
- He's a mountain biker- I prefer the road.

So far we're doing really well at meeting in the middle- but sooner or later I think that means I'm going to need to get on a mountain bike.

So my question is- how do I figure out what size mountain bike I am. I've ridden enough road bikes with a reach that's too long to know that I probably need a WSD bike. I'm 5' 5 1/2" with pretty typical proportions. Does that put me on a medium 15-16" frame???

I'm obviously new to this and therefore don't want to spend a ton of money. I'd also like to avoid the very low end bikes. I'm therefore thinking about buying something used (?ebay), but that would mean I'd probably have to buy without a test-ride (and need to figure out the sizing on my own).

Any bikes that people do or don't like??? Specialized and Trek seem to come up the most, so I'd be particularly interested to hear opinons about them. (And I have no interest in crazy downhill riding and am therefore only considering hardtails).

Thanks a lot!

I think it's sweet that you're looking at ways to do more things together. Is he looking at road bikes too?

We were "professionally" fitted on our road bikes a couple of years ago, then asked about how t fit our mountain bikes. The answer was - the same dimensions. Measure the saddle height to axel; measure the saddle front to handlebar, etc...get as close as you can, especially if you like how your road bike feels for fit.

And fit is definitely where you start. Try as many bikes as you can; get the size and feel you want. When you're on a budget, don't forget to look at used bikes. As for full suspension - I love it and will always prefer it over my hard tail! I love being able to keep seated and pedaling in sections that used to bounce me around so much I'd have to coast.

Brands? Well, they are mostly all good. Everyone has their favourite bike. I love my Santa Cruz Juliana! I had to go for a WSD because I'm just plain short, you won't be as restricted with your more average height. You'll find different brands may fit differently, so you may need WSD in one brand, but not in another. You may find this with sizing, too.

Good luck, have fun and don't forget to get *him* looking at road bikes, too.

Hugs & butterflies,
~T~

I bought a Trek 8500 hardtail, not women specific, size small (15.5?) in 2000. It was used, a year old so I only paid half of its $1,600 sticker price. I loved, loved, loved it. I would recommend that model if they still make it.

I've "graduated" to a 2006 Giant Trance, which is a dual suspension but much more pricey, and the hubby helped me get it brand spankin' new. If you can't pay retail (I feel the pain) then check online classifieds in your area. Even with eBay or the other online sales spots, if it's nearby, they'll usually let you come ride it first and make sure it will work for you.

mtbreview.com has classifieds, I think searchable by distance from your zip codes. I know you can search eBay by distance.

Maybe rent a demo from a LBS if you narrow down the type you're interested in.

Good luck in love and on the dirt!

I agree strongly with what has already been said. Find a place that you can test ride as many bikes as possible. You may not need a WSD. My first bike was not, and I am smaller than you.

So test ride, test ride, test ride.

We have been very successful on ebay. Once you know what you want, it may be the way to go.

I too got a fabulous deal on ebay for my Giant Trance. You should not pay more than 50% of retail for a used bike in good+++ condition. Just be sure to ask questions on condition/ how many miles are on the drivetrain, etc. The drivetrain is what takes the most abuse and is expensive to repair.

I did not even test ride it but I compared the spec's with my hardtail. BTW the standover listed for the Trance on the Giant website is a "virtual" number. Actual standover is much greater because of the way the top tube angles down.

For the budget conscious a hard-tail is a good way to go, as long as you have healthy joints, back, etc. If you are over 40 I would recommend a full-sus, however. Be forewarned: if you test ride one, you will want it. If you ride horses it's like the difference between a trotting horse and a gaited one.

Don't limit yourself to wsd. MTB have more wiggle room for adjusting your reach- stem length, bar rise, setback seatpost etc. Get on some test rides if you can.

Definitely look at full suspension! And there are so many ways to make a mountainbike fit regardless if its a WSD. You can play with the angle of the bars, flat or riser bars, the stem length and rise, and then the seat position. My first mountainbike was a hardtail, then I went full suspension and its the bike I love the most, and probably would have bought that one if I would have ridden it first. So try lots of bikes if you can at the LBS. Good luck!

Work on the tele thing, too. Just don't let him teach you. You would be surprised how much cross-country skiing is involved in tele skiing. Unless, of course, we are only talking about the resort.

Learn some backcountry skills together if that is an issue. Learn whatever kind of turn you want at a resort. (But, again, don't let him teach you!) You might find common ground.

Good luck with the mtb/road dilemna.

sarah

There were two things that I said I would never do when I met my husband. The first was tele ski and the second was mountain bike......In fact, I went to great lengths to explain why mountain biking would be no fun and why telemark skiing should be outlawed (all in good fun, of course).

Now, I don't own a pair of skis that aren't teles - I use them to backcountry, as well as resort. If you like cross country, you would love doing back country on teles. But please take Sarah's advice and DO NOT let your SO teach you. In fact, I know a great tele teacher in VT if you are anywhere near the Pico/Killington area.

As for mountain biking, it really is one of my great loves now. Especially in Vermont- And it gives me a totally different outlet and workout than road riding. Everyone has great points - I don't have a WSD- I have a Rocky Mountain hard tail and love it to death. People keep trying to make me try full suspensions, but I really don't want the extra weight to lug up the hills. A good shop will let you test differnt ones on some trails and see what you really like.

Good luck!

Thanks so much everyone for the great advice!

Rest assured- he's put in as much time on cross-country skis this winter as I have on tele. (I'd actually taken some tele lessons and bought skis a few years back- so I had that equipment and didn't really need instruction. I have a more 'careful' style and am slower, but we're still able to ski together.) It also turns out that my old road bike (a Trek 5000 with a top tube that's way too long for me)- fits him very well- he's 2-3" taller but his proportions are different and it seems to work for him.

I appreciate all the comments re hardtails vs suspension- I think I'm just not ready to get hardcore enough to think about full suspension though (even if this is as much about perception as reality).

I have enough bikes in my garage that don't fit me (reach is too long- even after changing stems/ seat position etc) to be pretty frightened of any stock bike that's not WSD. I realize that every bike is different, but I think I'm unlikely to find a good fit on a non-WSD bike.

I've been watching ebay pretty closely- but after one experience with a seller who was very willing to answer questions (only not the ones I'd asked) about fit- I'm thinking I may be better off spending a little more money and going with the LBS.