Quote Originally Posted by 00gauge View Post
Hello, I am a new poster here. Did an extensive search without anything conclusive. I am (a guy) and an avid MTB rider and it seems my girlfriend has caught the bug. I'd like to get her a mountain bike. She's tiny: 5 foot tall with a 28 inch (72 cm) inseam. So far the only bike she fit on was Fuji Navada but even at the highest spec that bike comes in with crap parts that makes it close to 30 lbs in weight. We have also tried Specialized Myka 15" since it was the smallest the LBS had and it was too large (and also insanely heavy).

I think there should be no reason I couldn't find a decent lightweight (under 25 lbs) hardtail in XXS size for under $1500 but I am struggling to find one.
Short of building up the Soma with weight in mind (which might run you over your budget), you might consider getting a bike like the Myka and making changing out few things to bring down the weight, obviously starting with the fork and wheels. It's not the most cost-effective option, but as I know from my own short legs, sometimes small riders have to make compromises others don't. This seems especially true in the MTB world. There are seemingly more options out there if she wants a FS bike, but with that, she'd likely have to up her budget if she wanted to get something light.

Depending the used MTB market in your area, you might keep an eye out for a FS bike on Craigslist. Or post something on MTBR's Women's subforum; it seems like there's always a person or two trying to sell a bike. In this thread alone, two women are trying to sell their XS FS bikes.