29er or not?

[pinsonp2]

Giant makes a womwn's cross bike that I find interesting, but I am not ready to buy another bike. Here's the link and they do make a XS and S frames in it:
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...oad/?level=all

P2

[zoom-zoom]

Giant makes a womwn's cross bike that I find interesting, but I am not ready to buy another bike. Here's the link and they do make a XS and S frames in it:
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...oad/?level=all

P2

That looks really nice...but even their S would be too big for me in terms of both stand-over and TT. I don't really consider myself an XS woman at just under 5'4". A truly short woman has almost no options, aside from something like a Redline Conquest 24, which is marketed to kids 9-13 (our DS--almost 11--is getting one for Christmas).

I wonder if more women would do CX if the CX bike selection weren't so limited to women of shorter stature. There's always the option to use a mtn. bike, but that extra weight would stink for barriers and really slow a person down.

[Aggie_Ama]

I see most of us short women on Specialized 29ers. From what my LBS told me they felt Specialized was leading the way on small geometry. Of course Willow Koerber, Emily Batty and Heather Irmiger are all about my size and have been rocking Trek 29ers.

From looking at geometry charts I might be able to ride a Specialized Crux. Not 100% sure, the only person in town I know with the 46cm is one of the wrenches at our shop who is quite "compact". Our local rep is pretty darn cool though, I could probably get a demo if I liked. That is my next bike on the wish list.

[zoom-zoom]

I see most of us short women on Specialized 29ers. From what my LBS told me they felt Specialized was leading the way on small geometry. Of course Willow Koerber, Emily Batty and Heather Irmiger are all about my size and have been rocking Trek 29ers.

That's what bums me out. Our favorite LBS doesn't carry Specialized and I'd feel like I'm cheating to even shop anywhere else. It will be a few years before I'm even in the market for another mtn. bike, so I really hope that Cannondale will get on the ball and start producing some smaller 29ers. Salsa is the only brand our LBS carries that does any smaller ones, but they're at a much higher pricepoint than we'd ever consider (otherwise I'd have my heart seat on a Mamasita).

[Loraura]

Are there any women here 5'4'' or under who ride full suspension 29ers?

I want one. I'm having a hard time finding one.

I can ride my husbands 15.5 Gary Fisher HiFi (Now the Trek Superfly), but the standover is an issue. Well, as long as I'm RIDING, it's not an issue, but getting bogged down on an incline threatens to maim me for life, lol.

I'd really love to hear from anyone 5'4'' or under riding a FS 29er.

I know most advice is going to tell me to just get a hardtail. But that's not what i'm looking for.

[limewave]

There is always the 650b--the wheel size b/w a 26 and 29er. I actually wish I knew about this option before I jumped on the 29er wagon. Don't get me wrong, I love my 29er, but it is heavier than the 26er and there is no way to get around the worst kind of weight you can add to a bike: rolling weight.

The 650b is a good option for a smaller rider looking for that 29er feel. Here is a link to a full-suspension option. A local bike fabricator has a hard-tail version.

[zoom-zoom]

There is always the 650b--the wheel size b/w a 26 and 29er. I actually wish I knew about this option before I jumped on the 29er wagon. Don't get me wrong, I love my 29er, but it is heavier than the 26er and there is no way to get around the worst kind of weight you can add to a bike: rolling weight.

The 650b is a good option for a smaller rider looking for that 29er feel. Here is a link to a full-suspension option. A local bike fabricator has a hard-tail version.

That is interesting--I didn't know that was a possibility. Could a person buy a 29er frame and use the smaller wheels with disc brakes? Toe overlap would be one of my concerns with a 29er frame, but that would probably eliminate that issue AND allow me to ride a larger frame, since standover would be less of an issue.

[Owlie]

Giant makes a womwn's cross bike that I find interesting, but I am not ready to buy another bike. Here's the link and they do make a XS and S frames in it:
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...oad/?level=all

P2

What concerns me is that the geometry is very similar to my road bike, and I know that doesn't work well for me. (Maybe in a size smaller?)

Still, Giant must run pretty large, then, because there's no way anyone would call me "small".