Does anyone make a SS full-susp MTB for petite rider?

[Jo-n-NY]

Thanks, but these are also all geared bikes, as far as I can tell. I am looking for single-speed, if such a beast is made. Dealing with derailleurs and shifters in a marine climate is just asking for trouble, and since it's perfectly flat here, completely unnecessary.

Thanks!

Ahh yes, I thought wouldn't gears make riding a little easier on that terrain not taking into consideration the climate. The simpler the better in your case. I hope you find something that works for you.

Off topic...still love reading you blog. It is like my morning paper with coffee of course

[SheFly]

Thanks for all the good info, SheFly! Wish I *were* tall enough for a 29er as those seem more common than 26" MTBs nowadays.

I can see where hardtail would work fine on gnarly single-track, because you're out of the saddle a LOT, right? Here, it's dead flat, but the unpaved roads are riddled with rocks and potholes, and the paved roads are mostly cobblestone, so I wouldn't want to be out of the saddle all that much -- with conditions here, I'd have to ride out of the saddle nearly *all* the time to avoid all the bumps, so that is why I was thinking full-suspension. I am not looking to ride aggressively here, just upright and comfortably. My current beach cruiser is a peach on flat, packed sand and flat pavement, but we don't have much of that.

Since a SS fullie is an impossible dream, a suspension seatpost would be my best option, I think, so I could stay seated and have more comfort than on my current beach cruiser.

I may just end up adding a suspension seatpost to my beach cruiser and call it done, as a cheap fix. But it's fun to look at new bikes and dream a little, even if I never do anything about it.

Yup - I think the idea of a Thudbuster is a good one. I've used one on our tandem (many moons ago), and it worked really well. Pairing that with a front suspension fork should smooth out even the cobblestones/pot holes where you are.

My 26er SS was from Soul Cycles, and I LOVED it. Try some of the lesser brands for a SS - Motobecane makes a SS-specific frame, kona makes one, etc.).

I'm sure whatever you decide will work well. SS'ing is addictive though

SheFly

[emily_in_nc]

Yup - I think the idea of a Thudbuster is a good one. I've used one on our tandem (many moons ago), and it worked really well. Pairing that with a front suspension fork should smooth out even the cobblestones/pot holes where you are.

My 26er SS was from Soul Cycles, and I LOVED it. Try some of the lesser brands for a SS - Motobecane makes a SS-specific frame, kona makes one, etc.).

I'm sure whatever you decide will work well. SS'ing is addictive though

SheFly

Great advice, SheFly, thanks. And indy, thanks for the Thudbuster thought. I'll go have a look at Motobecane and Kona -- I honestly had no idea even where to begin to look for SS bikes.

[emily_in_nc]

Ahh yes, I thought wouldn't gears make riding a little easier on that terrain not taking into consideration the climate. The simpler the better in your case. I hope you find something that works for you.

Off topic...still love reading you blog. It is like my morning paper with coffee of course

Thanks JoAnn! I appreciate that. The only place gears would be helpful here is on our one bridge, which is a bit of a hill, but it's great exercise just to get out of the saddle and crank over it. I am already used to my single-speed beach cruiser, and the sand and salty air here eats parts, so like you say, gotta keep things as simple as possible.

[goldfinch]

That Lenz Sport is a lovely bike, but way above my price range, and being a 29er, even the Small is way too tall for me with a 29" standover. Actually, that's a good thing, so I won't be lusting over it!

Since the bike I'm thinking of would essentially be a beach bike much of the time (I live on a sandy island), I would not want to spend over $1000. I now understand that full-suspension is probably not going to work, and it increases the price a lot.

I did look at urban/city bikes, but I would need to be able to run wide, MTB or beach cruiser tires (2"+), so that option probably won't work either.

So I am back to SS hardtail MTBs and will keep looking. It's a fun thing to do on a rainy day. Unfortunately, being in Belize, building it myself would be far too difficult (parts availability is just about nil, and import duties high), so I will keep looking for something ready-made.

What I might get if I rode on sand and rutted roads a lot is a Salsa Mukluk. I am smaller than you and the smallest size fit me. I loved trying out that bike. The price may be just out of your budget though. But maybe you could get the frame and have it built up as a single speed for a reasonable price.

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/mukluk_3/

[emily_in_nc]

What I might get if I rode on sand and rutted roads a lot is a Salsa Mukluk. I am smaller than you and the smallest size fit me. I loved trying out that bike. The price may be just out of your budget though. But maybe you could get the frame and have it built up as a single speed for a reasonable price.

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/mukluk_3/

What a cool bike! Thanks for the pointer. It has a rigid front fork, but maybe with the humongous tires, having front suspension wouldn't be as much of an issue?

For the short term, I am probably just going to consider a Thudbuster seatpost as it's a much less expensive "fix" than a brand-new bike (especially since I'd have to pay even more to have said bike shipped here, plus customs duty, which would be significant on a new bike -- used would be a lot less since they charge based on current/resale value). But it's cool to know that these fatbikes exist -- I'd seen photos of the Pugsley in Adventure Cycling magazine, but was otherwise ignorant of such a thing.

It's always fun to look at bikes even if just "window shopping"!

[SadieKate]

Emily - a suspension post is a good idea but, for me, the position on beach cruisers is excruciating. You are so bolt upright that your butt and spine take all the impact. You can't support any weight with your legs the way you do with the Racer X or any bike with a forward leaning position. It's the same reason I hate the majority of "city" bikes. Plopping your butt on a bike and sitting bolt upright is just miserable. Not to mention, it's inefficient mechanically and your quads do all the work.

For me, a fully rigid mtb with fat tires would be tres good for what you're describing.

Just my 2 cents.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily - a suspension post is a good idea but, for me, the position on beach cruisers is excruciating. You are so bolt upright that your butt and spine take all the impact. You can't support any weight with your legs the way you do with the Racer X or any bike with a forward leaning position. It's the same reason I hate the majority of "city" bikes. Plopping your butt on a bike and sitting bolt upright is just miserable. Not to mention, it's inefficient mechanically and your quads do all the work.

For me, a fully rigid mtb with fat tires would be tres good for what you're describing.

Just my 2 cents.

Interesting take, SK! I actually find my bike quite comfy to ride so long as I'm riding on flat roads or packed sand. Then again, the length of rides I do here is not much compared to in the US. The rides I do here are primarily utilitarian and are of the 5-10 mile variety, but since parts of them are on very bumpy roads with cobbles or unpaved with rocks, that's when my butt gets very bothered.

I'm afraid that moving to a more leaning forward position with a rigid fork would then transfer the road chatter (from cobbles, gravel, and rocks) to my wrists and arms. That's why I think that ultimately a hardtail MTB is my best option, budget permitting. Sure aren't many single-speed hardtails in my size range that I've found, though.

[Reesha]

I would definitely look at Surly frames. They all fit fat tires. I might look into the Long Haul Trucker frame as they make them really tiny and you can set it up for beach cruising.

[SadieKate]

Look for a used softtail like a Litespeed Unicoi and convert to SS.

I think 2.3 tires would soak up a lot of chatter.

[emily_in_nc]

Look for a used softtail like a Litespeed Unicoi and convert to SS.

I think 2.3 tires would soak up a lot of chatter.

Would be great if I were in the US, but converting is not an option here in Belize -- parts are not available and everything costs a mint to ship in. If I am going to spend the money on a bike, I need to just do it in one fell swoop and only pay for shipping from the US once, customs once, etc, not deal with multiple components. Not even sure anyone here would have a clue how to do the work as all that anyone rides here is beach cruisers!

[emily_in_nc]

I would definitely look at Surly frames. They all fit fat tires. I might look into the Long Haul Trucker frame as they make them really tiny and you can set it up for beach cruising.

Thanks Reesha -- will look at Surly!

[goldfinch]

What a cool bike! Thanks for the pointer. It has a rigid front fork, but maybe with the humongous tires, having front suspension wouldn't be as much of an issue?

For the short term, I am probably just going to consider a Thudbuster seatpost as it's a much less expensive "fix" than a brand-new bike (especially since I'd have to pay even more to have said bike shipped here, plus customs duty, which would be significant on a new bike -- used would be a lot less since they charge based on current/resale value). But it's cool to know that these fatbikes exist -- I'd seen photos of the Pugsley in Adventure Cycling magazine, but was otherwise ignorant of such a thing.

It's always fun to look at bikes even if just "window shopping"!

I road the Mukluk over curbs with ease. No need for a suspension with those tires.

[Reesha]

Thanks Reesha -- will look at Surly!

DOH! Apparently I am a piss poor reader. These are not full suspension frames at all! They are no suspension frames I am fool.

[emily_in_nc]

DOH! Apparently I am a piss poor reader. These are not full suspension frames at all! They are no suspension frames I am fool.

No problem Reesha -- I gave up on the full-susp. idea since people told me it would not work as a single-speed. I believe I saw that the Surley 1x1 frame can be built as a single-speed and with a front shock, but building a bike is not something I can do from Belize for various reasons I stated above.

The logistics of getting a new bike down here are difficult, though it can be done. When we moved, we'd already packed up our beach cruisers for shipping, and they were part of the pallet we shipped down. If I were to order a bike now, I'd have to have it shipped directly to our shipper's warehouse in Texas, then have him bring it down. It gets expensive, so I am probably just dreaming right now.

The suspension seatpost will probably be the best I can do for awhile. If we decide to stay here long-term, then perhaps a new bike will be in order. We're still in our first year here and are taking things day by day to make sure this move is going to "stick". We love many things about it here, but we also miss many things about the US -- like road cycling!