2014 Carbon Hardtail for a 5ft 1in Female

[TigerMom]

Dearest Teamestrogen members,

I am thinking of selling my full suspension Santa Cruz 26er and buying a Carbon Hardtail 27.5 or 29er next year. I am still in the research stage because low standover is tough to find for a 5ft 1in female.

Currently I am looking at Niner's Air 9 3star carbon XT 29er XS (688mm standover) and the Giant Obsess 27.5 Advanced 1 XS (668mm). My budget will be around $3500, so, hopefully there will be an end of year sale for the Giant Obsess Advanced 1 which is over my budget.

I just wanted to see if any petite members of Teamestrogen have tried either of these bikes and your thoughts.

Unfortunately, demos are not an option due to my size. I will probably have to buy these bikes without being able to give them a test ride.

[rocknrollgirl]

I have not tried those particular models, but I just switched over to a 27.5. I am 5'3".

I have a 29er, and I have a 26er. The new 27.5 bike is perfection. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. The more I ride it the better it gets. I have the Giant Lust 1 Advanced. I cannot say enough good things. I was not able to test ride either, I took a leap of faith based on my bike trusty bike shop guy. If we lived closer I would let you take mine out.

LOVE IT.

[Wahine]

Hi TigerMom.

I think I remember you saying you were having some trouble with switchbacks, is that right? If so a 27.5 would be a better choice over a 29er for the tighter turning radius and also your height. The Niner has a effective top tube length that is about 2.5 cm longer and a wheelbase that is 3 cm longer. The head tube angle on the two bikes is the same so the Niner will feel more stable at high speeds, but will be less responsive turning and the reach will be farther.

Are you bent on carbon? Are there any other models you've considered?

Hope that helps.

[TigerMom]

Hi TigerMom.

I think I remember you saying you were having some trouble with switchbacks, is that right? If so a 27.5 would be a better choice over a 29er for the tighter turning radius and also your height. The Niner has a effective top tube length that is about 2.5 cm longer and a wheelbase that is 3 cm longer. The head tube angle on the two bikes is the same so the Niner will feel more stable at high speeds, but will be less responsive turning and the reach will be farther.

Are you bent on carbon? Are there any other models you've considered?

Hope that helps.

I am not nearly as good of a biker as you Wahine. So, I think that my problem with the switchbacks that I am currently doing has more to do with my lack of handling ability rather than the bike itself. In fact, after one month of practicing on my Santa Cruz Juliana 26er with all of Teamestrogen's great advice, I rode down the same switchbacks on a 29er without any problems. I think for my "beginner to intermediate" level of mountain biking ability, I can still use a 29er on the turns because I am not doing anything crazy gnarly. This is why I am still open to a 29er. Also, since I will be giving up my aluminum full suspension to go hardtail, I figure that the carbon with a bigger 29er wheel will feel similar when going over bumps....which is why I am picking Carbon hardtail over aluminum (I can't afford titanium, which is why I drool over your 2012 Moots Soft-tail). I tried an aluminum 27.5 hardtail and it felt terrible going over ditches and bumps compared to a 29er carbon hardtail. This is also the reason I am scared to buy a 27.5. But I have yet to demo a 27.5 carbon hardtail, so perhaps the comparison is not quite fair.

[rocknrollgirl]

I would assume that the Niner carbon because it is a higher end bike was set up with a better wheel set and was probably tubeless which will make it feel different also.

Here is what I can tell you from first hand experience. Does my 27.5 roll over bumpy stuff as smoothly as my 29er. No. But it is darn close and SO much easier for me to climb on and is a nimble as my 26. Now my bike is also full carbon and a full suspension so that makes a difference in the cush of my ride, and the bikes fits much better than my
29er which I was stretched out on.

In a way I was lucky that I had the full range of experiences riding the 26er and the 29er. It made my leap of faith easier. I too would have been afraid if that had not been the case.
Either way it sounds like you will get a great bike. Keep us posted on the process. If you want any specific info, just yell.

[Becky]

Don't discount the opportunity to demo a bike in your size. While it's true that small and extra-small demos are less common, they're still sometimes available. My friend was able to demo a Niner Air 9 (not sure if it was alloy or carbon) in XS when the demo truck rolled through last summer. Never hurts to check.... I would also check with your local dealer. They may have your size available, or know of a customer who owns that size and would let you try it out.

Good luck!