I am sorry this is a duplicate post from the ebike forum. I wanted to put it here as well since my wife is as short as many kids out there, and would love your perspective. Feel free to delete if needed, mods!
TLDR: I'm looking for an easy to handle emtb for my 4'9.5" 100lb beginner wife and considering a Specialized Turbo Levo Kids Sl.
My wife is wanting to get an e-mtb. I am an avid rider (no e-bike), and my 9 year old son is turning into one as well, and she is curious to join us on some rides. She is an absolute beginner, and honestly isn't that great on a bike overall, though she can certainly ride one. We took a trip to Whistler this summer, and my wife rented and rode for a day doing a few laps down Easy Does It. She actually really enjoyed it, and is now wanting to give it a bit more of a try. But she is adamant that she does not want to climb. Hence, an e-mtb.
However, at her size (4' 9.5" / 146cm) and weight (100 lbs / 45 kg), fitting and handling a big heavy ebike is a challenge. Most of the bikes available don't come in sizes that fit her, and even those that technically do I am dubious whether it would actually work. As a beginner, she really wants to be able to put her foot down while seated, and this was her biggest complaint about the whistler bike she rented. Her bike inseam is only 26-27" (66-68.5cm), and based on my calculations that would be challenging for any adult ebike I'm aware of.
I am intrigued by the Specialized Levo Kids Sl, and can get a pretty incredible deal at a local shop. This would certainly give her plenty of standover and the ability to put a foot down, but is on 24" wheels, and maybe could be a bit small for her(?) since she is right at the top of the suggested height range. However, the numbers for her seem reasonable, and the front fork is 26", so it should be straightforward to old school mullet it for more clearance and to raise the front end a bit if really needed.
Realistically, though, she is a beginner rider, and is going to be happy on greens and easy blues and just using it around town for quite a while I imagine, and I am thinking for someone at her level a smaller bike that is much easier to handle and where she can always put a foot down will be much more confidence inspiring than a "big" bike that she has a hard time maneuvering. As a side benefit, my 9 year old is at the bottom of the size range for this bike and could use it when she doesn't want to, which I'm sure he would love (he loves descending but doesn't have the legs for bigger days), but I'm not so sure how I feel about that haha.
Important to note, she will likely not be able to try the bike before purchasing, hence my (too) in depth analysis.
What are your thoughts? I would love and appreciate your wisdom!
TLDR: I'm looking for an easy to handle emtb for my 4'9.5" 100lb beginner wife and considering a Specialized Turbo Levo Kids Sl.
My wife is wanting to get an e-mtb. I am an avid rider (no e-bike), and my 9 year old son is turning into one as well, and she is curious to join us on some rides. She is an absolute beginner, and honestly isn't that great on a bike overall, though she can certainly ride one. We took a trip to Whistler this summer, and my wife rented and rode for a day doing a few laps down Easy Does It. She actually really enjoyed it, and is now wanting to give it a bit more of a try. But she is adamant that she does not want to climb. Hence, an e-mtb.
However, at her size (4' 9.5" / 146cm) and weight (100 lbs / 45 kg), fitting and handling a big heavy ebike is a challenge. Most of the bikes available don't come in sizes that fit her, and even those that technically do I am dubious whether it would actually work. As a beginner, she really wants to be able to put her foot down while seated, and this was her biggest complaint about the whistler bike she rented. Her bike inseam is only 26-27" (66-68.5cm), and based on my calculations that would be challenging for any adult ebike I'm aware of.
I am intrigued by the Specialized Levo Kids Sl, and can get a pretty incredible deal at a local shop. This would certainly give her plenty of standover and the ability to put a foot down, but is on 24" wheels, and maybe could be a bit small for her(?) since she is right at the top of the suggested height range. However, the numbers for her seem reasonable, and the front fork is 26", so it should be straightforward to old school mullet it for more clearance and to raise the front end a bit if really needed.
Realistically, though, she is a beginner rider, and is going to be happy on greens and easy blues and just using it around town for quite a while I imagine, and I am thinking for someone at her level a smaller bike that is much easier to handle and where she can always put a foot down will be much more confidence inspiring than a "big" bike that she has a hard time maneuvering. As a side benefit, my 9 year old is at the bottom of the size range for this bike and could use it when she doesn't want to, which I'm sure he would love (he loves descending but doesn't have the legs for bigger days), but I'm not so sure how I feel about that haha.
Important to note, she will likely not be able to try the bike before purchasing, hence my (too) in depth analysis.
What are your thoughts? I would love and appreciate your wisdom!
