[rtcage]

For starters, my wife is 5'6.5". She is an avid runner but the constant pounding on the pavement has her knee starting to hurt a bit. We both got new Stumpjumper 26" FRSs in 2008. As my riding advanced I quickly turned to a less plush more XC oriented bike and eventually found myself on a Pivot 429. I love the bike as it is a very efficient climber and has made me much more confident on the downhills.

My wife complains that her Stumpjumper is too plush. She likes to climb out of the saddle and despite my efforts to firm up the suspension, she is getting frustrated by the inneficiency of the bike, especially while standing.

I'd like to get her a more efficient pedaling bike, but I'm a little concerned about a 4" XC 26" bike that might be too twitchy or sketchy for her on the downhills. She's not the best downhill or technical rider.

This leads me to a 29er for her. My only concern is whether it will work given her height and weight. She probably weighs between 125 and 130 with gear (probably closer to 125). Part of me is also concerned about how much the pedaling efficiency will be offset by her having to spin a bigger wheel.

Any thoughts/bike recommendations?

 

[BOAB]

My wife is 5'2" and she ride the gt peace multi 29er, and a friend of hers who is 5'4" and ride a superfly 29er ss. So 5'6" shouldn't be a problem.

 

[nitrousjunky]

Take a look at the 15" Fisher Hifi's and Superfly 100. Climbing is very efficient and she would have no issues with fitting them.

Or if you're loyal to Spec, check out the Epic 29ers.

 

[Type1Rider]

For what's its worth, my wife if 5' 2" and rides a 15.5" Superfly 100 with a 90mm stem. World XC podium finisher Willow Koerber, who herself is 5' and a little bit, also rides a Superfly:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/willow-koerber-reflects-on-best-season-yet.

Cool that you get to have your S.O. get to go on rides with you too!

Happy Holidays!

 

[tskdmz]

i'll chime in on the superfly for the wife. my wife is 5-7 and she rides my 17" superfly with a 90mm stem. it will be hers this spring when i get a different bike. she loves the stability of the big wheels.

 

[rtcage]

Thanks to all. I will definitely give the Fishers a look.

 

[moschika]

Thanks to all. I will definitely give the Fishers a look.

PM Impy on these forums. She has a couple sweet Sycip 29er's - one geared, one ss- and she's not that tall.

 

[zarr]

OP- maybe ask this topic in the Women's Lounge Forum.

 

[thesergeant]

Has she ridden a 29er? My suspicion is that once she tries one she won't want to go back.

My fiance is 5'3" / 105lbs and fell in love with my Air9 (size: small) after I let her ride it once. She refuses to ride 26ers now and infact has transitioned from 3x9 to 2x9 to 1x9. She's running 1x9 (32x11-34t) on a small Salsa El Mariachi and LOVES it. With that gear ratio she tends to power through climbs while standing and is FAST. I also ride a Pivot 429 and discussed teh issue of going full suspension. She wasn't interested at all. She doesn't go insane on the downhills and is very much XC oriented. She'd rather have the weight benefit and efficiency of a HT.

At your wife's height she'll have no problem finding a frame to fit. Kona makes a really short TT (22.5") in their size small. Salsa is around 22.7" and Niner around 23 or 23.1" (?). She'll be fine on any of them.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[onlyontwo]

My wife is 5' 7" and rides a medium Paragon. She loves the thing, even more so than her Tracer. Let her try one and see what she thinks.




Cheers,
Andy

 

[hellocook]

looking at all these post i am getting a little nervous about sizing the 1st 29er for my wife.

my wife is 5'8" and i ordered a small jet9 with 23.1" ETT (between small and medium superfly).

have i ordered a too small frame?

sorry for hi-jacking the thread ...

 

[rtcage]

looking at all these post i am getting a little nervous about sizing the 1st 29er for my wife.

my wife is 5'8" and i ordered a small jet9 with 23.1" ETT (between small and medium superfly).

have i ordered a too small frame?

sorry for hi-jacking the thread ...

From the little bit of research that I have done you should be ok with a small stem adjustment. This assumes she is normally proportioned.

 

[hellocook]

actually, a little shorter upper body and longer legs. i don't think arms are overly long.

her current frame is a M palomino with a 70mm stem and i would say she is a little stretched on it. I am not sure how to compare ETT from the Palomino due to the crazy seat tube angle (and with her relatively long legs she has a lot of seat post). I thought a shorter position will give her additional stability on technical trails.

The M Jet9 with 23.75 ETT appeared too much to me. The Turner M has the ETT of a S Niner, therefore I decided to go for the S Niner.

 

[rtcage]

You should be good as long as you can get her knee positioned correctly relative to the spindle.

 

[getjohn]

5' 6" is on the verge of short for a 29er. Probably a medium with a 22" TT. Here are my thoughts after bith my son (5' 7") and I have ridden alot of 9ers and own 3. Hard tails look at the headtube angle. Avoid the Gary Fishers with the G2 on a 29er as they can be really squirrelly, especially on fast decents. Stay with a 2009 or newer bike as drastic changes took place in geometry. Specialized makes a really nice handling 9er with a slack head tube, but the Felt models offer a slightly steeper head tube for a better over all feel and they ride nicer and cost less. Personally I would avoid full Suspension at her height, too heavy, and long, tall etc. Gearing you are going to be in trouble. The groupies have not caught up with the 10% ratio difference of the 9ers. So what you rode in 22/32 will have to be 22/35 or 22/36, so try to pick up gearing with a 22/32/42 front and a minimum of a 12/34 rear if not a 12/36. Good Luck
John

 

[skiahh]

From the sounds of things, she'd be perfect for an Epic. Unfortunately, Specialized decided to not make Small 29er Epics. I'm in the same boat for my wife, so will likely wind up getting her a GF Hi Fly.

 

[Blue Sugar]

My wife is 5' 7" and rides a medium Paragon. She loves the thing, even more so than her Tracer. Let her try one and see what she thinks.




Cheers,
Andy

Where were those pictures taken?

 

[onlyontwo]

Hurkey Creek in SoCal.

Great trail system and camping area. The first one is the valley floor and the other is on an upper portion of the trail.

Cheers,
Andy

 

[FASTK]

Hey Moderator! Wake up!

This thread is another weekly repeat asking the same question, "Am (fill in blank) too short for a 29er?" The questions are always the same and the answers are always the same. Sadly, there are still bad info getting posted as answer (see getjohn's on 5'6" maybe being too short).

Please Mods, just consolidate this into a FAQ on 29ers and be done with it.:madman:

 

[ibis26]

Hi all ! I am a little confused (as usual) This thread started out that she was not pleased with the suspension set-up on the stumpy and we ended up talking about 29er's . 29er's are great (I have 3 ) but shouldnt we have offered tips to help with getting the stumpy set-up with less bob ? Just off the top of my head I would say prob a little more air pressure front and rear and more rebound damping also ?