[Cincokid]

Hi
My wife is looking to get back into Mountain Biking and I need some help. She is 5'3" and in her mid 50's. She last rode regularly about 20 years ago and still has her Trek 26" hardtail. I think a 27.5 would be a good choice but I have no experience with them. We live in a mountain/ski town with lots of trails. She is looking for an entry level bike to get back into the sport but not looking to be the next DH champ. So, any suggestions or feedback on current offerings would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[ocmedic]

Being that they are so new you probably won't mind many entry level hardtail 27's, more are going to be 26 and 29. The only 27.5 hardtail I even know of is the Pivot LES, I'm sure there are others that's just what I know of.

 

[tahic]

Pivot LES is not entry level but it is a lovely bike
giant have tons of options in both womens specific and not in hardtail 27.5 so check them out
talon, XTC and Tempt

 

[Single_Trak_Mind]

Check out Jamis and Scott as well.

 

[Ginnie]

I am a newbie to any kind of biking and I got giant Talon 27.5 5 (for $520). i rode the beginner trail for couple of hours and I like it!! I take it to paved (asphalt) path as well.
I thought 29 was a bit too big for my liking, I am 5 7.

 

[aricthered]

Not sure if you have access to Norco but they make a Revolver in 27.5 thats around 2000. That may not be entry level but it is a nice light HT that she will like my wife has the midrange one on order. My wife is 5'5" and she is on a medium.

 

[Cincokid]

Thanks everyone for the info. I checked out the Giant, Scott and Jamis online last night. Two of the bike shops in town carry Giant and Scott and are right across the street from each other. I am going to check them out this weekend. The Jamis is carried by a shop in the valley about 30 miles away so I will have to make that another trip. I think the Norco is a great idea also but just a little above what I wanted to spend. I want to see how much she likes riding and if the bug bites her like I hope it could be one to look at in the future.
Thanks again

 

[Single_Trak_Mind]

The Jamis tends to be pretty heavy, while Scott bikes seem to be pretty light. I owned a Jamis carbon hard tail and ended up selling it because I felt it was too heavy.

 

[Impulse922]

I wouldn't take a 29er out of the equation, especially if you can find a 2013 with a nice price reduction. My girlfriend and I are both about 5'3ish and she has a 29 Juliana Nevis (Santa Cruz) and I have a 27.5 Scott scale.

 

[Cincokid]

I had considered 29ers but just think they are going to be to big for her. We have a lot of single track, switchback and climbing and think she would do better on the 27.5. I ride a 29er and it fits me well (I'm 6'3") but find it a little big for some switchbacks and tight spots. I am actually thinking of adding a 27.5 to my quiver @ some point.

I checked out the pivot on line and it looked interesting.

 

[Homey55]

My wife and I just bought (2) Raleigh Tokul 2's from REI...They were $750 each plus $125 in rebates per bike. We were looking for a decent trail bike that was affordable and had good geometry. They come with a 120mm fork and 27.5 wheels. We just got them yesterday, so no test ride yet. I'll let you know what we think. My wife is also a beginner and she likes how the bike feels around the neighborhood so far.