[mastiff]

Hi,
I am looking to buy my first HT mountain bike to ride on packed dirt, gravel and some grass trails. I am 5'0" and weigh about 98lbs. I have a inseam of 26.5-27" in bare feet. I have test rode jamis, cannondale, trek and specialized - looking at all women's designs. I am concerned about standover hieght - how much wiggle room do I need? Also concernen about frame size. 13 maybe felt to small, 14 felt good and 15 maybe too much reach depending on the model. Adjusting stem would improve the reach on smaller frames right?

I have looked at the Jamis dakota race/comp, Specialized myka HT elite or comp, cannondale F3. Any thoughts on these bikes or any other suggestions?

Thanks for your help,
carla

 

[stingray4540]

I'll be interested to follow this thread. My wife is currently in the same situation, only she's looking for a full suspension. She is 5'0" too. So far it seems the specialized myka is the smallest bike we can find, and she says that that is probably the most reach she would want at 20.27 TT. I wonder if a shorter stem would be able to bring the bikes with 21" TT into contention?

 

[mtbxplorer]

The standover will vary by brand/design, but I would think you'd be closer to a 13" than a 15" in most models if you are 5' & 27" inseam. Check those frame geometry diagrams in the catalog or online for the standover (& where they measure it). If they don't bother to provide it, how much do they really want your business? The smaller bike will be a bit lighter too, which can be important on the hills when you are only 98lbs - the bike is a greater % of your body weight than for a larger person. The standover will not be critical on the easy trails, but as you try harder stuff it's nice to be able to get off in a hurry easily. Also, if they already spec'd a short stem, you won't have much room to shorten the cockpit.