# 5'4" or smaller women ride a 29er single speed?



## flying marmot (Sep 26, 2006)

Just tested a 29er ss, really liked the way it climbed and is a bit more effortless getting over rocks, logs. The bike definitely feels very different from my 26er ss. Wondering if anyone who is about 5'4" has one and if so, how you like it or what you don't like about it.


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## msrutzie (Nov 14, 2006)

I'm 5' 4" and have the Raleigh XXIX small frame size. Love it! I love how the big tires just roll over things. I also find it easier to climb on the SS than on a geared bike. I did make sure the cranks were the same size on all my bikes due to some knee pain I was having. Other than that I just have to have it painted since I dislike the baby puke orange color it came in.


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## MichauxYeti (Nov 10, 2005)

You may want to check out the 650B wheels as well. They're a nice happy medium at about 27.5" that work well for people of shorter stature.


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## IttyBittyBetty (Aug 11, 2005)

*Lynda W*

I think Lynda W may have a 29-er SS and she's maybe 5'3". Look for her on the Endurance Racing forum.


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## venus1 (Aug 4, 2006)

This is my single speed. No lie.


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## LyndaW (Jul 22, 2005)

*5'2" and 29*

I'm 5'2" and have a SS 29er GF Rig.

I love this pic of me with my 29er and my pal Brad with his 26er. I think Brad must be at least a foot taller than me


It is really fun to ride. Rolls over tech stuff like a steamroller. I have an absolute blast riding it.

I also have a Kona Explosif 26er SS and it is faster and the bike I race on. The 26er definitely climbs faster. It is more twitchy to handle in tech stuff and I can't ride drops off so well but can still do it with attention and race courses are never that technical.

So I think my 29er is more fun and my 26er I KNOW is faster. I have a power meter on both bikes and comparing power and time for the different bikes on the same rides I can tell you I KNOW my 26er is faster. But dam that 29er is fun and I love to train on it...

When my 5'1" mom comes to stay the 29er SS is always the bike she picks to go out riding on (and it is a joy not to hear her grinding my XTR gears on my FS


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## serious (Jan 25, 2005)

LyndaW: *So I think my 29er is more fun and my 26er I KNOW is faster.*

Finally, somebody that is not afraid to say that.


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## flying marmot (Sep 26, 2006)

thanks for the info. I think I'll stick with 26 and if I roll into some money or win the lottery I'll splurge on a fun bike. Really helpful LW, appreciate your insight!


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## flying marmot (Sep 26, 2006)

love the photo too funny


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## flying marmot (Sep 26, 2006)

NICE sting-ray!!!!


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## namrita (Jun 1, 2005)

If your legs are not long enough to get the saddle high enough for a decent drop to the bars for a "race-y" position, a 29er probably won't feel as fast as a 26er. you will have to be set up with the bars around even to the saddle..which is fine for riding but not really an ideal race fit. 

i am 5'8" with really long legs and only ride and race a 29er. i really don't feel like it slows me down. 

my sister is 5'4" and has a vassago jabberwocky. she is just starting to ride.


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

i'm 5'2" and ride 29 inch wheels, both on my geared and my SS bike.

I personally didn't look into 650b wheeled bikes because there is no real tire selection at this point imho

oh yea and 29ers are really slow too. I should have been in the middle in this picture, not on the left, dangit. 








Luckily I'm not really a racer so I'm sticking with my 29er

here's my lovelies









durango to moab hut to hut trip (hence all the gear)









I don't have 650 on my cross bike either


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

I agree with Linda. I am a bike-position NERD (and a Cat 1 - I am probably overly race-position oriented on some of my bikes due to my road background), and I am tall enough to fit my 29er in a race-friendly way. It just isn't as fast as my XC 26ers. 

Makes sense really - for the same reason you put light wheels on your race bike. Faster acceleration is *faster*. When Merida, the Chinese Olympic team and Luna all switch to 29ers for race day, I will consider it. 

I like my 29er, it is mellow and easy to ride, but for acceleration and handling, the 26 is better.

Another interesting thing - Linda's photo is a perfect illustration of who 29ers are perfect for - tall people who have to ride freaky long seat-posts to get the right leg extension and then compromise ride quality due to torso position/saddle-stem relationship. A lot of guys fit this bill, and so to tall women with short torsos and long legs.


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

I have seen that Schwinn pic somewhere before...


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## Hippienflipflops (Oct 18, 2006)

your friend brad's seat is ridiculously high. it makes me laugh.


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## adimiro (Jan 11, 2006)

What about a 29'er for a really small rider, say 5'1"? Anybody out there fit this description.  

Being pint-sized, I had already accepted (and even relieved) that I never would/could fit on a 29'er. Please say this is still true so I don't have to start lusting after yet another bike.




Also, in mountain biking, "faster" is a combination of both power output and in technical prowess. Thus, I do have to question LW's unequivocal conclusion that the 26'er is faster based only on power data. Much time can be lost (or gained) in a race from technical bike handling abilty. I mean, most pro racers are riding on cross-country full suspension bikes for this reason and the same concept may apply to the 29'ers


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

Honestly, it is just super boring to write it all out, but yes, if you are able to handle your bike better, you will gain some time. That said, in my experience, the 29er wheel doesn't offer enough of an advantage on most courses to overcome the disadvantage of being a wheel that requires more power to accelerate at the same rate. I have ridden both types of bikes and it is pretty clear which I think of as the more race-able wheel size. 

I am sure that lots of people will have different opinions, and if you really want to get into it, go read to the 29er board - there are acres of people over there willing to throw themselves on the grenade in the name of big wheels. 

As for riding a 29er at 5'1", there are plenty of short chicks riding 29ers and plenty of people who will make one for you.

But is it better at that height? Some might say yes, but you would have to look at their entire bike history to understand why. Maybe the 29er is the first time they have put a bike together themselves instead of buying something stock, maybe it is the first time they have had a bike that fits (which might be true for many - if I were that height and buying a 29er, I would be very careful about frame size selection, perhaps leading to the best fit of all my bikes), maybe they like the Cadillac quality of a 29er (they are super stable, and I think some lesser-skilled people like them because they feel less threatening to ride). I like mine because it is mindless and cruiser-y. It is a nice end-of season bike, when the energy levels are low and I don't want to go fast. 


C <--------------- Cutting weight and feeling a bit testy. Should probably evaluate calorie intake.


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

chuky said:


> Honestly, it is just super boring to write it all out, but yes, if you are able to handle your bike better, you will gain some time. That said, in my experience, the 29er wheel doesn't offer enough of an advantage on most courses to overcome the disadvantage of being a wheel that requires more power to accelerate at the same rate. I have ridden both types of bikes and it is pretty clear which I think of as the more race-able wheel size.
> 
> I am sure that lots of people will have different opinions, and if you really want to get into it, go read to the 29er board - there are acres of people over there willing to throw themselves on the grenade in the name of big wheels.
> 
> ...


Not sure I follow your entire rationale, but the original question was can a short girl ride a 29er. The answer is simple - yes.

Whether a short girl should use a 29er to race, or to ride DH, or techy stuff is another question altogether, and probably as many answers as riders out there.

Honestly, though, people - it's a bike. Most of what goes into a ride is the rider, not the equipment. Ride what you love, love what you ride, its all good.


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## adimiro (Jan 11, 2006)

I know that the 26 vs 29 inch wheels is a subject is that elicits intense opinions. I agree it's mosly the rider not the bike, but heck, sometimes it's just interesting to discuss the pro's and cons. It's like trying to decide the right tool for the job at hand...26 vs 29, SS vs geared, hard tail vs DS, 5 vs 6 inches of travel. This forum is a great tool to listen and learn since no one has first-hand access to everything out there. Especially in the women's biking equipment arena and even more, to women like myself who are in the shorter-stature end of the bell curve. I've been around mountain bikes long enough to remember it's evolution such as when suspension forks were considered too heavy for XC racing and riser bars and DS were only for downhillers. Just wanna keep an open mind and stay informed to what's out there. 

I can understand the disadvantages of a 29er in standard XC races, but would think that the additional momentum and plusher ride would be welcome in longer endurance races. Interesting that Lynda W and Namrita, both champion 12/24 hour endurance racers, are on the opposite sides of the issues.


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

You are correct, most of what I am saying is tangental to this thread. 

C <------------- has moved her meals a bit closer together.


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## brg (Sep 7, 2004)

adimiro said:


> Thus, I do have to question LW's unequivocal conclusion that the 26'er is faster based only on power data. Much time can be lost (or gained) in a race from technical bike handling abilty. I mean, most pro racers are riding on cross-country full suspension bikes for this reason and the same concept may apply to the 29'ers


yeah - that would be a good point - EXCEPT Lynda doesn't fit the bill of "most cross country racers" Not only does she have amazing fitness/endurance - she has *very* good technical skills - I've seen her ride technical terrain (in person and in pictures) and she is awesome. So if she says a 26er is faster than a 29er then that's good enough for me.

not that it really matters to me - because at 4'10" - i'll never ride a 29er.


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## brg (Sep 7, 2004)

adimiro said:


> Interesting that Lynda W and Namrita, both champion 12/24 hour
> endurance racers, are on the opposite sides of the issues.


Agreed that is interesting- but I'm guessing that Namrita(this is not a knock on Namrita) hasn't done the direct comparisons and analysis that Lynda has done with 2 bikes on the same type of terrain/trails along with all the power/speed info...

and with that said - Impy is right. it's a bike and I love riding bikes!


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## brg (Sep 7, 2004)

chuky said:


> I have seen that Schwinn pic somewhere before...


yeah - she drags that out everytime there is a singlespeed thread.

I have no excuse - i'm not cutting my calories


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