# 29er for wife? or 27.5?



## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

Hi guys, my wife is 5-4 and rides well. She has been on a crappy 27.5. I'd like to get her a 29er Ripmo but am unsure of a 29er. Do you guys have any experience that you can pass along? Anyone liking or not liking the modern-not-too-long 29ers?


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## slimphatty (Sep 9, 2011)

Anyone, male of female, shorter than 5' 5" should be riding a 27.5. The End.


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## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Dont know where above gets his info, but doesnt have a clue. I see kids that are 12-14 years old barely over 5ft tall at most winning regional XC on 29ers.

That said, dont try to get her on something based off your feelings. Let her try and decide what she wants. More she likes the bike the more she'll be willing to ride.

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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

slimphatty said:


> Anyone, male of female, shorter than 5' 5" should be riding a 27.5. The End.


Not really. There are plenty of short ladies and men who ride just fine on a 29er.

Just like there are tall women and men who are fine on 27.5 wheels.

To the OP: have her demo where possible. Let her pick what she wants no matter what the wheel size.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

slimphatty said:


> Anyone, male of female, shorter than 5' 5" should be riding a 27.5. The End.


My wife is 5'0" and she rides a Specialized Jett 29er, x-small frame. the frame is plenty small for her. the end.


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## slimphatty (Sep 9, 2011)

Can you use a fork to eat soup? Yes. Does that mean you should use one? Up to you. 

27.5's are more nimble, typically smaller and don't require so much strength to maneuver. 

Is it minimal? Sure. Does it make a big difference? 100%

At the end of the day, let the rider decide for themselves and I will continue to laugh at small riders using big wheels.


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## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

Yeah I'm having her demo a a buddies medium Switchblade (past gen) and she rides a crappy 27.5 Giant Stance right now. She is also demoing a friends 27.5 last-gen Divinci Troy. I was just curious as to what others are doing well with. Thanks!


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## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

What the heck 29ers have you ridden, stuff from 20 yrs ago? 29ers definitely are not really any harder to turn, that's far more in the geo of the bike not the wheels size. If you go back to 26 vs 29 then ok, noticeable difference.

Not sure why you would laugh at someone who is out riding just because you dont agree with their wheel size choice. Makes not a bit of sense but whatever.

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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

svinyard said:


> Yeah I'm having her demo a a buddies medium Switchblade (past gen) and she rides a crappy 27.5 Giant Stance right now. She is also demoing a friends 27.5 last-gen Divinci Troy. I was just curious as to what others are doing well with. Thanks!


I have right now two bikes: both are 27.5. My next couple bikes (it's a modular frame) will be a short travel 27.5 and a short travel 29er. It'll be my first 29er. I'm 5'5" and I'm really comfortable on 27.5, but I want to give this a shot to see if it's something I like. If not I can sell the 29er parts and just keep it strictly as a short travel 27.5.

I think it depends on her style and what she likes. Glad she's able to demo bikes and see what she likes. My husband is 5'10" and hates 29ers, so it's more a matter of geo and ride style for each person.


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## 3blackbikes (May 4, 2011)

slimphatty said:


> Can you use a fork to eat soup? Yes. Does that mean you should use one? Up to you.


Fork= 26"
Spork= 27.5"
Spoon=29"


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

3blackbikes said:


> Fork= 26"
> Spork= 27.5"
> Spoon=29"


Pretty funny!


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## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

She did a light demo of last-Gen Pivot Switchblade 29er (XX1 Fox Factory gucci build with carbon wheels) and a last-gen Troy 27.5 (pike and alum wheels etc). She like how "sturdy" the 29er felt (aka the stability) but missed the nimbleness of the 27.5. It was easier for her jump stuff etc on the smaller wheel as well. Her short opinion was that she could be happy with either but the 27.5 was more fun for her riding style which isn't at racing speeds.

So...now we are looking for some 27.5 bikes.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

svinyard said:


> She did a light demo of last-Gen Pivot Switchblade 29er (XX1 Fox Factory gucci build with carbon wheels) and a last-gen Troy 27.5 (pike and alum wheels etc). She like how "sturdy" the 29er felt (aka the stability) but missed the nimbleness of the 27.5. It was easier for her jump stuff etc on the smaller wheel as well. Her short opinion was that she could be happy with either but the 27.5 was more fun for her riding style which isn't at racing speeds.
> 
> So...now we are looking for some 27.5 bikes.


Cool! Keep us updated. I'm trying my first 29er this year. I already ride 2.6 balloon tires anyway so we'll see if it's much of a transition or I end up loving or hating it.

I love to jump, but there are times I really need a bike to go uphill more than jump. So we'll see how this goes. I'm curious if there's room in my riding style for both wheel sizes.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Lots of nice 27.5's out there. Competitivecyclist has a sale. My lovely bride is on an SB5 turq and loves it! They have frames (including Yeti-Beti) that can be built up.


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## UEDan (Apr 11, 2010)

As a 5'4" dude, I felt WAY too high on my buddy's 29er. Granted it was a large.

Will be sticking with 27.5. But that is all personal preference. Have her test it.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

UEDan said:


> As a 5'4" dude, I felt WAY too high on my buddy's 29er. Granted it was a large.


'Nuff said! Would have been even worse on an XL.


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## GRAVELBIKE (Oct 7, 2006)

My 5'4" wife rides a small Pivot Mach 4 SL (29er). Standover and effective top tube were more suitable than the 27.5 rigs she test rode.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

stripes said:


> I have right now two bikes: both are 27.5. My next couple bikes (it's a modular frame) will be a short travel 27.5 and a short travel 29er. It'll be my first 29er. I'm 5'5" and I'm really comfortable on 27.5, but I want to give this a shot to see if it's something I like. If not I can sell the 29er parts and just keep it strictly as a short travel 27.5.
> 
> I think it depends on her style and what she likes. Glad she's able to demo bikes and see what she likes. My husband is 5'10" and hates 29ers, so it's more a matter of geo and ride style for each person.


You know, The Pro's Closet has a "certified previously owned" 2020 Trance 29 0 full XTR for $6332. SOMEONE ought to buy it!
My wife's too tall.


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## Rod (Oct 17, 2007)

mack_turtle said:


> My wife is 5'0" and she rides a Specialized Jett 29er, x-small frame. the frame is plenty small for her. the end.


Agreed. My wife is on a Trek 29er and loves the rollover ability. She never gets hung up on rocks or roots and it really keeps its momentum. The end part II.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

UEDan said:


> As a 5'4" dude, I felt WAY too high on my buddy's 29er. Granted it was a large.
> 
> Will be sticking with 27.5. But that is all personal preference. Have her test it.


This. Its really annoying to have all the males come on the women's lounge and tell us what's right for us. You guys have the rest of the forum.

Let her pick out her own bike, and post here with her own questions.


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## maddchase (Nov 30, 2017)

Depends on her riding style. I’m 5’2” and have longer travel 27.5 bike for all mountain and bike parks, and 29 for XC stuff. They feel totally different, the 29er is definitely fast but lacks the nimbleness and playfulness of the 27.5 which I prefer on techy trails.


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## Suns_PSD (Dec 13, 2013)

I agree with the idea that smaller riders, particularly on rowdy trails, should be on 27.5s.

Plenty of shorter people ride 29ers of course, and it's the fastest for XC style riding. But I certainly don't think it's the best choice for a shorter/ less strong person unless you just care about being timed over smooth terrain.


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## Julie (Jul 26, 2005)

I'm 64 inches and ride in the rocky hilly San Diego area as well as lots of trips to Utah, Arizona and Colorado. The first bike I ever felt fit me was the original Ibis Mojo SL 26" in Small and it was a revelation. Suddenly I could maneuver in rock gardens and master tight switchbacks on the best darn climbing bike I ever owned. I also was comfortable, if not super fast, downhilling as I felt in good control overall. Then the larger wheels came along, and their benefits over 26 were pretty clear. I spent a year on a Small Ripley 29er and loved it on nontechnical fast terrain, but felt maneuvering it was a big step down from the Mojo. On exposed off camber trails it was downright scary because of the top heavy feel, and I had toe overlap if I unclipped on a sharp turn, and my butt would scrape the rear wheel on very steep downhill (!!!) I then got a XS Pivot Mach 6 27.5 which has me smiling again. So I echo Suns-PSD's thoughts. If you want fast, on nontechnical terrain, 29 will be fine. If you ride twisting tight singletrack and like switchbacks and rock gardens, 27.5 will work better.


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