# Pro biker Willow Koerber and her Tiny 29-y



## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

Didn't someone tell her she can't ride a 29'er! She's only 5'2"! 

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pro-bike-willow-koerbers-subaru-trek-trek-superfly-elite?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=features

Who says 29ers are only for tall people?
That Willow Koerber (Subaru-Trek) is the best American mountain bike cross-country racer right now is no surprise - she led the UCI rankings earlier this year after back-to-back second-place finishes on the World Cup circuit, landed third in Champéry, and currently still sits in third place overall with one round remaining.
What is surprising is that she's done all of this on a hardtail 29er - despite standing just 1.57m (5' 2") tall.
Koerber's not the only one, either, as teammate Heather Irmiger is also a 29" aficionado with both riders citing the larger format's faster roll on rough terrain, improved cornering prowess, and enhanced stability relative to industry-standard 26" hoops.
"My bike feels like a natural fit to me and I am always amazed at the flow I feel when I am riding the 29er," Koerber told us. "I had zero problems getting my fit dialed."
Sizing may have been problem-free but still not exactly standard, especially with the updated version of Koerber's Trek Superfly Elite. Though Trek says the new chassis is 150g lighter and fifteen percent more rigid thanks to its direct-fit bottom bracket bearings, larger tube profiles, and tapered front end, the intended fork travel has also gone up to 100mm, adding 20mm to the stack from last year's Superfly.
Compounding things further is the carbon fiber steerer tube on RockShox's early-production Reba XX 29", which uses a gradual taper that is great for distributing impact load but doesn't play well with Koerber's extra-short 103mm head tube.
Luckily for Koerber, team mechanic Matt Opperman and the rest of the Trek technical support crew have managed to get around the issues, adding a small spacer beneath the crown race to move the taper further down in the head tube, dropping the fork travel (and thus, crown-to-axle height) by 10mm, swapping to a -12° stem, and also trading in last year's riser bar for a flat one instead.
Opperman says that RockShox is revising the fork's steerer shape, too, so eventually he'll be able to add the travel back in or drop the bar height even lower depending on Koerber's preferences.
The build kit is relatively off-the-shelf, including a nearly complete SRAM XX group (Opperman has to use standard all-steel G3 rotors on the US domestic race bikes since he doesn't have enough XX rotors to go around and a custom-fit SRAM Force front derailleur stands in while the direct-mount XX unit is finalized), Bontrager Race X Lite wheels, tires and cockpit components, crankbrothers Eggbeater 11 pedals, a fi'zi:k Vitesse k:ium saddle, Nokon cables and housing and ESI Racer's Edge silicone foam rubber grips.
Total weight is a 9.62kg (21.21lb) - undoubtedly race worthy but still relatively heavy as compared to other 26" race bikes on the circuit, which still undercut it by more than a kilogram. And in terms of rotating mass, Koerber's 1,692g wheel weight doesn't help, either.
Opperman says that Koerber's new World Cup bike now closes that gap at just 8.9kg (19.7lb) thanks to a new 1,390g wheelset built with Stan's NoTubes 29" rims, a made-by-DT Swiss rear hub and thinner Revolution spokes, and Trek's new FCC front hub.
In addition, Opperman has also included a more comprehensive complement of go-fast goodies such as more titanium hardware, ceramic bearings and, "a few other bits to lighten it."
Koerber will debut the new lighter-weight rig later this month at the final World Cup round in upstate New York - where she'll undoubtedly be seeking that still-elusive win.


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## annamagpie (Jun 5, 2009)

I really want to try a 29er. Treid one once but the frame was too small or something so it felt awkward. now to find someone to loan me one...


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## midgetmafiosa (Oct 8, 2009)

hmmm.....very interesting indeed!


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## midgetmafiosa (Oct 8, 2009)

this is a n00b question, but could you please define toe overlap? i would very much like to know what it is (and hopefully not experience it, as it sounds undesirable). thanks!


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

Toe overlap: your toe hits your front tire when your crank is at the 9/3 o'clock position, occurs mostly in low speed tech sections, such as tight switchbacks. This isn't an issue on any of my 29ers, In fact, on the 40+ smallest size frames I have owned, this has only been an issue on one poorly designed cyclocross bike. It may occur frequenty in bike models, but I kind of consider it a no-buy flaw. You can get small frames that don't do it.


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## spsoon (Jul 28, 2008)

G2 geometry should help with toe overlap. It uses a slacker head angle and more fork offset, both of which move the wheel forward. Should probably also be using short cranks if you're a small/x-small (if you're not already).


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

No toe overlap at all, I have 2 custom 29ers. I also used to have a small Niner which also had no toe overlap.


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## midgetmafiosa (Oct 8, 2009)

thanks. i felt like a hypochondriac that had just read the physician's desk reference for a second there - worried i had every malady without really knowing what they were. i do not have this, and i am glad. and now i am properly edumacated. thanks!


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## RLK (Nov 4, 2009)

No toe overlap on my small Salsa El Mariachi, and I'm only 5'4".

Cool article- thanks for sharing!


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## Fiona (Aug 21, 2005)

*Great inspiration...*

I only have toe overlap when I unclip and hover on my pedals. If I wasn't such a chicken on technical stuff, it would never occur. I love my Sette Razzo 29er. I have found it to be a remarkable bike, especially considering the price ($1400 shipped). The funniest part of me having a 29er is that since I'm fairly short (5'3") people notice the difference in the tire size much quicker than hubby who only rides 29ers. We're planning on getting a tandem 29er when we buy a new mtb tandem.

Fiona


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## creseis (Apr 4, 2008)

I demo'd a small frame Specialized 29er hard tail--liked it, no toe overlap. I have small feet though  I will definitely switch to 29er in the future. Saw Willow race last week--soooo awesome!


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## soly (May 29, 2006)

Fiona said:


> I only have toe overlap when I unclip and hover on my pedals. If I wasn't such a chicken on technical stuff, it would never occur. I love my Sette Razzo 29er. I have found it to be a remarkable bike, especially considering the price ($1400 shipped). The funniest part of me having a 29er is that since I'm fairly short (5'3") people notice the difference in the tire size much quicker than hubby who only rides 29ers. We're planning on getting a tandem 29er when we buy a new mtb tandem.
> 
> Fiona


I assume you are riding the small (16"). What length stem are you using? The Sette fit guide on PricePoint recommends the small for someone 5'5" - 5'8". It is such a good price I am tempted to give it a go even though I'm only 5'4".


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## portere (Aug 27, 2010)

hmm,interesting article.


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## H2oChick (Dec 14, 2006)

I only experience toe-overlap when my body position is not correct; it's hard to explain but even when clipped in my foot position can "reach" out and clip the tire. It has never happened on switchbacks but when I'm playing around pre/post-ride (trying to see how tight I can turn, slalom between the dots). Oh and I'm 5-2-3/8" with a size 8.5 shoe on a Gary Fisher 29er, previous bike an Air 9.


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## Fiona (Aug 21, 2005)

soly said:


> I assume you are riding the small (16"). What length stem are you using? The Sette fit guide on PricePoint recommends the small for someone 5'5" - 5'8". It is such a good price I am tempted to give it a go even though I'm only 5'4".


Hubby bought it for me as a gift and thinks it was the 16". I had decided that even if I didn't like the bike, I could build up another frame with the components at a significant price difference and I have yet to do so. Every time I ride it I'm amaze at how good a bike it is.

Fiona


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