# Who has the best woman specific geometry?



## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

I'm looking for a bike for my daughter right now. She's 11, about 5'5", and weighs about 150 lbs. I'm looking to spend about $1000 or less and get a 29er with an air fork. I like Trek's in general, but am open to what ever will fit her best. Thanks.


----------



## mahgnillig (Mar 12, 2004)

askibum02 said:


> I'm looking for a bike for my daughter right now. She's 11, about 5'5", and weighs about 150 lbs. I'm looking to spend about $1000 or less and get a 29er with an air fork. I like Trek's in general, but am open to what ever will fit her best. Thanks.


Most manufacturers don't do women's specific geometry, the frames are unisex and they put different grips and saddles on them, paint them a different colour and call it good. Some of them will tune the shocks differently for lighter riders as well. The only manufacturer that I can think of off the top of my head where the frame geometry is actually different from the unisex version is Liv... their frames are not the same as the men's Giant bikes. Canyon has a road bike that has women's specific geometry but I think their mountain bikes are the same frame across the range.

At 5'5" your daughter will likely fit on any small sized bike (and probably better than I do at 5'2.5") and maybe some mediums, whether it's a women's or unisex model. I'm assuming you are looking at hardtails with a $1000 budget. The only trouble I can think of with 29er hardtails is that they do tend to have a taller standover than 29er full suspension because the top tubes tend to be higher on hardtails. She might not be too thrilled about that, but she's only 11 so she's definitely going to get taller. The other thing to watch is that a lot of bikes seem to be 27.5 in size XS and S, but switch to 29 at size M. This is might limit the number of bikes available to you. I was going to suggest a Trek Roscoe but I think that's 27.5 only.


----------



## Deep Thought (Sep 3, 2012)

Roscoe is 27.5 Plus, which a beginner might like better than a 29er. Or, if she/you are sold on 29er, the Trek X-Caliber has the same frame as the Roscoe, just trimmed out in the 29er XC-race style. 

At 5'5" and still growing, 17.5 or M is probably best. She'll likely grow out of a S pretty quickly.


----------



## godfather (Jun 28, 2009)

Several companies have moved away from women’s specific frame geometry. Specialized as one significant example. They’ve found that proportions such as torso to leg length, or upper body to lower body proportions vary as much in men as in women. Instead, many manufacturers are focusing on how women more commonly differ from men, contact points (saddle and grips) and shoulder width (bar length). As mentioned earlier, suspension tunes tend to be a little lighter as well. Go to a reputable shop or two, and see how different brands actually fit her. Also have her ride 27.5, 27.5+, and 29. Demos on actual trails would be the ideal. You might find that she prefers something different than you might think. Some smaller individuals don’t like how 29ers feel as an example. Ultimately you want the bike that she’s most comfortable and confident on. That one will be the most fun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## fongster (Dec 5, 2011)

We just finished shopping for a new race hardtail for our daughter (age 13, 5-5, 95-ish). Liv doesn't offer 29er HTs (they have 27.5 ones). Trek was attractive and uses 27.5 or 29 depending on frame size in the same model. We ended up with a men's Giant XTC so she could have a 29er but I'm switching the saddle, bars, and grips. Also having a pro-bike fit done.


----------



## EKEL (Sep 12, 2014)

I have a Trek X-Caliber WSD 17.5" and I'm 5'7". I had my LBS shorten the seat post slightly (have since replaced it with a dropper), and take a little off the handle bars. It's a great bike, I've loved it & it's held up well; but it's a 2012, the new X-Caliber WSD doesn't have an air fork I don't think. Agree with other poster, it would be ideal to have her ride a few different sizes and brands if possible.


----------



## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

Thanks for your input everyone! We are going to go out this weekend and go to a few shops. I've decided that I'm going to try to stick to a $500-$600 budget, so it will have to have a coil fork. I just hate to spend $1000+ on a bike she will likely out grow in a year or two. If she sticks with it and continues to ride, maybe I will revisit the budget later. This is just a means to get her out on the trails with her brother and I.


----------



## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

askibum02 said:


> Thanks for your input everyone! We are going to go out this weekend and go to a few shops. I've decided that I'm going to try to stick to a $500-$600 budget, so it will have to have a coil fork. I just hate to spend $1000+ on a bike she will likely out grow in a year or two. If she sticks with it and continues to ride, maybe I will revisit the budget later. This is just a means to get her out on the trails with her brother and I.


Why not look at used?


----------



## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

stripes said:


> Why not look at used?


I'm looking at used too. The pickins are slim though. There's two or three in my price range. The rest are either crap, or too expensive I'm halfway tempted to buy an older bike for $150 and put a used air fork and drivetrain on, a new female friendly seat, grips and bars and call it good. There's a couple Diamondbacks and a Novara 29er I could do that with.


----------



## LadyDi (Apr 17, 2005)

Are you in SoCal? I have a '08 Rocky Mountain Element 70 with carbon bars, seatpost, and seat stays, Fox Float fork and Float RP shock. I'd sell for $600. Size is 16.5, so perfect for your daughter, and a Terry Butterfly ti girl's saddle (retails for $100!) is already on it. I have a bit of an emotional attachment to this bike, but I'd love nothing more than to see it go to a young girl who rides. If you're interested PM me!

P.s. Not a 29er- it's a 26er but a very light and capable ride!


----------



## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

LadyDi said:


> Are you in SoCal? I have a '08 Rocky Mountain Element 70 with carbon bars, seatpost, and seat stays, Fox Float fork and Float RP shock. I'd sell for $600. Size is 16.5, so perfect for your daughter, and a Terry Butterfly ti girl's saddle (retails for $100!) is already on it. I have a bit of an emotional attachment to this bike, but I'd love nothing more than to see it go to a young girl who rides. If you're interested PM me!
> 
> P.s. Not a 29er- it's a 26er but a very light and capable ride!


Sounds like an awesome bike, but I'm on the opposite coast.


----------



## Weaponized (Oct 22, 2017)

I just picked up a new Rockhopper expert for my wife. It's a small 29er. She's 5' 4" and the top tube on a medium was pretty firm in her crotch. The small gives her around 3/4 of an inch standover clearance. Even with the small she runs the seat pretty low so it seems like a bike you could grow with if your a kid. The 29s almost look out of place on it but she rides it quite well for a rookie and it's a pretty capable bike for $950.

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk


----------



## LadyDi (Apr 17, 2005)

Lol, oops.


----------



## Rae6503 (Jun 30, 2009)

If she 5'5" at 11, she's growing fast, and she's going to be tall. I would probably go the cheap route and/or maybe wait until summer, and get her something that is a little too big so she'll have room to grow into it, maybe even a medium frame with a short stem.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


----------



## JCWages (Jan 26, 2015)

godfather said:


> Several companies have moved away from women's specific frame geometry. Specialized as one significant example. They've found that proportions such as torso to leg length, or upper body to lower body proportions vary as much in men as in women. Instead, many manufacturers are focusing on how women more commonly differ from men, contact points (saddle and grips) and shoulder width (bar length). As mentioned earlier, suspension tunes tend to be a little lighter as well. Go to a reputable shop or two, and see how different brands actually fit her. Also have her ride 27.5, 27.5+, and 29. Demos on actual trails would be the ideal. You might find that she prefers something different than you might think. Some smaller individuals don't like how 29ers feel as an example. Ultimately you want the bike that she's most comfortable and confident on. That one will be the most fun.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This ^

Don't get hung up on finding women specific bikes. Just find one she enjoys riding and make the minor changes to seat, grips, bar, etc. to make it more comfortable. I ride with A LOT of women and very few are on women specific bikes. Probably because they are all different in build, just like men.


----------



## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

JCWages said:


> This ^
> 
> Don't get hung up on finding women specific bikes. Just find one she enjoys riding and make the minor changes to seat, grips, bar, etc. to make it more comfortable. I ride with A LOT of women and very few are on women specific bikes. Probably because they are all different in build, just like men.


So much both of these. There are many manufacturers like Ibis and Guerrilla Gravity that do not have women's specific bikes but make awesome bikes. Don't miss out getting caught up in the marketing.


----------



## JCWages (Jan 26, 2015)

stripes said:


> So much both of these. There are many manufacturers like Ibis and Guerrilla Gravity that do not have women's specific bikes but make awesome bikes. Don't miss out getting caught up in the marketing.


Yup! 

These women would agree.
What Women Want (to ride) - The bikes women are really riding | ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine


----------



## Muirenn (Jun 17, 2013)

How about a used size small Surly? Karate Monkey. Krampus. A lot of them available if you know where to look. And you can resell when she outgrows it, or a Salsa Mariachi maybe. Any Surly in a size small is harder to sell than larger sizes, so you can find a good deal and still get something for it later. Fully rigid. But that is not bad for a beginner. I love my Karate Monkey.


----------



## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

JCWages said:


> Yup!
> 
> These women would agree.
> What Women Want (to ride) - The bikes women are really riding | ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine


Yep. Just give us damn bikes. Don't girlify them.


----------



## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

If you're in this situation, the absolute best bang for buck is from Bikes Direct. We're gotten two bikes from them and still pleased. You might want to get a small in your upper price range and swap parts over to a medium frame when she outgrows the small in a year or two. This will definitely get you a lighter bike, which might make riding more enjoyable for her. 
Bikes Direct bikes require a little bit of assembly, if you're handy with wrenching.

Performance Bikes also has frequent sales with great deals, if there's a store in your town or close by.


----------

