# Small girls , 29 er ?



## Jeroentune (May 30, 2013)

Hello Girls , 

i have a question for you . 

My wife is a slim girl , about 5.24 foot and less than 110 pounds , 
She is having lots of fun with het 26 inch Trek 6300 bike. we like to padle bikes together and we mainly bike on asphalt and tarmack grounds. I like to do heavy offroad and single tracks, she likes to do single tracks aswell but only if they are easy. 
since januar i have a new bike, a 29 er hardtail. now our speed is up about 2 mph. i have no problems since i run bigger wheels but she has to work real hard to keep up .. 
I like to suprise her and buy a 29 er for her as well . i calculated and need to buy here a 15 inch frame with 29 inch wheels. 

Are there any women on that side of the pond with experience with such a small frame 29 er ? in other words , any small women on the big bikes ? what is your experiance ? 

Best wishes, 

Jeroen Pasman 
The Netherlands.


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## SkiMtb (Apr 22, 2012)

I'm 5'3 and can't stand over a 29'er, let alone ride one. I think they're great for taller folks, but 26in wheels work well for me. I've heard of some shorter girls riding 650b's without an issue, but I personally don't know of any women shorter than 5'5 riding a 29er regularly.


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## dschwartz (Jan 21, 2014)

Just recently bought my wife a Trek Cali 29" in 15.5 size. she is about the same size as your description of your wife. she loves the bike. our lbs did a fitting for her, swapped out the stem, rolled the bars a bit, tweaked the angle of shifters/brakes, etc and it really fits her perfectly. It also comes in a 14 inch size, but she felt more comfortable on the 15.5
[EDIT] - to clarify, the Trek Cali is a 29" designed for women so the shorter leg length and lower bar clearance is integrated.


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## supersedona (Dec 17, 2012)

Not sure how stock it is but Emily Batty, a pro XC racer uses a 29" Trek and she's 5'1" or so...


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## sooshee (Jun 16, 2012)

I know a girl who is about 5'3" and rides a small (15") Specialized Epic. Upgraded to it last year, and loves it!

There are starting to be more and more women specific 29ers that are designed with lower stand over height and that come in tiny frame sizes. I think the "small people can't ride 29ers" thing will become more of a thing of the past...


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## Niner Bikes (Dec 9, 2004)

Just going to leave these here.

Evelyn Dong and Chloe Woodruff are both barely 5'2 / 157.5cm tall. Chloe set a personal record lap time at the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo last month on her Jet 9 RDO in size XS. Evelyn has now finished in the top 5 of the US Cup Pro Cross Country 2 weeks in a row on her Jet 9 RDO and Air 9 RDO in size XS:



















These are stock frames.

Cheers,
Carla 
Niner Bikes


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## Jeroentune (May 30, 2013)

First of all I would like to thank you for your responses. 
the first women in the picture , that asian looking women is like an exact copy of my Eliza ! 
now that being said, i will try to arrange a test run for her and see if that will fit her nicely. 

Thank you so much . 


Best wishes.


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## snowgypsy (Jun 5, 2011)

Definitely test it out. Everyone is different.

My close friend is 4'9, 100 and loves her 29er. I'm 5'1, 107 and prefer a 26er. I've tested 29ers, 650b - and despite my friend's love for her bike, it never felt right to me...it's not just height and weight, but how you are built and of course, how you like to ride. Even if a 29er fit me perfectly, I still wouldn't be thrilled with it because of my riding style. 

What does your wife like to ride? XC, enduro? Or better yet, does she like to go fast on open, easy singletrack? Does she like steep climbs and more xc style riding? Does she measure a great ride by how fast it was? 29ers shine here. Or does she like jumping, whipping, playing, super techy, enduro? Does she measure a great ride by how techy it was, whether or not she cleared that ledge, etc.? 

Also, and most importantly, what does she want to ride one day ?- that answer matters the most.

Or, instead of a new bike, would new, better components be awesome? XT shifters, better brakes, etc. to make a bike she already loves that much better?

In short, it's not the wheel; it's the rider that matters. It's skill that matters, and of course, loving where your bike takes you. 

I hope you both have fun demoing and I hope you find that bike, whatever its wheel size might be, that makes you laugh with glee at every turn :thumbsup:


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## Jeroentune (May 30, 2013)

SnowGypsy , thank you for your reply. your post is great and makes lots of sense. 

My Eliza likes to ride XC . also lots of miles on asphalt and tarmac. she does like to ride easy single tracks with some minor hight diffence. No down hill, no enduro and even a technical single track is a hand full. 
She is more a speeder than a technical cornering specialist. she likes to ride fast for sure. 
if i link that to your comment , she would be fine with a 29 er .. 
she is nog a bike park hero, no jumping ore showing off ... 

she does ride a great 26 Trek 6300 now and she loves it but she cant keep up with my 29 er .. i know your eyes migth fronse about the male // female strenght etc etc .. but dont worry , i had a hard time keeping up with her when i was on my 26 .. it seems that the 29 er brought me more speed and endurance.. 

Jeroen


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## snowgypsy (Jun 5, 2011)

Any time Jeroen!

In short, it's all about finding a bike that Eliza loves. A 29er might be the perfect fit. The only way to know is to ride a bike, fall for it, and ride it some more. No one else can tell you what works except you, yourself. Someone at my local bike shop (not naming names) tried to tell me that my current bike was "too much bike" for me. Silly, silly, silly. 

Question, though, if she already has a bike that she loves...is a new bike really necessary? Only she will know and only a demo day will tell ...and demo days are awesome.


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## Jeroentune (May 30, 2013)

*Cube 29 er*

Well , Eliza made up her mind .. we are going for a nice 15 inch Cube LTD CC model .. RS reba fork , XT group , easton parts. great looking bike and i am sure she will enjoy the bigger wheels.

I will make a picture as soon as it comes in .. 
Thank you for all your responses.

Jeroen and Eliza


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## BDKeg (May 19, 2011)

Jeroentune said:


> Well , Eliza made up her mind .. we are going for a nice 15 inch Cube LTD CC model .. RS reba fork , XT group , easton parts. great looking bike and i am sure she will enjoy the bigger wheels.
> 
> I will make a picture as soon as it comes in ..
> Thank you for all your responses.
> ...


good lookin hard tail! Congrats to Eliza!


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## snowgypsy (Jun 5, 2011)

Jeroentune said:


> Well , Eliza made up her mind .. we are going for a nice 15 inch Cube LTD CC model .. RS reba fork , XT group , easton parts. great looking bike and i am sure she will enjoy the bigger wheels.
> 
> I will make a picture as soon as it comes in ..
> Thank you for all your responses.
> ...


Sexy! Congrats Eliza. Happy trails! She's (or he's) a beautiful steed. Let us know how she rides.


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## CyclerDi (Oct 13, 2007)

Jeroentune said:


> Well , Eliza made up her mind .. we are going for a nice 15 inch Cube LTD CC model .. RS reba fork , XT group , easton parts. great looking bike and i am sure she will enjoy the bigger wheels.
> 
> I will make a picture as soon as it comes in ..
> Thank you for all your responses.
> ...


Nice bike. Hope she enjoys it! Let us know how she does with the 29 wheels.


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## simonuk (Aug 17, 2010)

If you like to ride off road get her a 26" full suspension she will probably enjoy it more!

My lady is 152 cm she hates riding on the road only wants to ride single track..  she went from a Spec hard tail to a Juliana bith 26 ..a bit tight on standover but she like it and is riding better and better



A friend of mine had a similar problem bought a Tallboy but his lady who was a fit and good rider did not keep up.. he sold it and went back to his 26


riding is about having fun together not another 2km per hr .. I am sticking with 26 for same reason


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## GGR Girl Wendy (Mar 19, 2014)

I am just over 5"4 and ride a Specialzied Epic 29r med frame. I have a very short upper body and long legs. I changed out the stem, and it was fine. Specialized has low stand over. I always change things on my bike though from stock. I also changed out the handle bars so they are wider and carbon, and changed the seat post and saddle. Wish I went with the carbon frame..but too much doh


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## sooshee (Jun 16, 2012)

GGR Girl Wendy said:


> I am just over 5"4 and ride a Specialzied Epic 29r med frame. I have a very short upper body and long legs. I changed out the stem, and it was fine. Specialized has low stand over. I always change things on my bike though from stock. I also changed out the handle bars so they are wider and carbon, and changed the seat post and saddle. Wish I went with the carbon frame..but too much doh


That's crazy you ride a medium! I'm 5'9" and ride a medium Epic as well... I'm all legs and like no torso. Had to go to a 75mm stem just to reach the bars (I also went with wider carbon bars just like you, and a carbon seat post and WSD saddle.... haha, we're twinsies!).


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## GGR Girl Wendy (Mar 19, 2014)

Yup, the Epic actually fits me really well. I tend to ride a wee bit stretched out because I do a ton of distance riding and it's just more comfy. Yup...most are not built like us!


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## DennisF (Nov 4, 2011)

Jeroen, glad you found your wife a good 29" bike. My wife Fe is a 5'-even Oriental, riding a 26" hardtail. We are looking for a 29" hardtail. All we can find in 29" to fit her is the Trek Cali, smallest frame. We have a Caucasian friend, also 5'-even, but she needed the Cali in the next larger size frame. She is quite happy with it.

She likes the Cali fine, but it is nice to have choices. I don't think Cube is available in the USA. We tried all other major brands, all too big. The Niner rep even brought his 12-year-old daughters by for her to try, and that was too big.

Giant has gone ape over 27.5". She will try that before purchasing, but the wheel is really closer to 27.2", not that much bigger than 26.

Let us know how she likes the Cube!


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## Jeroentune (May 30, 2013)

He Dennis , i dont know if Cube is available in the US , if you like i can try to find out . good thing about cube is that they have a lot if different frame sizes. 
We had a great easter - spring ride today .. great sunny weather with lots of wind .. time to test Eliza´s 29er and see whats different with her 26.

in the straights and on Asphalt she was not just a tad faster but really faster .. instead of 22 kph , she touch 26 kph easy .. in the reurn we had the wind in our back and we were flying back towards our home .. she was shocked to reach 38 kph on here 29er .. its very easy to say she is much faster on here 29 er than on her 26..

than i choose a small single track course .. here she was more afraid of the big heavy wheels. we did the track 3 times so she could work on her trust and feeling comfortable in the woods with the big 29 wheels. 
here she admitted that she could do the course more easy with her 26 er but i think she did pretty well for the first day ..

now we need to get used to the bigger wheels and learn some tricks how to steer those big wheels in the single tracks.









I also mounted a video cam so i could check out here moves on the 29 er as well. a Video from us riding fast on the dune track. the north sea is just 300 feet away on the right side ..






Jeroen and Eliza


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## DennisF (Nov 4, 2011)

Hi Jeroen:

Thanks for the update. Glad the bike is working out well for her.

Thanks for posting the video. Based on the way your wife is dressed, it is warmer there than here . The landscape is very different there. Here along our coast (Georgia, USA) there would be pine or oak trees right up to the water, or maybe some dunes between the road and water, but trees on the other side of the road.

Interesting that the 29" is faster on pavement. I've always wondered why they make road bikes with big wheels, seeing they are so anal about weight and aerodynamics. I understand that 650b is almost a thing of the past for road bikes. Anyway, I think 29" is it for XC. There was an article in Switchback magazine touting 27.5 that said as much.

Thanks for the offer to research Cube, but I know there are no dealers in our area.

Carla, thanks for posting the pictures. Attractive bikes with very attractive ladies on them! BTW, I have a lady friend, about 5'4" who rides a FS Niner, and she loves it to death.

Take care!


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## snowgypsy (Jun 5, 2011)

DennisF said:


> Interesting that the 29" is faster on pavement. I've always wondered why they make road bikes with big wheels, seeing they are so anal about weight and aerodynamics. I understand that 650b is almost a thing of the past for road bikes. Anyway, I think 29" is it for XC. There was an article in Switchback magazine touting 27.5 that said as much.


29ers do what they do better than anyone else out there. It only makes sense that they would be faster on pavement. Larger wheel = harder to get going but once it does, it has incredible momentum and will keep going up and over just about anything. Just like 26er's will always have less momenum but be more manueverable (what some might call playful).

The downfall of big wheels is, just as she said, on tight singletrack where they are going to be less manueverable than smaller wheels. I noticed that bigger wheels were very difficult for me as a beginner. As a beginner, you tend to make many micromovements on singletrack (trying to inch that wheel over just a bit to avoid that rock or root) as opposed to picking a line, trusting the bike/suspension, and rolling over it. Due to momentum and the larger wheel size of a 29er, you're going to notice those micromovements a lot more and be less able to do them without consequence - it's also going to take a lot more energy.

As Eliza gets more comfortable on her bike and as her skills grow with that bike, it's going to get easier, a lot faster, and a lot more fun. :thumbsup:

Thanks for the pics and the updates. Bikes are awesome. Keep having a blasty blast.


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## Flyin_W (Jun 17, 2007)

OP & others looking for a small 29er to fit may want to check this..









Salsa El Mariachi XS (14") fits my 5'3" friend well, sized a # of bikes until we found the one.


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## DennisF (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks for your reply SnowGypsy.

The flywheel effect you describe is a factor no doubt, but I think there is more to it than that. Momentum could be gained by simply using a heavier 26" wheel, or eating more . 

Even on a mountain bike where momentum does help you roll over stuff, lighter wheels are preferable to heaver ones. I suppose that one could argue that you give up some ease of blasting over stuff in exchange for better handling, and easier climbing, acceleration, and braking. 

So back to why a larger road bike wheel is apparently faster: I have asked road bikers why the big wheels, and I have been told cobblestones, and gearing. I'm skeptical about the gearing. Maybe: A paved surface isn't smooth, so maybe a bigger wheel is more efficient rolling over the small imperfections in the blacktop. I would be curious to see if a larger wheel is faster in a velodrome with smooth backetball-court flooring.

As for maneuverability and control, I have never ridden a decent 26" or 27.5" except for my wife's 4300, which is way too small for me. My Trek 29 handles way better and corners better than my '98 vintage Schwinn mesa. I have ridden other brands of 29" without the G2 geometry. I like the Trek better, but the others aren't bad by any means. I'll demo a good 27.5 or 26 if I can find it next change I get -- it would be an education.


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## snowgypsy (Jun 5, 2011)

DennisF said:


> Even on a mountain bike where momentum does help you roll over stuff, lighter wheels are preferable to heaver ones. I suppose that one could argue that you give up some ease of blasting over stuff in exchange for better handling, and easier climbing, acceleration, and braking.
> 
> As for maneuverability and control, I have never ridden a decent 26" or 27.5" except for my wife's 4300, which is way too small for me. My Trek 29 handles way better and corners better than my '98 vintage Schwinn mesa. I have ridden other brands of 29" without the G2 geometry. I like the Trek better, but the others aren't bad by any means. I'll demo a good 27.5 or 26 if I can find it next change I get -- it would be an education.


I think you hit on some very important things there. You will feel weight in your tires more than in any other area. This may give you more power to get up and over rough spots and to power up technical climbs.

I think that 26er and 29er fill a different market and do two different things very, very well.

But at the end of the day it's all about geometry and riding style. In an ideal world, I would have a 29er for XC racing on nontechnical single track and fire roads, and my 26er for All mountain/every day riding and enduro racing.

But if a bike doesn't fit you, it's never going to work properly.

If you get a chance to, the Ibis Mojo HD (26) and HDR (27.5) are amazing. I have the later. Also, the husband adores his yeti SB66. I've heard nothing but great things about the Evil Uprising (haven't had a chance to ride her yet) and of course, the Ripley.

I've been beyond impressed with the maneuerability and control of my Ibis Mojo HD. It shines in everything, but I also took the time to make sure it fit me like a glove.


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## Bluechip (Feb 17, 2006)

Wheel size is of no significant consequence in speed. My wife being short (4'11"+) has owned several small road bikes. Her first was a mixed wheel size (700/650 front), a 650, and now a 700. After the initial getting used to period, usually much faster, she settles down to her normal speeds. All of my road bikes have been 700 but I have ridden a bike friday type bike with 20" wheels. I can't really say there was a speed difference, but more of a different feel. On a smooth (road) surface, not really any difference. I could see on a bumpy trail where a larger wheel might smooth out the trail a tiny bit but still not much. There's really not much difference between 26 and 29. It might look much bigger but the radius hitting the ground not so much. It's really just marketing and hype. It does sell new bikes, which is all good. 

Motorcycle sport bikes have gone through wheel sizes as well. In the early years most had 18 or 19" wheels. They slowly went down to 16" and now they are most 17". They always touted the new size as the ultimate for whatever it's intended purpose. 

Sorry for the rant and all that being said I've got both a 26 and a 29er. I really like riding them both. My wife will not likely ever get a mtn bike with anything bigger than 26, and that's ok.


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## Hanscc (Apr 22, 2014)

I'm 5'2 and ride a womens specific specialized rumor 15' 29er full suss. having ridden a 15' (men's) ridgeback hardtail then a canyon nerve xc 6 (womens XS) the specialized is by far the best fit of a frame I've had to date. Stand over is fantastic, reach spot on and gives so much more space/confidence on the steep descents, the big wheels have tons of grip so actually find cornering is slightly better and boy is it quick. I'm so much faster both up and down than I was on my 26er. 

Fair enough I find it harder to get the wheels up off the ground but I was always more of a roller than a jumper anyway so suits my riding style. 3 of the girls in my group also riding 29ers and we all love them (Admittedly I'm shorter) but I find I'm actually riding more aggressively and more technical stuff on my 29er than 26 I think most of this is due to being such a good fit. I'd ridden other 29ers before and felt very high up (they were too big), on the rumor I fit exactly in the bike as a result the big wheels initially didn't seem that much bigger at all (until you get back on a 26). 

Personally I can't recommend it enough for xc/enduro riders.


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## mtnbikej (Sep 6, 2001)

My wife is 5'3" on a good day......she has been tearing it up on a S SC Tallboy Carbon. 

Was actually a little worried that it would be too short. Nope....fits perfect. Only issue we had was some toe overlap with 175mm cranks. Swapping over to 170mm cranks solved that problem.


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