What bike for the spousal unit

[SkiLyft]

What up kooks,

Will be getting a bike for my wife this winter/spring and curious what the collective says.

Details
- 5’2”
- new rider (rode beach cruisers her whole life)
- competent skier with good athletic ability

Last summer we had her on 2 bikes a small 29er from pivot (switchblade?), and a XS/27.5 from REI. She liked the sizing of the XS/27.5. Which I feel is better from a control/confidence building standpoint.

Anyways, I want her to enjoy it and I know that a cheap bike will pedal like shit and the likelihood of her liking it will be less. The dilemma is this size frame doesn’t show up often on Pinkbike and fuck retail prices.

Things I’m also throwing around...
- any good youth bikes that aren’t shit?
- anyone have a XS/S 27.5er that they are trying to dump?
- ideally 120-140 rear / 120-150 front

No tits but here is a pic for stoke



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[::: :::]

You don’t want a youth bike, for sure

[SkiLyft]

Why? Geometry strange? Poor quality?


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[VTskibum]

Would recommend steering away from youth bikes as well. Either heavy w crap components or more expensive than a grown adult small size bike bc they don’t have same manufacturing scale. Kids bikes tend to cap out at 26” and adult start in 27.5 these days.

Don’t have great suggestions for used market it’s real tough, especially this year’s bike market. Also extra small used bikes get snatched up quick for kids these days as well.


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[mntlion]

buy new (used are selling for inflated value, and used = parts that dont work as well as new)

buy what you can find (limited stock for next summer, and no old stock)

buy what she like is options exist

[GiBo]

My SO is 5'2" as well. I ended up getting her a Canyon women's specific bike. It's still a little too long in the cockpit for her. I'm looking to change the stem and bars to correct that. It's a really nice bike though.
https://www.canyon.com/en-co/women-b...ountain-bikes/

[toast2266]

Definitely get a 27.5. Small vs. XS will depend on the specific bike. For newer, longer bikes she'd probably benefit from an xs, but if you find something used that doesn't have modern stretched out geo, she might be good on a small. Look at the effective top tube and reach measurements on the bikes she's ridden and use that to guide your purchase.

And I'm not sure buying used is a terrible option right now. If she was buying a medium or a large, I'd say she's out of luck. But buying a small / xs might be more possible.

[GoldMember]

If you're looking to go through a local shop, go see Cathy at Bicycle Butler. Great people, lots of experience. Cathy is probably around 5-2 or 5-3 so will be able to relate to your SO. They do pretty well on getting deals together for people. Good shop.

[SkiLyft]

My SO is 5'2" as well. I ended up getting her a Canyon women's specific bike. It's still a little too long in the cockpit for her. I'm looking to change the stem and bars to correct that. It's a really nice bike though.
https://www.canyon.com/en-co/women-b...ountain-bikes/

Woah, that’s a deal!!

Likely will be going this rout at the price — that’s nuts for a carbon frame!!

Definitely get a 27.5. Small vs. XS will depend on the specific bike. For newer, longer bikes she'd probably benefit from an xs, but if you find something used that doesn't have modern stretched out geo, she might be good on a small. Look at the effective top tube and reach measurements on the bikes she's ridden and use that to guide your purchase.

And I'm not sure buying used is a terrible option right now. If she was buying a medium or a large, I'd say she's out of luck. But buying a small / xs might be more possible.

Good points on sizing, I’ve only been biking for a year so im not up to date on nuances of frame geo!

If you're looking to go through a local shop, go see Cathy at Bicycle Butler. Great people, lots of experience. Cathy is probably around 5-2 or 5-3 so will be able to relate to your SO. They do pretty well on getting deals together for people. Good shop.

Perfect, we will swing by and pick her brain!!



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[EWG]

All good advice. My lovely wife and my daughter at 5'2". I actually am tryign to keep their 26" bikes moving along - I would never buy them 29". Geo is too big. Modern geo with a longer wheelbase will make a 27.5" fit a small woman ok, but 26 is still better. If I get them new bikes I'd get the Juliana Rubion or Furtado in 27.5" wheels. Look into that. You can usually find them used in XS or S which is what you'd need.

If you find a kids bike with a high quality frame and fork you can live with long term you can replace all the components and have a sweet bike. I made a very small cyclocross bike like that once.

[AdironRider]

I tend to be a big proponent of the cheap bike train, so take this with a grain of salt, but I am going to recommend a cheap 27.5 hardtail for under a G. Diamondback (which was the original recco I got here for myself) makes a bunch for example.

The reason: She hasn't had that first good fall yet. This will happen eventually. My wife, hearty Maine woman that she is even, took one solid digger and basically decided if her body is going to take that much punishment, a baby better be popping out instead. She likes cruising beginner trails (and having babies) at most these days.

Just my food for thought given she's a never ever before dropping a couple grand on a bike sized to prevent easily selling it if she bails. Then if it sticks, this hardtail becomes the sweetest beach cruiser around so all is not lost.

[GiBo]

I tend to be a big proponent of the cheap bike train, so take this with a grain of salt, but I am going to recommend a cheap 27.5 hardtail for under a G. Diamondback (which was the original recco I got here for myself) makes a bunch for example.

The reason: She hasn't had that first good fall yet. This will happen eventually. My wife, hearty Maine woman that she is even, took one solid digger and basically decided if her body is going to take that much punishment, a baby better be popping out instead. She likes cruising beginner trails (and having babies) at most these days.

Just my food for thought given she's a never ever before dropping a couple grand on a bike sized to prevent easily selling it if she bails. Then if it sticks, this hardtail becomes the sweetest beach cruiser around so all is not lost.

That's a great point. My SO was getting better and better on her old hardtail. First day out on the Canyon, she got a little agro and broke her collar bone. She's back on the bike, but she definitely has regressed and isn't using the new bike to it's fullest.

[SchralphMacchio]

I’m just gonna plug this again, going to a weekend Trek Women’s Dirt Series camp was a game changer for my wife. She finally
got to focus on fundamentals of basic body positioning, sighting corners and features, speed control etc. It made her comfortable with the idea of going out for shop or other group rides that were women’s specific, other workshop/clinic rides etc. It gave her the freedom to feel it’s okay to stop at a feature and session it 4-5 times and not feel in a rush to “keep moving” for the sake of trying not to slow me down or what not. Most importantly it lowered the stress level and vastly increased the margin of safety/control for any time we ride together.

This doesn’t answer your question, it just affects your budget. The more you guys spend on these kinds of clinics and training, the more you can get out of a bike, no matter what you spend on it.

Do you have a budget yet?

[Canada1]

I’m just gonna plug this again, going to a weekend Trek Women’s Dirt Series camp was a game changer for my wife.

Did any teenage girls participate? Thinking this could be really positive for my daughter who is always chasing me and her brothers. I want her to quit soccer and get heavier into NICA!

[slcdawg]

I wouldn't discount a 29er. My wife is 5'2", rode a ton in the 90's and mid-00's until we had kids and recently started riding again (esp now that kids are riding). After much research, she got an Ibis Ripley. She was worried the big wheels would be too unwieldly but she doesn't even notice them. The updated geometry is not the clown bikes of the past and they are really dialed. A 27.5 would be great as well, but mid-travel 29er fit her style more. I would get 29/27.5 based on what she will ride. Check out https://www.probikesupply.com/. They usually have decent pricing. You need to call them to get inventory, lead-time - their website kinda blows.

If you want to go cheap, I highly recommend a plus sized hardtail. My daughter (5'4") is on a Rocky Mountain Growler. Great bike, about $1200 and the plus size tires add some cushion.

[SchralphMacchio]

Did any teenage girls participate? Thinking this could be really positive for my daughter who is always chasing me and her brothers. I want her to quit soccer and get heavier into NICA!

I have no idea and the website isn’t really clear on if there is a minimum age. Will probably have to wait for a 2021 event Registration page to come up to see if there are more details or exclusions.

[homemadesalsa]

Did any teenage girls participate? Thinking this could be really positive for my daughter who is always chasing me and her brothers. I want her to quit soccer and get heavier into NICA!

Another great option for all women's clinics is the Ladies Allride series- I helped out at the one up at Targhee. Coaches for every skill level from newbies to jumps and downhill, great vibe. https://www.ladiesallride.com/

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[SkiLyft]

Such a good idea, the first big crash has gotta be sobering for most gals!!


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