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Happily Mrs Waderider is allowing us to purchase a MTB for her with a budget of £2k. I'm thinking FS 100mm travel front and rear; main doubt is what wheel size to get as she is only 5'2 tall.
Mrs Waderider will never be a big hitter so an XC bike is the way to go.
Any recommendations appreciated.
Something like this?
https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized-rumor-fsr-elite-2015-women-s-mountain-bike-EV212321
There is a 26" wheeled Trek Fuel marketed as a kids bike. You'd have the budget for some nice upgrades as and when.
Pauls cycle's have 2016 anthem sx for 1600 that includes a dropper seat post. That's if a small is small enough.
Are any of the Santa Cruz Juliana's under 2K?
right, MsWife is 5'1".
we found that:
1) 'Small' bikes are still too big - it's all about Xs at this end of the bell curve. 14" frames or less.
1a) you'll really need the short-short seat-tube when you want to fit a dropper-post.
2) more than 100mm of travel, and the bike 'sits' too high, she struggled to get on the thing.
3) 29er wheels just didn't work, even with as low a front end as we could go (flat bars, crazy stem) the bars were still miles higher than the saddle.
4) you also need to sort out the cranks - 165's for someone this height is just crazy, the same as a 6footer riding 220's. A threaded BB will allow you to use some of the shorter square taper cranks available from SJScycles. we went with modified hollowtech cranks : 140mm. MsWife is much much happier.
we looked at the Norco 'sight', that kids' trek, and a Liv Lust (giant anthem), we bought the Liv, and it's bloody great.
(no Xs Norco's were available at the time, and the Trek Jr was the wrong colour)
your wife is a *little* taller, and it seems there are a few more options around at the moment...