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Seeing as a lot on here are saying 27.5 is dead already and all the competition is on 29ers in xc I guess she's stuck with 29 if she wants to be in with a chance of a podium place.
Lots of ‘mansplaining’ on this thread. As a woman, she doesn’t need us men trying to define what she should be as a woman. She’s doesn’t exist to get our approval of her aesthetic, or her mental state.
On the other hand, the bike looks massive.
Good video that is
This thread reminds me of the guy who tried to tell Emma Pooley that she'd go faster if she put her saddle up.
Bike looks fine to me. She clearly wants the saddle forward like that. If she were struggling to get the bike to fit she wouldn't have that long of a stem would she? What XC pros do for bike setup is quite different to what casual MTBers do.
Also, the suggestion that a large successful bike brand doesn't know how to design bikes, but an internet forum does, is a bit odd.
Lets be honest here, she gets paid to ride bikes and does that immensely well. She also happens to be a pretty lady, who likes to put make-up on, is that really an issue? If it is, you've got issues yourself.
As for bikes and as mentioned above, I'm damn sure she knows what she likes to ride, can nail the fit to give her the best chance of winning and more than likely doesn't give a hoot about what people think about it.
She's not "that" small for a lady at 5'3", her sponsors will provide her with anything she wants to make the bikes work.
In this photo, it looks absolutely fine to me, granted the frame isn't the most aesthetically pleasing, but XC bikes are all about going as fast as you can in as much comfort as needed to do so 😉
TL:DR
Very talented athlete of average height rides an expensive bike that some people don't like the look of. Some others don't like her appearance. Neither of those things stop her being a very talented athlete.
@rocketdog was right though, the Canyon size "help" is not always that helpful
from steve's photo:
grips and saddle about the same height, level saddle, flat bar with a very slightly negative step that due to head angle is about horizontal.
No toe overlap (remember when that was a thing) and looks like room for a 150 dropper should the course need it.
That top tube/head tube thing looks a bit odd but that isnt an issue with canyons XC bike rather than a size small or a Batty on the wrong size issue
XC races are won/lost on the climbs - unless you are Neff.
Also having your saddle far forward does mean it opens up your hip/leg angle, which means the change in velocity per stroke is much smaller - so you can rev higher for less effort. In other words its easier to put the power down.
Looks alright in that pic above, weird camera distortion on the video.
I quite like the bike itself, i mean it's rumple fugly but in a quite sharp and purposeful way.
If I stand at my bike side on with the seat right up, it's well below my hips. Seems to fit me okay. When I see the PB bike check photos at races, all the enduro bikes with their seats up are up beside their hips, sitting relatively much higher than mine. Go figure. I wish I had an ounce of her talent.
That post about her wearing too much makeup...
Just down right odd...!!
steve_b77
In this photo, it looks absolutely fine to me
Are you blind, man? Just look at those bloody awful skinwall tyres. Awful 🙂
Regarding the size of it - lol. I'm sure she knows what works.
Regarding the makeup etc. even bigger lol. Why do people even give a shit or comment about this stuff? It is literally no one's business but her own.
That post about her wearing too much makeup…
Just down right odd…!!
Exactly. Very odd.
Even weirder - I looked at her instagram - I don't actually see any pics of her wearing loads of makeup. I think she wears some mascara sometimes, but that seems to be it. It's a whole agenda imagined up out of nowwhere.
I think the issue with the look of the bike is that same problem that carbon frames created in pro road. They’re made to fit regular people more than the pros (in general) so you see ridiculous bodges to make them fit. Like the huge negative rise stems or Cadel Evans TT bike where the stem came out the front of the head tube.
29” wheels look daft on small bikes the same way that road bikes for really tall people look.
DH bikes always look about the same somehow, regardless of height so no one ever comments on how DH bikes look, unless they’re gopping. Which the Sender definitely isn’t.
29” wheels look daft on small bikes the same way that road bikes for really tall people look.
I’m a really tall person with a road bike, I resent that and so does my bike 😅
I did a skills course with Jedi years ago, he appeared to be on his big brother's bike.
Fortunately Tony wasn't wearing makeup that day so I didn't have to tell him he was wrong.
Also, the suggestion that a large successful bike brand doesn’t know how to design bikes, but an internet forum does, is a bit odd.
It would be a mistake to think there aren't people that know what they're talking about on forums. I know for a fact designers (even for brands as big as Trek or Giant) trawl through forums and reviews looking for issues and things to improve. Bike brands don't always get things right. The Procaliber is a good example of this. Clearly Emily was struggling to get the seat far enough forward (72.5 angle) and the bars low enough. Lo and behold the redesigned model after has a steeper seat tube angle and lower stack height.
Trying to get the bars as low as possible can be a symptom of a seat tube angle that's too slack. Or more likely in the case of pros it puts the rider in a better position to get power down. I had a Syntace FlatForce stem recently and it really works.
I've been rewatching the Rob warner meets... series on YouTube, she does look tiny, then again so did Kate Courtney and even some of the guys when stood next to Rob.
If you haven't seen any, check them out, Rob is always good entertainment.
Well Emily is small at just under 5'3" and Kate Courtney is I think just over 5'3"