[Closed] recommendations for a 29er for a short arse

Don't get one?

how short? hobbit or pixie?

Salsa Spearfish mibbe? But how small are you?

5'3". Loving my specialized fate. Yes it's a hard tail, and a girls bike..

Camber.

650b, might be a better option.

I just built a pipedream Sirius up as a 650b. A great compromise. Although I know many very short people who ride 29ers and cope extremely well. Including one female national champion.
Pay no attention to the haters and have what you want.

26er

I can't see why you want a 29er to be honest?
It will be the opposite of the "gorilla humping a football" look ...

Wouldn't a 26er serve you purposes better? Other than fashion?

You've got to love STW. Somebody asks a simple question and everybody wades in with their prejudices 🙂

I read something on a thread about Orange frames where somebody claimed that a single pivot would make it easier to make a 29er in small sizes. Not sure if that is true, but it's a thought.

I suspect that the rear suspension isn't the big issue though and it is more tricky to get the frond end right. The main issues are bar height and avoiding too much toe overlap I guess. So, I'd be looking for something with a short head tube but long top tube. Whyte bikes generally have longer top tubes than most and the M109 in small has a 100mm head tube, which is probably as short as you are going to get. So, I think I'd start there.

but its not a simple question. The OP didn't explain why he specifically wants a 29er when that sounds a bit perverse for a shorter person. I'm a fan of 26ers, but thought the suggestions made above to look at 650b bikes also sounded pretty sensible. That way you might hope to stay current

Superflys work really well in smaller sizes.

One of our more vertically challenged lot rides a 16" On One Scandal like this...

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Seems to like it and he's faster than me!

I'm 5'4"... Not sure if that's classed as a hobbit or a pixie 🙂
Can't do girls bikes, I wouldn't be able to handle the positive comments i would get.

My bikes are all 26", a lot of guys in the 2 clubs I ride with have moved onto 29" and seem to be faster than they were on 26".
So really looking to stay with the pack really. I did think I may look like a kid on an adults bike but as its been stated a lot of the national women do ok on them.
Had considered 650b but was concerned I may buy a betamax when I should of had a VHS!

Salsa do the Spearfish in an XS size, aimed at riders 5'2" to 5'5". It's only got 80mm rear suspension but it runs 100mm forks.

I'm 5'6'' and have ridden a couple of Medium 29ers without any trouble but a small would be ideal. Height and wheel size have no correlation in my opinion. That Scandal looks good. If only they had some 16'' frames in stock...

If I were going for a full suss the Salsa would be right at the top of my list!

Have had a quick look at the recommended bikes.
Liking the look of the spearfish and the whyte m109.

Looking at the spearfish it suggests an XS for my height, could be difficult to get hold of. Charlie had a large on sale 🙁

[quote=blindboy ]
Looking at the spearfish it suggests an XS for my height, could be difficult to get hold of. Ison are showing XS in stock (in red) so any Salsa dealer should be able to get it for you.

Biggest issue I think is bar height compared with bottom bracket. Even with 90mm head tube and 80mm forks I can't quite get seat hight level with bars.

Canfield yelli screamy in Small.
I had a medium at 5'9'' and it had way to much stand over. Nowhere to grip with my knees so for some one shorter it would be perfect. The most fun I had with it was when it was set up at 100mm with small tyres. Very good bike.

5'7" tall, ride a 16" Scandal Mk 2 - here's how it looks set up for me. Riodes pretty damn good.

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/udder/8651040307/ ]v2 sc[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/udder/ ]bent udder[/url], on Flickr

Lots of nice recommendations but the OP is looking for full-sus

Understood. There's two problems for the OP, though: correct (or usable) geometry and the rear suspension design. One of the things a lot of the stuff up there ^^ is about is whether a 29er works for someone on the short side of tall.

For the money, I'd say Spearfish or camber - but it's worth doing two things: Test rides (lots of) and geometry checks - basically, if you ride a 29er that works well for you, it follows that something with similar measurements and angles might also work well.

If your forum name is anything to go by, you might be just the target audience for an Orange Gyro. 😆

Anthem 29er

Santa Cruz Superlight 29 maybe, It appears to have a very short headtube at 90mm and a low standover in the small.

but its not a simple question. The OP didn't explain why he specifically wants a 29er

Does he have to?

If he asked for advice on a helmet would you bang on about shoes?

To the op, try a few. A mate of mine is really pleased with his Anthem 29er.

I have an Anthem in 26" and love it 🙂
I've looked at the 29" anthem an it just looks all wheel... If you get what I mean..??..

Yep, 16" Scandal would be a great choice.

[quote=tk46hal ]Yep, 16" Scandal would be a great choice.
if he wanted a hardtail.

I've looked at the 29" anthem an it just looks all wheel... If you get what I mean..??..

Yep, But your used to looking at your 26" one so the 29er anthem will look more "wheel" than other bikes.

Give it a go, if you like the ride, by the time you've had it a few months it will look normal and the 26er will look all frame.