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So my SO is (apparently 5ft 4, reality is she is shorter) riding 2014 Pivot Mach but looking at a new bike, just wondering how smaller folk/riders are finding the geometry changes to long low and slack?
Any brands/frames that seem to suit?
Cheers
Well the new pivot switchblade has massive stand over and goes down to an xs size. Definitely worth a look.
LLS geo is still size appropriate. So a shorter person will still get all the benefits.
I'm 5'6" in my thick socks & recently bought a Transition Scout Carbon in size small. It has bags of standover & I could probably have got away with a medium due to steep seat angle etc so I'd say it's not an issue. They also do a XS. The slack H/A is the only modern geo' thing I'm aware of riding it, just have to stay over the front a bit more.
5ft5 (6 in my socks) and the issue i have is 29er wheels going up my bum.
MrsBeanZ is 5'3" in her 5tens, rides a small T130 - not LLS but a decent modernish trail bike.
Don't know about modern geo but my girls 5'4"-5'5" now ride medium Saracens (Ariel / Killi Flyer) having had small bikes for some time but never felt 'right', loads more stability / confidence riding now. Also built a small Sonder Transmitter, on paper the right size but had to swap frame for a medium too. All 27.5er wheels no chance on a 29er they'd need reinforced shorts. Only problem with mediums was getting a dropper in but most can be shimmed to be shorter. Don't be afraid to size up if it feels right.
Mrs_oab at 5' couldn't get on with the couple of 29ers she tried - tbf it was one lap of Comrie blue on each - she just commented that they felt so long.
As for lls, what's mrs_v's riding style and aims? There are other discussions on this at the moment on the forum. Summary: lls is all about ultimate speed through calmness when riding tech and warp speed. For some, the flightier and faster *feeling* is more important, and so a more conservative geometry works better.
Mrs_oab has older skool Liv Lust - and loves it. I've offered a slackset, and still plan on putting one in when this headset dies, but she wasn't bothered.
Be fine on an SB150. One thing worth checking is if height is in legs or torso vs arms length.
Short legs you want stand over.
Long torso and or arms - be fine with those longer reaches.
Those Pivots seemed to get taller rather than longer as sizes increased. Def on the short side and worth test driving anything new.
With SO has the same problem, especially given she has proportionality long legs. She can stand over my large frames but they are way too long and the smaller sizes that give her a more appropriate reach put the handlebars round  her knees
Cheers....riding wise she is about descending, will tolerate climbing if there is single-track and descents. We were are is a mix of fells and moors with road in-between, so natural stuff - she hates hike a bike. Trail centre we are near Gisburn, which she likes, not a jumper more keep low and fast.
The pivot is a 27.5 but she has access to a orange 29er from 2015, long compared to the pivot so as described above is conflicted with wheel size choice- 29 stable and fast 27.5 clickable - she is not good at description of how the bike feels nor handles, yet has a number of QoM - sorry bad gauge but she is a rapid rider-
Ape index is interesting and need to revisit but with the trend to low seat tubes it does open up the sizing issue.
I'm 5ft 5 and have a small Bronson which is perfect. Could probably have gone with a medium but prefer a smaller frame. Great climber (very occasional hike a bike), and fantastic downhill, which is where my interest lies too. Really stable but still easy to move around and fun to ride.
Went from Transition Covert which was also a great fit, to a Sentinel 29er which was absolutely not the bike for me, too long, wheels too big, very stable but just couldn't ride it! I'd say go for S/XS frame and get some demo bikes lined up. The Juliana is also an option, same frame as the Bronson but with smaller components like grips (from what I understand).
I'm 5ft 9in and just bought a small firebird. With 165 cranks and oneup dropper I get 180mm drop from the post. Bike feels incredible. Look at the switchblade. My Bessie is 5.5 and rides small
As a 5'4 rider who also prefers descending I think a mullet-able bike may be a good idea for her to try. It gives you the option to have a 'plough' bike without the short-destroying, manual-flattening issues of riding a 29er with little legs.
Personally I find 'long' is less beneficial to me that low and slack, it just makes it so much harder to loft the front wheel. In the last 5 years I've run a Nukeproof Mega, Ragley Blue Pig, Bird Aeris, Sonder Transmitter and now on an One-One Tik-tik (all smalls), which fits like a glove, riding them all for mtb coaching work and occasional racing as well as pleasure. I did have to cut down the Tik-Tik seat tube by 15mm to fit a 150mm dropper! So do definitely account for dropper stack height, and how low the dropper cable port is, as they both influence the length you can run which makes a huge difference to shorties.
Sounds like a Specialized enduro would be a good choice.