29er for a newbie women, 5ft 3"

Mogwil83
Mogwil83 Posts: 3
edited August 2013 in MTB buying advice
Hi all, I am looking for some advice on buying a new MTB for the wife, who is pretty new to Mountain Biking and only has a basic Marin Stinson Hybrid at the moment. She wants to get more involved in Trail and Singletrack riding and is looking at investing in a full sus bike. We were looking at the Ghost and Trek ranges and it was suggested that the Trek Fuel EX 5 would be a good starting point for her as it has a similar Top tube reach to her current bike. However, the EX 5 has 29er Wheels and I am not sure the wife would be comfortable on such big wheels being new to MTB. Should she stick to 26" wheels especially as she is only 5' 3" tall? Any help/advice would be appreciated. Cheers, Kevin

Comments

  • schweiz
    schweiz Posts: 1,644
    26" or 650B wheels. Apparently many Giant 2014 bikes have gone for 650B (27.5")
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  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    She needs to sit on or preferably ride one.
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  • Torres
    Torres Posts: 1,266
    Mogwil83 wrote:
    Should she stick to 26" wheels especially as she is only 5' 3" tall?
    Definitely not. Mrs Torres isn't much taller and she frequently borrows/steals my 29er. Don't believe that shorter people cannot get on with bigger wheels.
    What We Achieve In Life, Echoes In Eternity
  • Mogwil83
    Mogwil83 Posts: 3
    Thanks guys. I just looked at the new 2014 selection of Giant bikes with the 650B wheels. That maybe an option too. Got a while to think about it anyway as she's in a sling at the mo following a Shoulder Op last week (nothing to do with mountain biking though - Just a stabilisation op. Only 4 to 6 more weeks in a sling. She'll be climbing the walls by then!!)
    All I need to worry about now is my new bike.

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