29er too big and heavy?

Miss Pootle

I've decided to buy a proper mountain bike after I had an excellent weekend learning some proper mountain bike skills. I hired a Specialized Rockhopper with 26 inch wheels and 15 inch frame but notice they don't seem to make them any more - it's all about the 29ers. But I am only 5 foot 5 and weigh about 9 stone. Is a 29er going to be too big and heavy for me even with a small frame? I felt the bike I hired was perfect for me! I am not the tiniest rider and guess there are probably riders who weigh 8 or 7.5 stone too, but I'd be interested to hear from someone roughly the same size (8.5-9.5 stone) what you recommend. (I am a girl by the way, so happy to try a female-specific bike if its going to be better but IME they are just more expensive!)

thelonegroover

There are lots of bikes better than the Rockhopper. With your size and weight, I'd agree, a 29er may be too big. Not necessarily too heavy though. That depends on the spec of the components My wife has a Genesis Core which she loves but it depends what your lbs has to try.

Giraffoto

Specialized have gone nearly all 29er, but there are plenty of people who haven't. To pick just one example I saw recently, Boardman MTBs include a couple of small-framed 26ers

Miss Pootle

Thanks for the advice - the choice is baffling, although i should say im only looking for an entry-level proper mountain bike with disk brakes. My most local LBS mainly stocks Specialized, so I may need to venture further afield... It's hard to get a good feel for the bike without giving it a good test ride and a lot of the bigger stores aren't exactly in areas where you could do that... I suppose the best I can do is stand over the bike in a variety of poses and see if I can lift it between the thumb and middle finger of each hand.

The Rookie

Don't write off 29ers as big and heavy, the wheel base is often only slightly bigger than 26ers and the weight for the right bike will only be slightly more, I ride with a women of 5'4" who rides a 29er scandal.

Having said that for a beginner I'd suggest a 26er as starting point, what is your budget?

mamba80

Specialized FATE ? there a few girls riding them down here with no issues, infact they love 'em

thelonegroover

Miss Pootle wrote:

Thanks for the advice - the choice is baffling, although i should say im only looking for an entry-level proper mountain bike with disk brakes. My most local LBS mainly stocks Specialized, so I may need to venture further afield... It's hard to get a good feel for the bike without giving it a good test ride and a lot of the bigger stores aren't exactly in areas where you could do that... I suppose the best I can do is stand over the bike in a variety of poses and see if I can lift it between the thumb and middle finger of each hand.

If your looking for entry level, Halfords is hard to beat. Voodoo, Carrera and Boardman all good quality and value. Note, you'll never get a very light bike in the entry level price range though. Where abouts are you?

97th choice

My wife rides a specialized myka 26" she's 5ft 6" and tried the 29er but didn't get on with it. I would also worry a bit about toe overlap on small framed 29ers. There are LBS that still have the 26" specialized in stock but obviously getting the right size might be hit and miss.

The only thing I would say about the 26" Myka is that the fork is pretty poor, but that can be addressed over time.

The Rookie

97th choice wrote:

The only thing I would say about the 26" Myka is that the bike is pretty poor value for money,

FTFY

97th choice

It's a decent frame and it rides well enough, did I pay anywhere near RRP for it? No. Neither would the OP if she was looking for a 2012 model.

But you'll get no argument from me that Specialized are poor value for money, I've said it elsewhere on this forum often enough.

stronginthesun

boardman ht comp , in the online sale at the moment . and without googling im sure they do a womens version ? great spec for the money

Miss Pootle

I had written off the Myka as I didn't realise they did one with disk brakes, but I have just seen one in the shop. however, the handlebars looked a bit flimsy, sort of what you'd expect on a hybrid. I was looking in the £500 range as I am only riding for fun, but I would like my bike to be able to cope with harder terrain as I hopefully improve. Happy to upgrade if I ever manage to ride a black trail! But I don't want a glorified hybrid because that's what I have at the moment and it just wouldn't withstand anything more than a fire trail. I am not fussed about what year of model if I can find what I need somewhere - haven't found online though. In Essex if anyone knows any good sources! I may try a Boardman. The difficulty will be trying to persuade Halfords to let me try one or size without having to pay for the bike up front...

mattshrops

The main issue with all entry level bikes is usually the quality of the fork. Often the xc suntour which is useless quite frankly.
If you can stretch the budget and get something(fork) by fox or rockshox at least it will be acceptable for off road usage.
As you said hydraulic discs also.

If you think you will be sticking with mtb why not try secondhand. I agree a 26" HT is the ideal starter bike and you will get a better spec than new. Obv. you will need to know what to look for or find a friend who does.

Miss Pootle

My current so-called MTB has those Suntour forks! I would happily stretch the budget a little, so I'll bear that in mind. I want to do more MTB'ing and progress but I will never be amazing, I just want to be able to ride most places and get to the places that non-MTB'ers don't get to see. I do feel a bit guilty about spending loads when I spent quite a bit on my road bike... On reflection, I recognise that actually it's more important to spend money on a MTB when it gets thrown around and is supposed to fly through the air.

mattshrops

Theres an article on front page of bike radar about womens 29ers I've just noticed.

Much as we would like to think otherwise, the majority of us will never be amazing. I'm currently striving for the dizzying heights of half decent (not there yet)

Kowalski675

Have a read of this, Miss Pootle:

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/artic ... men-38178/

coulddobetter

Boardman women specific mtb comp is well rated , air fork , hydraulic brake , shorter stem , reduced brake lever reach . As an owner of a Boardman I do bang on about their value . It does come in at around £ 650 .00 however it would cope with your requirements and you wouldn't end up making a purchase you later regretted or spend money upgrading a compromised cheaper alternative.

Miss Pootle

Interesting article! I am an okay climber, so I wouldn't worry if that is the main issue with these bikes. I might see if I can try one out somehow. But I don't think I could sneak a £2,000 bike past the husband, much harder to hide than a handbag.

The Rookie

I wouldn't worry about female specific, it often just means different grips, sddle and paint scheme, though as women tend to be longer of the leg (praise the Lord) for their height some actually tweak the frames a bit, as long as a bike fits it fits. Easy to change grips and saddle if you need to.

For £550 a Decathlon RR 8.1 is a great starting bike, for a little less consider the Kraken or Voodoo from Halfords.