for a few years now ive been thinking about getting a 29er.. but standing only 5ft 8 in cuban heels i'm wondering if i'm just too short for the big wheels?? (BTW in my homeland of wales, 5ft 8 is considered a giant!!)Anyone roundabout the same height finding 29ers easy going??

On-One make a 16 frame, the smallest of the 4 sizes them make.
I'm 5:10:5 and ride an 18, the next size up and apart from different climatic conditions up the cockpit, it's a relief to be able to see over double Decker buses finally.

On-One make a 16 frame, the smallest of the 4 sizes them make.
I'm 5:10:5 and ride an 18, the next size up and apart from different climatic conditions up the cockpit, it's a relief to be able to see over double Decker buses finally.

tall, and fat actually.

Oi! I'm fat and tall if you don't mind…

Check out Phil Morris from xcracer.com29ers, he's not a tall chap but usually finishes on the podium..

I'm 5'8" and have an inbred 29er, which I like. Better on flatter / racier-type trails than on steep and tech-y stuff, for me.

There's a thread somewhere on MTBR forum about this. Remember reading about "short" people who ride 29ers… Apparently there's a woman in the States who is 5ft 2 and she races a 29er as her XC bike, and wins races on it! Personally I'm of the opinion that your inside leg length should be larger than the wheel size, but otherwise no issue. If your inside leg length is shorter than 30", probably best to stick to 26" MTBs, if it's above then fire away… 16" On One should suit nicely as they actually size up the same as their 26" versions do.

Oh, and no, you don't have to be tall and/or fat… Smidge under 5ft 11 here, about 11st 10lb, so hardly a big bloke!

On Niners web site their sizing guide suggests a min height of 5' 3" for the carbon rigid bike.

I'm 5'8" with a 31" inside leg and ride 3 x 29ers

There's a Meduim Niner Air 9 and a Meduim Framed Gary Fisher Rumblefish amongst them and they are just right for me. The smaller framed versions were too small even for me 😳

cheers folks, it was the niner air i was taken by…now, where can i get these cheap???

And there was me about to say- JohnClimber to the forum please!

5'9" here and I have a 19.5" Inbred 29er. It's in SS/Rigid format so never up anything too steep, or down anything too gnarly, but I love it for fireroad & "gentle" singletrack duties.
70mm stem, zero layback seatpost and it's fine, I'm guessing the next size down (18"?) may suit me better, but doubt it would make that much difference for the type of riding I use it for.
The point being though is that I'm not that tall and I ride a large framed 29er no problem at all – so Welsh people shouldn't feel excluded 🙂

I think your TT might be a tad long with a 19.5 and you're 1.5 inches shorter than me. An 18 might have been just the ticket.
Mine stomps up hills – but only[u] if you have momentum and go at it hard from the outset and then keep up that smooth cadence.
Where it doesn't work is if you don't have momentum and plod, so, left, right, left, right, pressing down each pedal stroke.
If it's a smooth cadence, with a seamless pedal stroke, then it's a magical hill climber.
Oh, and gears help! ❗

Thanks maverick boy shall i start selling off all my bikes then ?

Inside leg versus wheel size maybe small road bikes should go onto 26" wheels as well sounds like thats been invented by someone who doesn't like or sell 29er's

Hello!

Willow Koeber is the short lady winning on 29ers (3rd in the worlds). We sell out of 15" and 17" Fishers regularly.

If you are near us, I have all sizes in stock for demo….

Also a Niner stockist 🙂

Matthew.