for my wife.
to be used for touring/pootleing/general riding/light offroad.
needs to be light……she is only 10stone.
should i get a ladies or a small mans frame.
700c or 26” wheels.
15” frame.

any idea’s greatly welcomed.

How tall is she quite importantly?

she is 5ft 1”.

Ton, i’m 160cm and I use a small Chameleon. perfect for everything. commuting, cross country, down to the pub. Dunno how much mine weighs though. I don’t think it’s a girl specific frame though.

Small MTB then, with 26″ wheels. Any larger wheels will be difficult to handle for someone quite short. And probably a ladies frame, guys don’t tend to be so short. Though the Merlin Malt range of frames come in sizes down to 13″.

mate, i am just looking on the merlin site.
rock lobster 853 looks nice.

Emsz, she is a grandma……….i dont think she would take kindly to me building her a ‘core’ type bike…….. 😉

This is a tricky one which I have been trying to help a friend with. the conclusion we came to was my wifes old mountain bike (which was a loan but not for sale). Its rigid, great components and light. The riding position is fine touring or off road.

Its hard to find a modern equivalant, my friend didn’t really have the moeny for a rigid mounatin bike, which are a rarity at that price

all the big brands do lovey hybrids which would do, but for that height of woman I think that 26″ inch wheels make sense. Also IMHO alot of big brands have gone too short on the top tube for a rather sit up and beg round town riding position

quick random thought I wonder if an Isla bike would do……

Ton those Rock Lobsters are ace. My Mrs is looking at the sl at the minute as her first mtb.

How about an Inbred Tony, I’ve built my missus one in 14″ flavour, very welcome to try it for size. If its only for very light offroad use, then build it up with carbon rigids to keep it nice and light.

smuzzy, i am just doing a build list………..rigid carbons were the 2nd thing on the list. 8)

Or scandal if you can stretch a few more ££££, i’ve just built an 18″ rigid singlespeed for myself, weighs a tad over 19lb. again, same geo as the Inbred if you want to try the wife’s 14″ for size.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330557484294&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_864wt_1135

I’ve got a Rock Lobster Team Tig Sl with Nuke Proof carbon rigids, put some Conti Speed King Supersonics on and other light finishing kit and it will be very light. Also, the Merlin headset is a split crown race, so you can quickly swap out some sus forks, for odd days out. The top tube is quite short, so a 15″ should be ok.
I’m loving riding it at the moment.

these pics might put you off, they’re not very good, but I use it for commuting and MTB.
With the carbon rigids it weights 22 lbs, that’s with standard wheels that weigh 1800gms, but everything else is bought for lightweight. So, with some Stans or AC wheels with crest rims, light bits and maybe KCNC X7 brakes, you could get it to sub 20lbs. I would definitely start with some lightweight tyres like the Speed King Supersonics (or equiv), that will knock a KG off the bike immediately.