We're facing moving house in a couple of months time, and being alot closer to the north downs my girlfriend has asked me to build her an MTB 
I was thinking about getting her an inbred or something along those lines, i'm just wondering how girls go for sizing on non womens specific bikes?
She's about 5ft 6, but being female she probably needs a 14" on something like an inbred to get the length?
Mrsbeanz is 5`2" and rides a 14" 456 .
HTH
if that's the case, maybe a 16" would be better.
id have thort at lease 15 or 16 inch for her..... im only 5ft small and ride a 14 inch full sus ...my hardtail is only 13 inch... 
My mrs is 5ft6" and has a 16" Cube...
Hang on, taken out of context, that's a pretty weird admission.. 
It's this one:
My other half is 5'3 and she has a 14" specialised s-works which about spot on for her
Obviously at 5'6" WSD is not necessarily needed. However, I would study geometry pretty carefully.
For example, I am 5'5" and have a 14" Inbred singlespeed, fitted with a layback seatpost. I used to have a 16" 456 and the top tube really was too long.
Am always happy for girlies to try my bikes for size as I know what a nightmare this can be! Am based Berkshire/Hampshire/Surrey borders.
I'm 5'3" and have a small chameleon and xs giant glory.
Cool thanks for the info.
@cinnamon girl, what stem length on you 14" and 16" variations?
Thanks!
pinches - I think I use 70mm on all of them, together with a riser bar. Can post up some pics if that would help?
My gf is 6ft and some plonker at evans sold her a 19" or 20" trek gate. It's massive and would be too big for a bloke that height. I think girls generally have longer legs in relation to torso/arms, so need to drop a couple of inches on frame size.
Inbred has a 90mm stem.
I would suggest something in 853 steel. Keep looking in the Classifieds too.
I have been so pleased with the Soul, it's a workhorse.
My Missus 5'5" and her 14" Inbred fits great, I think if you went to 16" then the top tube would be too long
Mrs TJ is 5'5" and has a 16" inbred and a 17" myka. cos the myka is womens specific despite being a 17" frame the reach is shorter and the standover is less than many mens 17" frame. The 15" myka was too small
Girlie proportions come into the equation! Very short body, long legs and very long arms here. 
My 14" Inbred is fine for singlespeeding but I would not want gears on it. I prefer to have an inline seatpost to keep me 'central' but it has a layback.
Definitely look at other makes. Here's another of my ex's. 
15" but short top tube. A 17" may be a better fit. 853 steel.
I'm just over 5'6" and ride:
18" Trek 6700 mens hardtail
16.5" EX8 WSD
Mens medium Scott Spark 35
The 6 series was a bit long for me but changing the bars and seat post sorted the problem
EX8 is a perfect fit (since Jedi moved the brakes!)and comfy enough for long days out (but don't tell the crackfox as he's convinced I'm in no hurry most of the time!)
Spark is a good fit for racing/enduros
WSD frames can be a good idea however tall/short you are if the manufacturer is one that changes the geometry rather than just giving them a coat of pink paint and a girls saddle. I've got relatively long arms and legs and short body and the EX8 is great.
lb18, how's the riding going since our session?
My daughter's 5'1" and rides a 14" 456 with a 50mm stem. Fits her very well.
I think it should be taken into consideration that on-one bikes have very long top tubes, and I don't really think they're suited to women.
I'm 5'4" (on a good day), and have rode a 16" Kona, a 15.5" Dialled Prince Albert, a 15.5" Dialled Love/Hate (which was probably a tad too long), and a small Santa Cruz Heckler.
The Santa Cruz Heckler is my favourite - as I like a really short bike for steep stuff, but a friend the same height as me preferred the Love/Hate (my least favourite). <-- This makes me think you should just make this person try a few types of bikes before building.
unfortunately i don't want to spend a fortune, so an on one looks like a sensible choice, the issue being they're not that easy to find one for her to just have a sit on.
plus, it's a bit of a suprise! only other option would be to get her sized on one of the bikes at work, then look at geometry charts.
Leg and torso length can be an issue too. Some girls are very long in the leg and short in the torso, others not so. WSD bikes tend to be designed for the longer of leg, shorter of torso...
My GF is just under 5ft7, she can happily ride one of my bikes with a slightly shorter stem as she has quite a long torso. My hardtail has a 23" effective TT (same as a 16" On One does) and she's fine on that with a 70mm stem, fits her like a treat. A 14" On One with its 21.5" TT would look like a childs bike under her, but I've seen women of about the same height riding one and it fitted well!
Just done a quick calculation - out of 9 frames I have owned, only one has been WSD and that was the Juliana.
I personally would not want to be riding a 14" Inbred with gears and at 5'6", that is taller than me!! Don't get me wrong, mine's great as a singlespeed but the geometry of my small Soul is far superior.
Don't wish to sound a party-pooper but it's a huge risk to surprise someone with a bike. Lovely idea though.
As I said earlier, your gf is more than welcome to try out my Inbred for size. Unfortunately my Soul has been stripped but I do have another hardtail with very similar geometry that could be tried. E-mail in profile.
Edit: there's a 16" 456 in the Classifieds at the moment!
at 5'6" mrs julian tried (I say tried, what I mean is I built her one up, she rode it twice and then I had to sell it 
) a 14" inbred and thought it was too short. She now has a 16" one with inline post, 60mm stem and mid-rise, er, risers, and says its just right.
yes that sounds similar to what i would build. I have an 18" scandal which i can get her to try (but will certainly be too long, she can manage the standover)
i was thinking a 16" inbred with a 70mm stem, inline post and mid rise bar.
I might be tempted to get a 456 and run 120mm fork so that i could also steal it as a trail bike and just run a longer post
Don't forget that weight is an important consideration.
yes - the last thing i want is for it tobe too heavy and a slog to ride, otherwise she'll never ride it!
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