I've always thought road bikes and high saddle/low bar hardtails were the best looking bikes, and so always had bikes like that.

However in hindsight my hobbit like short arms and torso were never really suited to them, so this time i decided to make the bike fun rather than pretty, and make it fit.

White small giant trance w from tree magnet (thanks!) and various other bits and here it is.

The stem is very short, a 70mm thomson will be my next purchase but i am doing some downhilly/techier than normal stuff this weekend…

ok ok it is a trance w, but it is identical to the blokes version, and i am comfy with my sexuality, however the wifes first words on seeing it were "oh look you've made a girls bike"…

she was talking about the low standover……. wasnt she??

it rides lovely, grin inducing bouncy, didnt break the bank.

let the mockery commence!

Waits for the chorus of 'Trim you steerer!' ….

silver mings

The short TT does mark it out as a girls bike, but as long as it fits and is fun to ride I don't see that it matters.

tidy.

poof 😉

p.s. that tree looks out of control

I wouldn't be embarrassed about the women's specific frame but those dirty spokes in the last shot are unforgivable!

nice 🙂
though, you may have saved your nads from the top tube, but that steerer is going to get you instead.

lawn/ivy/fence paint/tree trim

shakes head

Where did you get your bike stand? I want one of those!

BTW your garden needs a good tidy, grass mowed, Ivy cut back, fence… 😉

tt's the same as the blokes one (the frames identical),

silver is the way forward

still fiddling with stem height/length

Something looks just wrong with that. Layback post and such a short stem would suggest that it didn't really fit….

can i put some risers on it and take it down the dirt jumps?

very nice, but its still very arse up head down in my opinion, so god knows what your other bikes have been like, pop all them spacers under the stem if your doing lots of going down…

It's so good when you ride a bike that actually fits well! It looks fun. Enjoy!

Goan – Member

Something looks just wrong with that. Layback post and such a short stem would suggest that it didn't really fit….

Why do people always say this. Look at any production bike, they all come with layback seatposts (however it is likely this is at the clamp rather than with a bent post ala thomson). In fact when people try to fix things with inline posts they're probably doing more to change the handling.

Why did I say it? Maybe because it looks wrong to me…

goan – fairplay i tried the xs it was way too small, i have wierd proportions, with a 70mm stem it looks a lot better, it has a 40mm on in the pic, which is too short tbh

thomson layback posts are a bit marmity, i like em, and it gets me over the back of the bike which just feels better for me.

laidback position + big tyres + bouncy skill compensation = more confidence

I think they say it, because layback posts are usually used to make a bike a bit longer, and result in your weight being further back than was originally intended by the designer. A layback post and a 40mm stem, would push your weight right back, which isn't good.

richc – Member

I think they say it, because layback posts are usually used to make a bike a bit longer, and result in your weight being further back than was originally intended by the designer. A layback post and a 40mm stem, would push your weight right back, which isn't good.

What I'm saying is that most designers design their bikes to be used with layback posts though!

I think it's the thomson effect, if it were a straight post with an offset clamp one wouldn't even notice.

How wide are the bars? They look quite narrow.

bladed spokes on a MTB ?
(I've led a sheltered life)

… and +1 for not liking Thomson layback posts

… and Trances are great

Don't normally like the look of Giant full susser but that looks nice in silver and some how the brown saddle & grips work too.

Oh and loose the blue pot 🙄

richc, depends what you are trying to acheive.

because of short torso/arms i really struggle to get the front end up, yet i have longish legs so the 16" fits me in every other way.

the steering is too quick with the 40mm stem so a 60-70 will be perfect i reckon for xc.

i think i know the problem – i am 5'8" ish (low centre of gravity!) and allways go for small frames, but sometimes this makes the butt to hands distance too short & cramped. Plus i like to ride more stretched out, with my rear to the back of the saddle, towards the centre of rear wheel. Answer is not to get a bigger or longer frame that 'fits' but to get the saddle further back and handlebars further forward. People do talk some nonsense about layback posts. imo if they give you the position you want on as small a frame as possible then they are good things.

i like it!!!

How are you going to ride that side saddle?

Amazed no-one's moaned about the front brake hose!

Trim it.

Oh, liking the brown saddle/grip combo – you just need the brown Charge chainstay protector now!

Doesn't really look like a girl's bike- it's not got swirls or flowers or owt.

oooh brown charge chainstay protector, off to google

oh…a girls bike…
ur steerer tube is too long…might penetrate u

Yup – I've got the brown grip/c'stay protector/saddle thing going on – gonna look great on the custard soul arriving monday!

I like that, really not a fan of long stems, like it twitchy, so the layback works…
Just need to shorten that brake hose and get a black zip tie on the forks… 🙂