I’m looking to get my wife a new hardtail with a budget of around £800ish. She’s 5’2 so I’ve been looking at womens specific frames – I’ve been distinctly unimpressed with spec at that price point with the notable exception of the somewhat oddly named Duchess from Rose:

which seems almost too good to be true…

Has anyone got one of these? How do they ride?
Any comments on the geometry or other downsides I may have missed? She’ll be mostly riding XC around the South Downs.

Here’s the link actually working:

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/rose-the-duchess-2-532755/aid:552448

If no one’s got a Duchess does anyone have any experience of any Rose bikes? BM seems to have mixed reviews – frames might be a bit stiff?

Hi, I’ve got a 2011 Granite Chief. Really happy with it. Appreciate that it’s a bit different to the Duchess 😀

Thanks – that’s good to know.

Anyone got a Rose hardtail?