I’m thinking of building a bike for my daughter (I figure I’ve enough bits lying around) but am struggling to find any XS frames. Any ideas, either hardtail or FS?

Spec Myka (gf is 4ft 10) see 13″ (also do 15″), has curvedown top tube as well -ebay/gumtree etc

*edited – *referring to 26″ wheel version

Kona Shred 14″? My 5’3″ wife loves hers. It’s a dirt jump bike with gears, and it great fun to throw around singletrack when my bike is out of action 🙂

They also do a Shred 24 with 24″ wheels and I think one with 20″ wheels too.

Saying that, they’ve gone up in price a bit since she bough hers (it was also old stock…)

Might be a little bit to good for a kid, but she make a lot of Adults green with envy, Cotic Soul 26″ come in XS 😈

This is a constant struggle. My wife’s era far is small enough in stand over but bordering on being too long.
Same goes for her road bike in 47cm something about reach which just doesn’t come down as much you’d like it to.
If you find the perfect small frame let everyone know.
Bike industry! Stop shrinking and pinking!

Not many bikes with a short reach.
I have an (X)XS Yeti AS-R and XS Rocky Mountain Instinct (2002), and love my 14 inch Surly 1×1. All 3 fit the short top tube requirement – Surly make the Troll with the same dimensions as the 1×1. Road bike wise I had a Trek in 47cm (650c wheels) and currently have an Airborne WASP (650c) and a custom bike with 700c wheels. Sometimes the older RM’s come up for sale.
Good luck – I know it’s a tough one!
STL

My GF is 5′ 1.5″ and has a “Petite” Cannondale F5 Feminine frame lying around in the garage. Stupidly small and not in use so if you want more details give me a shout, I have the geometry on file at home.

On one 456 (evo) or inbred in 14″?

If you can find one, a Titus Motolite in XS.

My g/f is 5 foot tall and rides one – built up using the Pikes that I bought off you a few years ago.

Rockhopper 13.5″ – when they were 26ers

+1 for Cannondale Femine/Petite frames, they are nice and diddy and really quite light.

My GF has an older F-Series one and it’s about an inch shorted in the TT than equivalent sized F-Series and the Seat angle is steeper too.

On one frames tend to be really long, so personally I’d steer clear of those. I’m 5’3″ & I’ve currently got a kinesis km-220 which is a brilliant frame – really sorted geometry and very light (& cheap!). Also had an Orange Five in 14″ which worked well for me (diva was too short) and was awesome fun. Have had plenty of frames inbetween, but these have been the best fitting & the most fun. The Cannondale mentioned above sounds worth a lot too. My main tip would be to build it light (whatever you go for) as when you’re the lighter end of the scales, it can make a huge impact!

Rockhopper frames are good and really small (26″). Owned an on one scandal used for my son, not great for kids (especially girls I suppose) as that had a long top tube and my son hated it. I do believe cotic have quite a long top tube too, so even the xs won’t be ideal (that is the size cotic recommended for me – 5’5″ older girl.

Built the vertically challenged wife a scandal singlespeed, with carbon Exotic short legged carbon forks. She is 5ft1 in slippers. Put a 60mm stem on it and is a lot nicer to ride than her Santa Cruz Julianna, which I think she looks cramped on and is 2 inches longer on the Scandal than SC.

Just registering an interest as after a frame for 5ft 2″ – 3″ girlfriend, for 26″ wheels

Built up a Dialled Bikes Holeshot for MrsBunk (4’11 3/4″ 😉 ). Bit slacker than some of the small frames, 853 steel appealed to me, and she loves it. I managed to rig up a front mech, though I’d go 1×10 nowadays…