I really hope you do an E-bike version of. . . oh, handy!

Just thought I’d click through the adverts for the Levo – 0 from 3 actually stocking the S1. 0 from 6 so far when I’ve checked a few others. Suppose the theory is nice at least

Blocks of wood on pedals instead, like my dad did for me when I was 8 and I’d inherited my older brother’s bike ?

As a 5ft 0 (153cm) bloke who’s had to get properly geeky about bike geometry and sizing over the years, even more so since dropper posts, that article was pretty much useless.

As an aside, I can’t emphasise how much the trend for short seat tubes has been a game changer for me.. at barely 5ft I’ve even been able to ‘size up’ to a size ‘Small’ on my current bike – the brand did do an XS as well but I wanted the extra reach / wheelbase and still fit a dropper (admittedly not as long a dropper as I would like but that’s the compromise I chose).

Sorry, also in the ‘not helpful’ camp I’m afraid.

My partner is 5ft 4. She has the same leg length, and thus the same overall BB to saddle requirement as I do at 5ft 10 – I am a mens ‘large’ by the charts on most manufacturers but have stumpy legs that mean I have to choose my frames very carefully to get the right reach/seat-tube ratio, and select my dropper post lengths and crank lengths very carefully.

‘This frame comes in extra small’ is not really helpful at all, as its bascially meaningless.

(For reference, some manufacturers are great at the reach/seat tube ratio thing now as @Littleman pointed out – Santa Cruz, Orange, Ibis… some are terrible, Orbea, older Scotts, Trek etc etc…)

This needs a much more detailed study of geometry, and peoples body shapes to be useful.

Have you clicked through to view the full data on each bike? It includes minimum and maximum rider heights for each bike in all sizes.

My 11 year old lad is 4’7″, currently on a Ripcord which he will be grown out of next year I fear. I have already started to research, and save up for, his next bike as I think he will be needing a XS or S in 27.5″ flavour next time around. He does rip and would be a willing test pilot for any feature you would like to do to support this.

Have you clicked through to view the full data on each bike? It includes minimum and maximum rider heights for each bike in all sizes

I haven’t because I’m already aware that reading those specs does not give much if any insight into how that bike will actually size up for a short person. I know this because I have been there with my 4’11” other half. When you are at that end of the size range small differences can be make or break as to whether a bike is usable or not. Standover at the point your crotch is over the top tube for example is critical and there isn’t much jiggle room once you’ve factored in how much of the top tube is shadowed by the saddle for instance. Try working that out from the specs when the top tube meets the seat tube at an unspecified point and may be curved at another unspecified point. Trust me it’s a pain in the arse (or the front bit) to find small bikes.

The Specialized Evo XS standover height is nearly 30 inchs!
All the bikes are weigh 0kg
Interesting piece of marketing.