[Closed] 29er and vertical challenged/short folk, is it worth it/options?

I'm 5'7" (on a good day) and used to race a medium (17") 29er. The thing I found was that to get the race position I wanted/needed, I had to run a massively negative (-40 degrees) stem. This meant that everytime I came to anything remotely pointing down, I'd end up OTB.

I ended up on a 27.5 and it suits my little legs much better.

That said, the team I ride for didn't make a small frame 29er so I was a bit stuck. I do know of other guys around my height that are riding small frame 29ers and doing so pretty quickly.

I know short arse 29r riders, they all seem to get on fine, as XC weapons ( :roll:) They are great and just about the wheel size of choice. Shortest is on [url= http://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/element/2015#/technology ]This[/url] Standover is low on lots of bikes these days.
Some subtle tweaks like flipping Stems etc. can get the sizing right.

At the extreme end of sizing getting on one is key though.

If you're interested in something nice and light and pretty fast, I have a very limited edition carbon SMALL 29er KTM Myroon that has never even seen a bottom bracket that is surplus to requirements 😀

When I was looking around I actually found it quite hard to get a decent 26er and after reading the article about the geometry of a 29er for short people decided to take the plunge and go for a 29er. I am 5ft 3" (ish) and ride a Niner EMD. Took me a while to get used to the handling of a 29er but now I really enjoy riding it.

BTW the article is this one:

http://girlbikelove.com/2012/01/geometry-of-a-29er/

Mike... I own an element and I think it is an outstanding bike personally one of the best I have ever owned now with DT forks @120mm so highly capable BUT SO will not want a his her twin set though.

gazh...thanks not sure carbon is what she will want....

London lady...thanks really helpful, what is the niner emd like to ride? and is it a small or xs?

Mine is a XS.
Ride-wise - really nice, pretty nimble, not too twitchy, rolls nicely, climbs pretty well (unlike it's rider) and generally quite a light responsive bike - you can ride for ages and not feel too beaten up.

my 5'1" wife tried a short-travel 29er, but it just wasn't going to work.

even with flat bars, inverted-and-slammed stem, the bars were much higher than her saddle.

lol having done his and hers I can understand...

In lots of ways the wheel size height thing was all a bit of random internet rambling from the early days of 29rs short people seem to get on fine with road bikes.

The thing I found was that to get the race position I wanted/needed, I had to run a massively negative (-40 degrees) stem. This meant that everytime I came to anything remotely pointing down, I'd end up OTB.

That doesn't add up to me. If your BB, saddle and bar are in the same positions relative to the contact patches of the tyres as a 26 or 650B, you're less likely to go OTB of the 29er due to the higher axles / more BB drop. It's partly why we made a women's 29er for 5' and a bit riders. It's certainly less wheelie-manual-able though, that's the trade off. If your race position is simply too low at the front for good descending, fair enough, your call : )
29" can work for a rider just over 5' but the design / geometry needs to be balanced. Short rear end and a relatively longer FC make more sense on really small 29ers than on bigger-framed bikes imo.

jameso - I have to ride a certain make of bike. The bike as standard comes (came) with a 120mm headtube which made the front end pretty high. My legs are probably shorter than the average for my (lack of)height at 28inch inside leg.

This pretty much meant that the seatpost on a 17" was pretty low in the frame and the only way to get the bars lower was to have the 40 degree negative stem.

I guess I'm only speculating that that was the problem as I've never had that issue since being on a 27.5 with a geometry that suits me much better

"FC", Jameso? Wassat?

Sorry Ned, Front Center.

Gaz, could be a few different things and you know what works for you. I've never had 2 different bikes set up to the same dimension anywhere apart from saddle height, usually.

Got a small 2nd hand Kinesis FF29 frame for sale at the moment. Not had much use.

It was my GF's, but at 5ft8 we had to concede it really was too small for her, as even with a 90mm stem on it she felt cramped! A friend who's 5ft3 had a go on it and loved it with a 60mm stem.

Thanks mboy but the geometry chart sounds like it is for 5ft 5 riders up.....all very confusing

but the geometry chart

Short answer:

It depends.

Long answer:
Would you get a small child a 29er? So why would you get a small adult a 29er? That said it may not limit the riding she wants to do, in which case fine, but will there really be a benefit to her from riding a 29er? Wheel size is just one thing, the wheels have to fit around the rest of the bike first and foremost.

My wife rides a Small Scott Spark 29er and gets on really well with it, she is 5'4"ish. Happy riding it for XC or on technical stuff.
To give you an idea of size here is link to a picture of her on the bike :
http://www.xcracer.com/torq-in-your-sleep-2015.html (4th picture down in the blue kit) I think Emily in the picture below is on a small Whyte 29er - and she is pretty quick too.

For 2016 I have noticed a lot of the small frames are switching to 650B, so there aren't loads of small 29er frame available.

Have a look at the offerings from Specialized.

A mate's girlfriend has recently got a Spec 29er full suss and loves it. Can't remember her height but by her own account she is on the smaller side even for a girl.

My girlfriend's 5'4" and rides an XS Salsa El Mariachi. With a 60mm stem, it seems to fit her really well.

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Thanks for the replies 650 just seems for the sake of summthing new, neither here nor there