[Closed] Best 29er's for Short hobbit types!

I'm 5'7" and ride a 16.5" Van Nicholas Zion Ti HT 29er with a 90mm -17 degree stem. The effective top tube is 590mm -about the same as most Medium 29er. 80mm SID works well. I'm running 42/32/24 x 11-34 gearing. I love riding it. It's better than the Specialized Epic 26" that it replaced.

I'm 5'7" and ride a 16.5" Van Nicholas Zion Ti HT 29er

Thats a hell of a nice bike! Did you ever use the carbon forks? 80mm sounds like nothing! what sort of riding do you do?!

Anyone else?! 😕

Try Isla bikes, the only adult bike they do is a rigid 29er, I live just down the road from Isla and she rides one all the time, shes a bit smaller than me and Im 5 foot 7. I think she would be able to size correctly for us hobbit like folk.

My mate had a medium specialized 29er full suss on loan, I borrowed it for a few hundred yards, would have been more only i was on spd's and the 29er had flats. It didnt feel to bad to be honest, made me think that a small would be a good fit for me.

I'm also interested in investigating small 29er's.. I'm just 5'6" on a good day and am yet to find a small enough one to try out! The Niner EMD9 looks nice and small.... also like the look of the Charge Cooker but they seem expensive for the spec..

I hear niner are making a tagalong for short riders

I reckon my 6yr old could ride a 14" Niner... 🙂

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6840775351_ce6ee2584b_o.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6840775351_ce6ee2584b_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/takisawa2/6840775351/ ]Niner_MCE_XS[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/takisawa2/ ]pten2106[/url], on Flickr

5'9" here, on a medium (16.5") Niner SIR9. Previously an 18" Inbred. The Niner is about the best fitting bike I've ever owned. 50mm stem, low-rise bars, running Niners steel forks. Love it. The Inbred was nice, but the Niner is a different beast. Just doesnt feel like a 29er. The Inbred could get a bit lairy sometimes, not in a bad way - it just made you aware that you couldnt chuck it around as much. The Niner on the other hand reminds me of a Cotic Soul I had many years ago, but with bigger wheels 🙂
Very happy with it.
Prefer mine rigid, but ran the Inbred with a 120mm fork & it was way too much travel. I dont think you need as much travel on a 29er, there are a few slacker ones comning out now, for 140mm forks. Not really my cup of tea.
Reckon a Small (15.5") would be right up your street. 😉

I'm from the other end of the scale and wonder why such short people think 29ers would be good for them? There is so much jiggerypokery with the geometry to get it to fit I can't see what it brings to a short rider. They look out of proportion.

Its cos for xc purposes, they are bloomin quick, short arse or not 🙂

5' 7", just finished building my 16" Salsa El Mariachi about a week ago. Rigid Exotic forks, 70mm stem, went out to the Raven trail in Brechfa last Wednesday, felt a bit strange at first compared my 16" inbred, however felt okay by the end of the trail.
I probably took it slightly easier than normal due to having rigid forks but still had a blast.
Decision still out though if I am going to keep it or not, still need a few more rides to make my mind up.
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/7027640791_a6e6bb05c5_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/7027640791_a6e6bb05c5_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/71558245@N03/7027640791/ ]Salsa El Mariachi[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/71558245@N03/ ]Inbred 853[/url], on Flickr

It's for XC purposes - lol
if you want to be good at XC the bike wont change anything.
neal won Whinlatter on a full sus 26".
why do you think the wheels will make you faster.

inbred853 - that looks rubbish. I can't understand why you ever thought that was a good idea.

I'll give you £250 for the frame, just so you'll feel a bit better about having made such a terrible mistake

I'm 5ft 7 with a 31" inside leg and ride a 16" Kona Big Unit. Although it's a 16" frame, the centre to centre measurement is only 13".

It's got a 22.5" eff top tube and I run it with a 400mm inline post and 90mm stem.

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/7061514083_a2f2d774b7_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/7061514083_a2f2d774b7_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/69297557@N08/7061514083/ ]IMG_0091[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/69297557@N08/ ]Amplebrew[/url], on Flickr

I'm from the other end of the scale and wonder why such short people think 29ers would be good for them? There is so much jiggerypokery with the geometry to get it to fit I can't see what it brings to a short rider. They look out of proportion.

FWIW, I'm currently riding an On One Scandal 29er and I'm 5'7". It doesn't feel in any way too large. In fact, I'd say that the top tube feels a bit short.

druidh,

I know, don't know what came over me to try something different and actually like it. 😀
I was lusting over tk46hal's Scandal thats on the classifieds now for ages, but the El Mar was to good a deal to miss.

26" bikes are ideal for those under 6ft, they've been around for ages too so the geometry is sorted, a few riders have tried them too, leave the big bikes to those freaks tall enough to need to ride them to feel comfy

Height and inside leg are not,the whole story - torso and arm length are just as important.
I have a 29 inch inside leg, yet ride a 19 inch Gary Fisher Marlin (with upgraded forks and drivetrain) and I find it to be a perfect fit. (I am 6 foot tall, though)
You really need to do some test rides, to get a better idea of what suits you - 29ers tend to have longer top tubes.

Some of the (also vertically challenged) lady pros have adapted to 29ers, so you should be able to find something.

I love mine, as it does just roll over just about everything (apart from that huge log on Wednesday, but that was mostly to do with me being rubbish)

[url= http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/trek-cobia-29er-mountain-bike-id59153.html ]Gary Fisher bikes[/url] aren't that hard to find - there are several models in the range

Tacopowell - my Zion 29er is the 2011 model and came with Reba forks. I'll be getting a carbon Niner fork for next winter. 80mm is more than enough for the XC/marathon riding that I do. I reduced the travel myself. I've a Stan's Race Gold Wheelset (1345g) for racing or just putting my mates to the sword. It's certainly up to riding Innerleithen and Glentress which I do quite often. I like they way it looks - it certainly attracts attention though. My next project will be a Planet X Dirty Harry (small) for race day use.

[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5160/6915538574_ac7b777104.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5160/6915538574_ac7b777104.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/78871617@N02/6915538574/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/78871617@N02/ ]redfordrider[/url], on Flickr

I'm 5'4" and ride a medium giant anthem 29 with an in-line post, 50mm stem (though going to try a 70mm) wide bar with a 120 marzocchi up front. It comes up smaller than geo chart suggests and she flies here in the lake district. I don't get why small folk aren't supposed to be able to ride faster bikes than tall folks. Whats this magic 6' + club?

I also ride a kona unit 29 16". no 26ers in the fleet at the min. may do in future but 29ers work for me and my riding for now.

Whats this magic 6' + club?

i think the stem area on that above Van Nic tells you all you need to know

ride a bike that fits, it'll ride much better than a bike you desperately want to fit you but doesn't

Oh - that Zion 29er is lovely btw. I've been considering one of them, or a VN Redwood which has horizontal dropouts.

I don't get why small folk aren't supposed to be able to ride faster bikes than tall folks.

Nothing to do with faster or slower. All to do with bikes that are in proportion or not and about how much effort is gone through to make bigger wheels fit someone who warrants geometry on the smaller side.

Rocketdog - my bike fits me perfectly, thanks.
Druidh - you are welcome to have ride on it sometime.

There are many people significantly shorter than 6 ft doing perfectly well on 29ers thank you very much! It's got nothing to do with "looking in proportion" or not. The advantges of 29ers are as valid for a short-arse as they are for a tall rider.

650B 😆

I'd consider 650B provided that there is a good selection of tyres. I Won't knock it until I've tried it.

Whats this magic 6' + club?

Something based on half-truths coming from older 29ers with steep fronts, some minor issues with front end height for some riders and a lot of myth and waffle, maybe. If the front's not too steep and the stem's short the geo can work out fine. If you use shorter forks, it works more easily. If you're 5'5" or less and want a steep bike with a short TT and a long fork it may be a bit of a mess though )
Nowt wrong with the stem on the zion either?
IMO bigger wheels work if you like the fit of the bike they're attached to, the wheels themselves do the same things for a short 11st/200watt rider as a tall 11st/200watt rider. (I'm 6'+ and ride a 29er that some 5'7"ish riders are perfectly happy on)

redfordrider - Member

Rocketdog - my bike fits me perfectly, thanks.

it doesn't look like it, it looks like a small person is desperate to climb on the niche bandwagon but needs to carry a step ladder around with them
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5302/5635216521_fe8994b2b1.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5302/5635216521_fe8994b2b1.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketdog/5635216521/ ]26-29[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/rocketdog/ ]rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr

TooTall - Member
Nothing to do with faster or slower. All to do with [s]bikes that are in proportion or not[/s] how they look.

Thankfully, many folk don't really care how they look as long as they function well.

Self portrait?[

I think it was Rocketdog who once coined the phrase sitting in, not on a bike, & that's how I felt when I first got a 29er.

So the big wheels, big riders argument is purely based on bike aesthetics?

Funnily enough - the bikes that look right with me on them fit me better. If I look like a circus bear on a kiddy cycle then it rides like a BMX and it isn't comfortable. My 29ers look right and feel right for me and it is because of the wheel size and geometry. Hence why I am confused by the little people forcing geometry to fit the same wheels that work so well for me.

Pro BMX's can be 6 feet plus and Willow Koerber Rockwell is 5'2" and is pretty handy on her 29er. Have these guys got the wrong bikes?

Where are all the 31" wheeled road bikes for taller riders?

Not a self portrait of rocket dog climbing on his bike after all. My feelings were hurt...until I saw a picture of rocketdog. Now I can safely disregard his opinions based on the way he looks...

Too Tall - the benefits of bigger wheels is in the way they roll over obstacles and by providing greater traction. This applies to riders of all sizes.

Some grumpy people on this thread!

Too Tall - the benefits of bigger wheels is in the way they roll over obstacles and by providing greater traction. This applies to riders of all sizes

I think my bosses wife asked me something similar the other day about my height (5` 8") and the 29er I was about to put together. It seems that just recently theres a bit of a question mark over the starting height that folk would be best suited to get the leg over a 29er. I can't remember this years ago.. it just seems to be.. today! (I have just built up this spearfish and someone mentioned if I was a little short to get the benefit from a 29er)

If they are better for people 6` tall and over but also not so great for someone 3 inches shorter.. when squatting over a bike with arms and legs flexed,what difference is 3-5 inches in overall height really going to make?!

Its like the snowboard sizing thing of years gone by. Like saying that a 6 ft tall boarder should be on a certain size of board but its not going to be useable for another rider at 5`4"... when they both weight the same.

What was the thing about the board meeting with yer chin or nose as an indication of sizing? lol

Excuse the steerer length.[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7062270799_6204b16eb9_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7062270799_6204b16eb9_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/65460103@N08/7062270799/ ]spearfish complete built easter sunday 2012[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/65460103@N08/ ]martinxyz[/url], on Flickr

What!? I need a new snow board! What's the latest niche? I'll have one in red please. Nice bike by the way.

Hence why I am confused by the little people forcing geometry to fit the same wheels that work so well for me.

I know what you're saying (and part of me agrees, though part of me also thinks "let someone do what they want"), but to quote you... "The little people".

Could you sound any more condescending if you tried? Or do you really look/feel/act like Gulliver in Lilliput? 😕

Not a self portrait of rocket dog climbing on his bike after all. My feelings were hurt...until I saw a picture of rocketdog. Now I can safely disregard his opinions based on the way he looks...

That's not Rocketdog... He's about 6ft3 and has a grey bushy beard... The fella in that pic is his friend mtbmaff on here... RD, does Matt know you're posting pics of him willingly? 😉

Its like the snowboard sizing thing of years gone by. Like saying that a 6 ft tall boarder should be on a certain size of board but its not going to be useable for another rider at 5`4"... when they both weight the same.

Kind of, but... With snowboards you can get varying different degrees of flex built into a board, different widths, different styles for different riding etc. Snowboard length is probably more of a variable based upon a combination of your size and height, but also your riding style etc. than Mountain Bike sizing is (well XC MTB sizing anyway). I'm just under 5ft11 and the last board I bought was a 158. Should have been absolutely perfect for me as an all round general riding board. Problem was it was quite stiff, and when I bought it I was a massive 9 1/2 stone! It only rode well if I was giving it 10/10th's the whole time. Expect it would ride a whole lot better now though that I'm 12 stone...

cheers,its a mixture of some nice parts with some right dog parts.worked out o.k. though.