The twist is that my friend is in Australia which may limit what she can get her hands on.
She lives a couple of hours north of Sydney, the riding is sandy and consists of a mix of fireroads and wooded twisty stuff but she is looking for something that can do good service elsewhere. She is a strong rider (has ridden across China) and would rather go over the handlebars than walk something but she is not really into the kit side of things more getting on with riding. The combination of terrain and low maintenance means she wants a hardtail. She is not too tall so I think 27.5” might be the way to go.
She has previously had a Specialized Myka (womens specific 15.5 I think) and now rides a small (16”) On-One inbred which is more of an off-road touring setup (post China). She has a road bike too so no need for too much compromise.
She has a budget of up to £1,500. She is busy so will not want too much hassle in buying it but I am willing to help if shipping is the best way to do it.
So many women’s specific hardtails seem to be racing focussed but I don’t really think that is the right bike for her. That’s not to say she wouldn’t do a race but it is not why she rides. She had looked at the Cube range but I think they all look quite racy and that the Orange Diva (ideally in Pro spec) would be a good match but problems getting one in Australia:
https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/diva
So suggestions for good bikes and ideally available in Australia good bikes?
If 29er is a goer, maybe a Trek Stache? Or have they binned the non-plus models already?
Hmm, interesting suggestion and likely to be available in Australia.
The Giant Liv range I've seen up close looked sorted. Think they are 27.5.
What about 'Avanti' bikes, its a New Zealand brand so no probs getting them in Oz, they are supposedly part of Specialized(or were when I worked in Oz).
http://www.avantibikes.com/nz/bikes/off-road/performance-Mountain/competitor-7-1-womens/
They do a couple of womens specific models, link above is to the Competitor 7.1 which is similar in spec to the Diva you linked too.
Retail seems to be around $1730 so well under £1500 when converted.
They also do a Carbon framed model for a few hundred dollars more.
These are both clearly nice bikes but it always seems like any women looking to spend more money must be obsessed with racing!
Giant Liv: "[i]if speed and Xcracing are your obsessions, this singletrack rocketship is your path to the podium.[/i]"
Avanti Competitor "[i]The Competitor Womens is a lightweight performance machine, tuned with race performance womens-specific geometry. Perfect for riders who have an appetite for hills and speed[/i]."
This may mean it is worth looking beyond women's specific of course.
This may mean it is worth looking beyond women's specific of course.
Yes. Bikes are height-specific. Only saddles and a few other parts may be really gender-specific.