Yes I know, I'm sorry, but I'm looking for a replacement and wondered which manufacturers small's come up truely small. I've always stuck with konas as they come up short: my wife's 5'4" and I'm 5'2". I've always fancied a patriot, but the sizing looks really long according to the website. Any suggestions?
The reason? I've just come back from the shed and noticed that my wife's 04 Stinky has a 2" long crack in the headtube. Going right through the external butting at the bottom race. Now she's not ridden it that hard, and at 7 1/2 stone you wouldn't have thought she could crack a headtube like that. She did have a couple of flat landings last time at chicksands, but nothing beyond the norm. It's still got the original headset in it, so it can't be due to a ham fisted replacement either. The pictures I took weren't very impressive either, sorry.
My small Bullit on a well-known auction site 😉 would fit the bill nicely (2 weeks' use - one very careful lady owner).
Ventana X5
One of these can be built with 6.3" rockers. I'm only 5ft 4" with an inside leg of only 27.5" so standover is important to me.
They are very well built and very strong. The frame is warrantied for any fork inc triple clamps.
Here is mine with 7" front 66sl's and coil shock with the 6" rockers
and here in 5.5" mode
The Ventana El Ciclon 5.5 is also available in a 13" frame size.
I'm selling my small Heckler. It would be spot on I'd say. 5.5" travel.
5'4, ride an extra small Reign which as loads of standover and even fits with a longish stem (Mr MC says I should ride shorter). A bit cheaper than the luscious Ventana, I picked it up end-of-year at a massive discount (reign 2 RRP ~£1600, paid ~£1150ish). '09's likely to be cheap soon with the revamped '10 models in the press.
And I'm not trying to sell it to you 😉
Me at home in welsh wales.


