Looking at a new singlespeed and likes the look of the Cannondale 29er ss. But being only 5’7″ thinking I might be a bit short for one. I had a go on a 29er a few years ago and it didn’t feel right but I understand they have moved on a fair bit since then.

Any short people here riding a 29″ and whats your thoughts.

I had a go on a 29er a few years ago and it didn’t feel right but I understand they have moved on a fair bit since then.

Yes…they made the wheels smaller 😕

if it’s good enough for Emily

not much stand over there though

negative ride stems look awful though

What I meant by that is the geometry is more sorted.

I was going to write something useful but now there is a photo of Emily to look at you’ve had it….

Niner do a 14″ frame, but you’d fit a 16″ perfectly.

yes, you should fit on something like a 16″. I have a 16″ scandal at a couple of inches taller than you and have plenty of post showing. In fact I want to try an 18″ frame for a bit of extra TT length as the standover isn’t much different by the time you are in front of the nose of the saddle.

Failing that if it is just for general trail riding then take a look at 27.5″ wheeled bikes. (I’ll wait for someone else to say about the trails…”

My mate rides a 16″ Inbred 29er and loves it.

Syntace negative rise stem and those Niner negative rise bars to lower the front end?

I am 5’6″ and ride a 17.5″ Genesis Fortitude no problem… Try one out…

16″ Karate Monkey here. Ridden a 17″ Orange P7 for over 16 years and the KM is a perfect fit

5’7 myself and ride a 17″ scott scale. Fits perfectly

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592 by Radoggair, on Flickr[/img]

5′ 7″ here and a 16″ El Mar, 70mm no rise stem, no dramas here

5’7 on a 17.5 Ghost AMR 29er

I’m just under 5’8″ and I ride a 16″ Salsa El Mar.

I’m not sure I get the 29ers for lanky people only thing. If you were to be buying a road bike you’d not question getting one with 700c wheels.

5’7″ and had a 16″ Vitus Vee and it was fine. A bit of toe overlap when making the odd tight turn, which some smaller sized frames are susceptible, but other than that no issues.

I thought El Mars came in 15″ (S) & 17″ (M), not 16″?

I have a Medium SC Tallboy LTc and a medium Niner Air 9 carbon, both are superb and I am 5′ 8″.

Try before you buy!

Shiny

They changed a couple of years back. FWIW, I’m 5’7″ and I ride a medium (17″) El Mariachi

I have a medium 29er inbred (17″) and I’m only 5’8″ with a 31″ inside leg. No problems here…

Do people get toe overlap with all of these 16″ 29er frames?

Not on my medium Niner, no.

Scotroutes…stunning photo. 🙂

Do people get toe overlap with all of these 16″ 29er frames?

As I mentioned above, yes, but not enough to be too noticeable. Around town it was something to be aware of, as making a tight turn in traffic could catch you out. This was using flats, though, so if clipped in any foot creep that would make things worse, could be negated.

It differs from frame to frame.

I’m about 5′ 8”/9” and ride a 2014 Unit. Fits great with no toe overlap.

No toe overlap. I really don’t see how the wheel size should effect things adversely for shorter people. In fact it should benefit them better as they’re positioned lower in-between the wheels rather than over the top of smaller wheels. When I got my first 29er I measured the BB height, saddle height and handlebar height to the ground and compared to my 26er. Guess what – they were both the same. 29ers don’t mean your higher off the ground so should be perfectly fine for those of a shorter stature. In fact probably beneficial since your centre of gravity will be closer to the wheel centres – i’m no bike geometry expert, but that seems to me like it should be a better situation than a greater distance between the wheel centres and CofG. Generally in all forms of land based things that go fast – they tend to go faster the closer to the ground they are.

I’m about 5′ 8”/9” and ride a 2014 Unit. Fits great with no toe overlap.

What size of Unit?

You manoeuvre a bike by shifting your centre of mass relative to its centres of stability. The bigger the wheels and the smaller the rider the more effort it takes to throw a bike around. So it comes down to the trade-off of stability vs ‘flickability’. If I were 5’7″ I’d definitely consider a 29er for XC riding but not for anything seriously tech or jumpy. For anything in between it comes down to the feel you prefer. If you ride a MTB like a road bike then even a 5′ tall rider could be happy on a 29er – but even the stiffest riders I know throw a MTB around more than I’ve seen anyone do on a road ride.

I was out with 2 mates who’re not much over 5ft yesterday. They were both on 29ers ( Cannondale & Lynksey ), and by far the quickest riders out !

OK, if you want to do 10 foot drop off’s and tail whips off 6 ft gap jump a ride like an 18 year old hard core ‘yoof’ then clearly a 29er is not the right tool for the job. But the majority of recreational riders – especially middle aged recreational riders, get off the ground is 6 inches and tackle the occasional rock garden on a black run at a trail centre, so not exactly pushing the envelope of human achievement on an MTB and not likely to attract the attention of Red Bull any time soon. All they’re after t is a bit of a thrill at the weekend before the monotony and drudgery of the monday morning grind starts, and speed gives that thrill, so by that reckoning a 29er is not hampering the riders experience at all and may very well be adding to it. You never know till you try – keeping an open mind is the key to so many things in life. I think if you’re having to resort to throwing the bike around at any stage then there is something wrong with your technique. When I watch the Pro’s doing their stuff it looks to me like they’re not having to man-handle their bikes, just the opposite.

ratherbeintobago – Member

l’m about 5′ 8”/9” and ride a 2014 Unit. Fits great with no toe overlap.

What size of Unit?[/quote]

Sorry its a 17″.

I’m not sure I get the 29ers for lanky people only thing. If you were to be buying a road bike you’d not question getting one with 700c wheels.

but the bike would be designed round 25mm of tyre and beggar all mud clearance; so not really the same.

I know shorter persons (ladies) who have gone sub-700c on road bikes, too.

Thanks for the replies.

A manly 5’8″ here and I ride a medium 29er Super light and before that a 16″ Scandal.
Both perfect fits.

wobbliscott – Member
OK, if you want to do 10 foot drop off’s and tail whips off 6 ft gap jump a ride like an 18 year old hard core ‘yoof’ then clearly a 29er is not the right tool for the job. But the majority of recreational riders – especially middle aged recreational riders, get off the ground is 6 inches and tackle the occasional rock garden on a black run at a trail centre, so not exactly pushing the envelope of human achievement on an MTB and not likely to attract the attention of Red Bull any time soon. All they’re after t is a bit of a thrill at the weekend before the monotony and drudgery of the monday morning grind starts, and speed gives that thrill, so by that reckoning a 29er is not hampering the riders experience at all and may very well be adding to it. You never know till you try – keeping an open mind is the key to so many things in life. I think if you’re having to resort to throwing the bike around at any stage then there is something wrong with your technique. When I watch the Pro’s doing their stuff it looks to me like they’re not having to man-handle their bikes, just the opposite.

Good post!

I rode one for the first time yesterday, I’m 5’8. To be honest turning was not noticeably different to my 26″ bike in my local woodsy singletrack. What was noticeable was the difference in acceleration between the two, the 26″ has got it there, also I felt that the 26″ climbed quicker but I’ve been ill so that might be me.

In all though, having ridden 26″ wheels forever I prefer the 29er, it took about 1/2 hour to get used to it which isn’t too bad considering it’s a hard tail with a big wheel and I’ve been riding 26″ fs bikes since 1996.

It rolls better once up to speed, it seems to have good grip in the corners, I’m more in than on the bike and most importantly it was fun. I bought one too 🙂

It’ll be interesting to see if I’m faster on it, not that it matters as I think I’ll have more fun on a bike that is more suited to the flatlands of Kent.

I’m 5′ 6″, I have had 2 16″ bikes – An On One Inbred 29er and a Canyon Al29er, Now I have a Camber 29er. The Camber is the first one where there is no toe overlap on tight hairpins. It is a Medium size though, but loads of clearance and plenty of reach means I can run a short stem (60mm) and wide bars (720mm). It’s a great bike for trail centres and the like, but I prefer my Five for the really rough stuff.

5’6″ on a medium tallboy and a small Krampus

I’m 5ft 7 on a 17.5″ Mosaic MT-1 29er and also a Jones Spaceframe.

Starting to think a 15″ Cannondale might be a bit small now.