I've just built my fianceé a bike out of all the spares I had. well, mostly, I was missing a set of brakes so it was a great excuse to upgrade the ones on my bike in order to have a set left over for hers! 😆
Anyway, Sarahs the same hight as me at 6' and so my old hardtail did the job nicely and she absolutly loves it! I guessed if she got into it, I could always change the frame at a later date if she felt it wasnt right.
She's completely over biked, with a set of fox vans on the front, yet she wont ride down the slightest gradient, or attempt anything other than flat trail, well, not yet anyway. She did ride over a short 2foot wide bridge the other day without getting off, and come to think about it, she rode under a canal bridge where the footpath was very narrow, so theres hope yet.
I guess what i'm trying to say is that the chances of a womens specific geomety making much difference to her riding pleasure or ability are slim whilst she's learning, so picking up a cheap small frame will probably make more sence now, until she's a little better and decided she likes the sport before investing in a new bike later on when she understands what she wants. 😕