5 foot tall, need help with new bike.. 29er or 26r

milkman

milkman

Likes Bikes
hello , im 5 foot tall and am currently on a 2008 anthem w in xs. upgrading. thinking of an xs giant 2013 anthem x advanced 29er, what are you riding? what are your thoughts?
 
S

SummitFever

Eats Squid
Measure your handlebar height above the ground and take this measurement with you when you check out an XS 29er. The bottom bracket height will be roughly the same between your 26er and a new 29er so you can do the comparison fairly effectively. You may find it difficult to get the bars low enough, particularly if you like a short stem and/or low bars. Smaller riders will often need the stem reversed so its negative rise. If the bars start out too high it will be difficult even with a neg rise stem to get them low enough. If you like your bars high this may not be an issue.

Some of the slow handling traits experienced on some 29ers is due to an inability to get the bars low enough so you can weight the front properly.
 
rubikat

rubikat

Likes Dirt
The proof is in the ride.

If possible, get some demo rides in. Find a dealer or company who has demo fleet and get out to a test ride / demo day.
E.g. Trek / Specialized / Merida /Giant / Avanti
This really will allow you to judge the best bike for you.

As a 5ft 2 woman who swears by geometry, I will confess that numbers and figures cannot explain how a bike will feel to you.
I have ridden a Trek Supefly 29" (15) as a demo in comparison to my (cheap) 26" Commencal Combi.
Loved how the Trek rolled over stuff and gave me confidence to tackle some steeper climbs and technical bits. Super fun and made be feel awesome and soo much better on the bike at Stromlo.
My beloved Commencal is however the schiz when it comes to responsiveness and sheer bootability.

Would I buy a 29er?
If I had the $$ YES but I would see what other manufacturers have to offer as well.

Goodluck.
 
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