5ft 2" ...full suss... female... ideas please?

[polly]

OK, I have just got the hang of riding down steep tracks with rocks... do i need a full suss to have even more fun and if so which one?

cheers

Polly

[The Rose]

do you NEED suspension? Hell No. i have a buddy that runs DH on a hardtail and he loves it. do you think you need FS? i gotta tell you ever since i got my FS i really dont ride the hardtails much at all anymore. if your looking for a female sus bike check out santa cruz they make the juliana which is based off their superlight frame. trek may also have a female specific bike as well.:D

[zzyxzz]

My freind is buying his wife a Juliana SL....that is a Santa Cruz Superlight women's version. A very nice bike.
If that is too pricy, consider a Trek or Fisher WS bike.

[polly]

Thanks... my hardtail is a Juliana cushtail... so I was thinking about the Jooly SL...

cheers guys - that is definitely the place I shall start testing...

[denali1]

Hey Polly, At my shop my partner is 5'1'' and she just got a Yeti Kokopelli in a small and it fits her great!!! With a SID in the front and a a Fox Float RL in the rear it weighs 24lbs!!! It is one of our best selling
full suspension bikes and they range from 1700 to 3000 depending on
the build. And the only reason to stay with a hardtail is if you are
racing, if the suspension is set up properly you will enjoy your Scottish
getaways alot more!!!

[stumpy]

Do you need an FS? That is totally up to you. I have an FS and love it but I find myself getting lazy on it.....anyone else do this? When I had a HT, I would always get in the "attack" position even when going over small obstacles and downhills. After riding my FS for over a year, I got back on a HT and was surpirsed at how much more work it was. I didn't realize it but I guess I got use to the FS absorbing more bumps and started staying in the saddle more. So, I am rebuilding my old HT. (This is also my way of learning everything I can about bike mechanics)

I am 5'7" so finding a bike for me isn't that big of a deal but I know a few small women who ride a Titus and are very happy wtih them. Titus makes really small FS frames.

[Meredith]

Full suspension (or even front suspension) certainly isn't necessary, but it IS comfy and fun and can be confidence boosting. Also, every year I get achier and achier and the FS really does reduce overall fatigue on a day-long ride.

I'm riding a Santa Cruz Juliana Superlight, and I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. This is its third season, and it has done a whole lot of really fun stuff. I've been MTBing a lot since 1991, and this is my favorite bike yet. Yes, they're pretty expensive and can take a while to come in (I'm a shop owner and Santa Cruz dealer and still had to wait what seemed like forever for mine).

BTW, I'm just under 5'3". My santa cruz is a medium.

As someone else already mentioned, Trek also makes some nice FS women's specific bikes the are less expensive than Santa Cruz. Gary Fisher has an awesome looking 2004 women's specific Cake on the way, too, with 5" of travel and supposedly climbs well due to the new Manitou stable platform system.

[thanita]

No one NEEDS a full sus, I agree, but they sure are nice to have in some conditions, especially if you're jumping/starting to jump and ride nasty downhills.

Like Meredith, I have a Juliana SL in Med. I actually had a small but sold it, it was too small for me . . . I'm just under 5'3" as well.

What type of riding do you do? Are you keeping your hardtail?
What are your cost restrictions, if any?

Really small full sus that I have can personally vouch for:

Juliana SL (great xc bike - can be superlight - ha - with light parts, the frame is pretty light).

Ellsworth Isis - just came out with a 13", has awesome standover (26", better than many "women's spec"), esp. good if you're looking at more techy stuff to ride.

Titus - they make a REALLY tiny frame, the XXS Racer-X (both alum and ti options) and the "smallest long travel frame made," the XS loco-moto. I don't even know if you'd need this small of a size, our friend who is a bit over 5" has one she loves . . . they're supposed to fit people as small as 4'11" . . .
T

[polly]

Thanks Thanita...

I have just been riding on a Juliana SL... couldn't really test it properly though it's too flat where I live...
also the demo is much lower spec than my juliana cushtail - and the chain fell off when I tried to go uphill - so I decided not to try anything to tricky til i had had chance to check out the brakes etc... ;)

trouble is, I don't really know how I want it to feel... perhaps i don't really need one?

Feeling a bit confused at the moment - but shall take it tomorrow for a better workout...

Perhaps I'll have a better idea then!

cheers

Pol

[thanita]

Pol:
One thing you've got to do is adjust the suspension to your weight - use that as a starting point and stiffen or whatever depending on how you ride.

A full sus feels wierd if you've never ridden it - esp on flats, like you're wasting energy or something. Well, i guess you are in a sense . . . on technical sections, esp DH, you'll like it - ever been bopping off rocks n stuff so hard and fast that your vision started to bounce and blur? Full sus alleviates that annoying situation . . .
Let us know what you think once you hit a good "proving ground" (sometimes hard if you're testing a new bike vs. riding a demo . . . )
T

[Meredith]

When I wrote the other day I should have mentioned that I did opt (extra $35 or so) lockout option on the Fox rear shock. I've gotten into lots of debates since then with lots of guys who say that lockouts, front or rear, are pointless. Perhaps they are to some people, but I use mine LIKE CRAZY.

I do lots of rides that incorporate long doubletrack or gravel climbs with long singletrack sections. I love locking the rear (and usually the fork) out when I'm on a long nontechnical (even in the woods) climb. I think it's totally worth the extra (relatively minimal once you're buying the dang frame) cost. It really makes the bike feel like two different bikes.

And I agree that all FS feels weird at first.

Meredith

[zzyxzz]

A note on FS:
Suspension is not required to ride a bike off-road.

HOWEVER

Suspension does more than just make the rider more comfortable; it adds control (esp over the rough stuff), it adds traction where rigid designs (front and back) chatter and skip on the terrain, and it also makes up for mistakes.

A good suspension design will not "rob" you of power. A good design will not require a lockout (Blur, Marin Quad-link). In fact most people think that any movement in the rear shock is bad unless your flying down a rock garden. Not true.

Another bike mag (from England) did a little test. They took 4 riders and gave them 2 bikes each. The bikes were made by a large Wisconsin brand and equipped exactly the same (stock) except for the FS. They then raced a 24hr event using both bikes and were asked to record their opinions afterward without knowing their individual times. Almost everyone thought the FS was heavier and slower than the HT. Almost everyone was shocked to see that they were in fact 2-3 minutes faster on the FS than the HT.

Perception is everything.

I have owned 4 FS bikes and 8 HTs (plus 1 ST). FS rocks for everything except a weight contest. My current bike is a Blur. I highly recommend SC. I highly recommend the Blur. Every friend (up to 6 so far) that I put on a Blur thanks me.

If you have the money get a Blur (they fit down to 5'0"). If not the Juliana SL is a killer bike that will make you very happy. If money is tight, the Trek Fuel is worthy of consideration. Marin Quad-link bikes rock, but I don't think they come small enough for you.

I know Thanita said most of this already, but as you can see I felt strongly about the subject and had to throw my nickel in too...

Thus ends the rant.

[free spirit]

Hmm, I don't know. The guys at the shop tried to entice me with the new TREK WSD FS. Just didn't do anything for me. I see more parts to maintain and more parts to break. Also, since it's the uphills that usually get me, that's more weight to tote uphill vs my hardtail, which I really like. I want to get better as a rider, not have the bike make up for my mistakes and misjudgments.

Since watchin' woog climb on his ss for his 'north country epic ride', I've been leaning in that direction. After I upgrade my current hardtail, all original parts (not the tires) and she's 4 yrs old, I just might get me one of those single speed thingies. :D After the son gets his new ride of course.

[wooglin]

Originally posted by free spirit
Since watchin' woog climb on his ss for his 'north country epic ride', I've been leaning in that direction. Ha!

[Meredith]

I agree with almost everything that zzxyzz said....except that a good design won't require a lockout. (Though I must admit I'm excited to try a blur someday to compare to my juliana SL.) I think the juliana's design is very good, I just don't like having FS on, for instance, a 20-mile gravel climb.

There's also something to be said about women's geometry (available in the superlight but not the blur). I've been mountain biking a lot since 1991, and it's the most comfortable MTB I've been on yet, rigid or not. Certainly some of the comfort is due to the FS, but I do believe some is due to the women's geometry. Anyone who knows me knows I have a big mouth:), and I used to loudly pooh-pooh women's geometry, announcing that men's bikes fit me just fine (I was, at the time, in love with my Jamis Dragon.) But this bike does fit me better.

[zzyxzz]

Originally posted by free spirit
... I just might get me one of those single speed thingies. :D

One of those bikes I mentioned is a steel harttail I converted into a SS. :cool:
Its SO MUCH fun, I have a hrd time deciding what to ride :D

[thanita]

FS or SS . . . hm . . . have both if you can. If you can't, decide what kind of riding you're gonna do.

SS's are lots of fun, but they only have one speed - which means 1/3 of the time you're perfect, 1/3 of the time your legs are spinning like a cartoon character's, and 1/3 of the time you'll be thinking - for the love of god, i wish i had a smaller gear! Heh.

I think I digress . . .
T

[polly]

well I have a ss... I shall keep the jooly cushtail... and I rode the jools sl round something a bit hillier and bumpier - and was very impressed - especially with the climbing... and today I was offered a second hand medium jooly sl with some lovely carbon race sids on.... very tempted now.
People keep telling me to ride other stuff - but the juliana was the only hardtail i found that fitted....
The only negative side is that the frame is purple and all my chris king stuff is red! - hey i could pioneer a clash fashion...

;0) - or maybe get a respray...
:D

[zzyxzz]

Throw the red King stuff on the cushtail and then put NEW King stuff (maybe black or pewter) on the Juliana SL :D
Now your stylin... :cool:

[wooglin-at-home]

Originally posted by polly
The only negative side is that the frame is purple and all my chris king stuff is red! - hey i could pioneer a clash fashion...

;0) - or maybe get a respray...
:D Sorry Polly, you're 20 years too late. My 84 Trek 760 is purple with red decals. I used to run it with orange and lime green bar tape (one on each side) and yellow housing to complete the total fashion disaster. In for a penny, in for a pound.... :)

If you like the Julie buy the Julie.

[thanita]

If you love the jooly, what wooglin said.
I think people clash far too little - "clashing" colors actually accentuate each by emphasizing mismatch - always an "in" trend for those in the know. Seriously, tho, I think it sounds like a refreshing combo - esp. if you're getting a good deal! Reduce the risk of theft, too.
T;)

[polly]

Well I phoned the guy up and said Yes!
I have to wait until the present owner's new steed turns up before I get my hands on it though...

I think I will build it up and see how it looks in the purple...

though I'm thinking a black re-spray or even silver would be cool.

[thanita]

Nice . . .

[CRUM]

Originally posted by polly
OK, I have just got the hang of riding down steep tracks with rocks... do i need a full suss to have even more fun and if so which one?

cheers

Polly

Rocky Mountain makes a size that may work for you. My daughter Lis built up a 16.5" Instinct frame this summer. She is 5'3". We thought she would be happy on the 15", but she felt cramped. She lost some standover on the 16, but standover is not as important as feeling right when seated. The 16" with the right stem/bar combo did the trick. She has never been faster. But fast is her thing. She just loves leaving any boy sucking her dust. I don't have to worry though. By the time I come by, her dust has settled.

Another point to consider. A smaller frame will put the seat at a higher point in relation to the stem. You will be more hunched over. A larger frame will likely bring the stem and the seat into a more level relationship. But it will also put the bars further away. My advice is to try many bikes and at least 2 sizes if possible. Rocky is one of the few companies who offer Full suspension in more sizes than small, medium, and large. And don't get sucked into the idea of "Women Specific" as your only alternative.

As to needing full suspension. No, you don't. The question should be, "Do I want full suspension". Full Suspension will allow you to descend those rocky downstrokes faster. If faster is what you want, then go for it. Just remember, Full suspension bikes cost more and they cost more to keep running smoothly. If you are not a meticulous rider who pays attention to their equipment, then get a hardtail with a good fork. I can't tell you how many $3000 dollar rigs I have seen turned into junk because they were pounded hard and put away wet too many times in a row.

[polly]

you needn't worry... my bikes are very well looked after by the shed fairy... ;)

As for WSD - I'm afraid that my body geometry means that I need a really short top tube (my legs being long for my height) - I checked out the spec on the fisher cake GS and the top tube on the small frame is the same length as a large Juliana (I ride a medium with a short stem)

My current Jooly... (http://www.doubleard.co.uk/gallery/verbier_03/jooly.jpg)

Though you may well be right about Rocky Mountain as the current owner of the Sl is probably buying one of those...

maybe i'll get that in a year or two when she's grown out of it...:D

[Kim D]

I ride a Kona steel hardtail, basically it is a tank. I tried my dad's Ellsworth Aeon to experience a FS. I loved it...it gave me confidence and comfort on downhills that I wouldn't have dreamed of trying to execute. However, when I tried the same trails several weekends later on my trusty hardtail, I found that I could ride them just as well (if not better). I felt a lot less beat-up after riding the FS, but I ride smarter and stronger on my hardtail (even on technical terrain and rock gardens). Everybody's different, you have to try it all. That said, a girl on my team rides a Cannondale Scalpel. It's pricey, but worth it. You get a lot more for your money with C-dales (excellent shocks,tubeless,disc brakes,etc). She isn't much taller than me (I'm 5'2") and seems very comfortable on that bike.

[batgirl]

Fisher Sugar Size S ...awesome ride that carves each turn "like butter".:)

[pgh-hg]

hey, Im a 5'2 female that rides full susp....my first FS bike, a Cannondale Jekyl, was a bit too cushy for my liking and riding. If you do a lot of x-country riding a big travel bike will kill your energy with the bobbin' I now ride a Cannondale Scalpel....super efficient..if youre into bumpy fast downhills and drops then get some travel. Go easy on the the rear susp travel if your a x country type.