"determined" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:KXyqa.390370$Zo.90841@sccrnsc03...
Quoted message said:I have gotten it narrowed down to these two bikes... First mt bike purchase, I've done alot of
research, thanks to all of you who posted
sites
Quoted message said:and info! They both seem to be pretty good entry level bikes. They're
both
Quoted message said:pretty much the same price, around $450. This is more than I was planning to spend, but many of
you suggested that I'd be way better off with a
better
Quoted message said:bike, so I'm going to ante up!
Last time I posted I forgot to mention that I'm a female, and short -
about
Quoted message said:5'2" and around 127lbs. I don't know how much that effects which bike I should choose, but I
thought I'd mention it now.
For short-ish female riders, there is an issue of fit. If you're planning to ride technical offroad
trails, your fore/aft balance will be important. With shorter riders, stem height is an issue - the
stem/bars are often too high for a powerful riding position. Women (supposedly) have shorter torsos,
so male-oriented frames are not ideal for them. The Gary Fisher bikes have an extra-long top tube,
which may or may not work for you. Trek makes a WSD (Women Specific Design) bike line. I suggest
that you test ride one of their WSD bikes before making your final decision.
For you, a good frame fit is going to be the determining factor. You need to test ride these bikes
on off-road terrain and give them a good workout to see which one feels more balanced and powerful.
Climb and descend hills to see how they handle. It takes careful engineering to build a 26" wheeled
MTB for shorter riders, and your test rides will sort out the keepers.
Best of luck on your search, and let us know what you end up with.
-Barry
