So, I've been looking for a rig for my grrrlie. I've checked the used pages and been to a ton of LBS with her. She is willing to drop some cash, but doesn't want to go over $1,000. I thought I could find a solid XC HT rig for that price point, but I've been having trouble spotting something with the right combo of build spec and geo.
She's a wee lass at 5'3", and she has an appropriate body weight for that height (I don't ask such questions, and I don't wish to know such answers) so she's a feather-weight. She also has a road background, so she is bike friendly, but she is new to the dirt. I've taken her on two dirt rides, and she seems to like my taste in slack DH/FR geo bikes.
I recently found some solid prices on closeout full squish bikes that I think might make sense for her. The two I've got it narrowed down to are the Jamis Parker and the Diamondback Mission 1. They are both about the same price, so I need to find another deciding factor. Here are my thoughts so far:
1 - The Diamondback is a 6" frame vs the Jamis at 4". Is more rear travel going to be an issue for her since she is a smaller rider?
2 - The Diamondback comes with a stronger build (in my eyes) Fox Float rear shock, Tora Fork, Hayes Stroker Ride brakes, LX rear derail vs. the Jamis with a RockShox Bar, Recon fork, Tektro brakes, deore rear derail.
3 - The geo in the small size Diamondback has a 22" top tube, but she has liked bikes with 21" top tubes. However the 21" bikes she has tried had longer stems, so I think a short stem can adjust for this. The Jamis is a 21" top tube in the small, so I think she will fit that better.
4 - The Diamondback has a slightly higher BB than the Jamis. She like feeling "in" the bike and not "on" it so I think she would like the lower BB. Of course, the higher BB is probably due to the extra 2" of suspension.
5 - At 34lbs, the Diamondback is going to be heavy for her, but I don't think many of the other bikes I looked at were much lighter, and I think the Jamis may even be closer to 36lbs.
Both bikes will be mail ordered, so it will be a fingers-crossed and educated guess situation. Right now, my lean is toward the Diamondback. What do y'all think?
She's a wee lass at 5'3", and she has an appropriate body weight for that height (I don't ask such questions, and I don't wish to know such answers) so she's a feather-weight. She also has a road background, so she is bike friendly, but she is new to the dirt. I've taken her on two dirt rides, and she seems to like my taste in slack DH/FR geo bikes.
I recently found some solid prices on closeout full squish bikes that I think might make sense for her. The two I've got it narrowed down to are the Jamis Parker and the Diamondback Mission 1. They are both about the same price, so I need to find another deciding factor. Here are my thoughts so far:
1 - The Diamondback is a 6" frame vs the Jamis at 4". Is more rear travel going to be an issue for her since she is a smaller rider?
2 - The Diamondback comes with a stronger build (in my eyes) Fox Float rear shock, Tora Fork, Hayes Stroker Ride brakes, LX rear derail vs. the Jamis with a RockShox Bar, Recon fork, Tektro brakes, deore rear derail.
3 - The geo in the small size Diamondback has a 22" top tube, but she has liked bikes with 21" top tubes. However the 21" bikes she has tried had longer stems, so I think a short stem can adjust for this. The Jamis is a 21" top tube in the small, so I think she will fit that better.
4 - The Diamondback has a slightly higher BB than the Jamis. She like feeling "in" the bike and not "on" it so I think she would like the lower BB. Of course, the higher BB is probably due to the extra 2" of suspension.
5 - At 34lbs, the Diamondback is going to be heavy for her, but I don't think many of the other bikes I looked at were much lighter, and I think the Jamis may even be closer to 36lbs.
Both bikes will be mail ordered, so it will be a fingers-crossed and educated guess situation. Right now, my lean is toward the Diamondback. What do y'all think?