[Btyler311]

Hey all,

Just want to ask your opinion on the 05 Trek 4500 WSD as a newbie bike for my wife?

Anyone familiar with it. It looked pretty nice to me, I had to special order it to get a 14 inch frame for her, but they said if she doesn't like the fit we can get my 20 buck deposit back. No big loss either way. By the way how tall are you all? I'm thinking its weird that all the woman's frames I could find locally were 16" and up. Wouldn't you sell a higher proportin of smaller frames in Women specific models? Or are we short people just under represented as a whole in the mountain biker demographic.

She is 5'3" and I don't know if her arms/torso are long or short? She looks normal to me. Thats what they say though on the websites I've checked: Long arms and torso then she's better off on a men's/unisex frame. She will prefer the girlie color on the WSD for sure though. She's pretty girlie but she likes the way my Haro rides even though its deff too big for her at only 15.5 inch.

Opinions on the bike or alternatives in the 4-600 price range for a tiny girlie girl who wants to start riding?

Thnx,

Ty

 

[Btyler311]

By the way, i just read the other post about "HT for my wife" and I am thinking hard tail because we will ride on the road/ sidewalk for exercise more or as much as on trails. So the bike needs to pull double duty. Plus for the money we can get a much better HT.

Ty

 

[AZtortoise]

Jamis makes some small bikes, and a good value, too.

i am 5'3" and i ride a 13" Jamis Dakar.

i fail to understand why any bike company would make their womens specific frames only down to 16". i mean, what is the point? if i could ride a bigger bike i could get any mens/unisex bike and just tinker with stem length.

fwiw, this is my 2nd Jamis, very happy with the quality and parts spec.

Rita

 

[Btyler311]

AZ,

Its not that they aren't making them, just nobody in town carries the small ones in their shops and when I wanted to have them order one in for her to try they all said pay up front. I didn't want to be obligated to buy a bike she never tried out.

We finally got one in a 14" though and she likes it. We bought it for 430, haven't been out yet though as she is doing a friends baby shower on Sunday so shes been busy. Ugh! my apartment is so girlie right now I almost can't be there, LOL. Maybe next week she'll come riding and I'll post what she thinks. She's a total newb it will be her first time on a bike off concrete ever.

Ty

 

[TreeSaw]

Congrats to her on the new bike....new bikes are SO much fun! Post up some pics (and of her riding) when you get a chance! Also, encourage her to ask for advice here if she needs it...we have some awesome women riders here to help!

 

[Repack]

Good news on the new bike. One of the nice things about the WSD frames is that they shorten the top tube for a shorter reach, but leave the wheelbase the same so that the rider's foot doesn't hit the tire. It makes for a forgiving ride because the head angle is a little slacker than normal. Makes it good for dirt jumping! My gf had a WSD when she was younger. She's now tall enough to ride a regular small, but the WSD is still a fun ride for her. Its now her dirtjumping bike.

 

[xtine]

if it's what fits and what she likes, then buy it. i fit like a glove into my xs trek 8000 wsd and i'm almost 5'1"(yes the almost does counts). i lucked out being so short, and i scored an extrasmall that had been kicking around a local shop for a few years. it was a score because i paid less than 50% retail. wee. out of 9 local bike shops, only 2 had xsmall mtbs in stock. i don't blame them though, short people are used to it.

fit and comfort is just so important, make sure she saddles up on a few different bikes before she decides. i've found that for me, my wsd is a sick little climber.

not to say that jamis isn't right for her but make sure she likes riding it before she buys it, and make sure you check out the quality of the bike itself. i find that jamis is a bit heavy for it's size, and though every local jamis dealer may be different, i've seen them overpriced for their value and craftsmanship.

good luck and i hope she finds the right one.

get dirty-
x.

 

[Repack]

I forgot to say. Most shops are not used to setting up bikes for small people. Don't be afrain to flip the stem up-side-down to get the handle bar to the correct height relative to the saddle. Depending on rider preference, the HB is usually at or below the the level of the saddle for "normal" xc use. I even had to flip the stem on my gf's men's small Epic.
But if you wife is just starting out, a higher stem will give her some added stability on easier terrain.