Not much out there for short people who want FS

[Dhaner]

I'm a short 5'2" female, with short legs. So last year I bought a hardtail haibike, size small (41) the hardseven 6.0. It's a tiny bit big but I have ridden dual sport motorcycles through the woods for years, so I manage. I put over 500 miles on it last summer. There were a few trails I thought it would have been nice to have full suspension.

In December I started looking at 2018 full suspension bikes, great deals, making room for the 2019 models. I ordered a 2018 Haibike Allmtn 6.0, also in small. it came in January but I live in Upstate New York so I didn't even open the box until this month. I am shocked at how much bigger this bike is than my hardtail! I understand why, but it seems like the sizing specifications should reflect that. It is sold as a small (41) , but is way too tall for me to ride it safely. I think it should be sold as a medium. Anyway I have had the bike for about three months, and the dealers return policy is 10 days. Crazy Lenny's has been great and has agreed to let me send the bike back, since it has never been outside and has never been ridden, but only for store credit. The problem is no one seems to make a full suspension bike any smaller. There is one brand, Liv, by Giant, that makes a women's specific full suspension bike in extra small, however crazy Lenny does not sell Giant. They will let me return it outright but I would only get about two-thirds of my money back because of the restocking fee. I can't afford to walk away from that much money.

So I'm currently trying to sell the bike myself on Craigslist hoping to break even, or at least not lose too much. I have serious buyer's remorse. Don't get me wrong, the bike is amazing, I just wish I could ride it.

Are there any other brands out there that sell extra small full suspension bikes? Any giant or liv owners on here that are short and can tell me if I will have the same problem with those bikes? Or should I just try to sell the bike and live with my hardtail? I could add a suspension seatpost to the hardseven, but it's already a bit big for me already.

 

[roadandmtbebikes]

I recommend calculating your correct fit here:

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp

It's a fair bet that you'll be a xs in most brands though. What is your budget?

 

[Marci jo]

So true, hard to find small frames. And wheels and tires keep getting bigger. Have you checked Trek? I believe the make a 15” and 13” frame but not sure if those are full suspension.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I ordered a 2018 Haibike Allmtn 6.0, also in small.

Have you thought about changing the wheels from 27.5" to 26" wheels?
this would bring the bike down by about 1.5". if the reach is alright but the problem is the vertical height, then this would solve your problem.
Good wheels are about $100 per front or rear. Bike should would be able to swap it out and you get to keep this nice bike.

What is the clearance that you think would make this bike rideable?
Like how many inches?

 

[Dhaner]

Budget is $3000-$4000. The new bike is about 3 1/2" taller than my hardseven. Other than rims and tires, would anything else be needed to make 26ers work? I don't think that would get it low enough, but I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Dhaner]

Just looked (online) at the trek. Beautiful bikes. Not sure about spending that much though.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I'm a short 5'2" female, with short legs.

This bike in 41cm could be another option for you ( anything with 72cm standover height may work for you).

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

She is stunning. She has gravitas. She makes the rules. She is the pearl. SHE IS QUEEN. The Aminga EVA TR 2 has the feminine appearance of a bunny, but the quickness of a jack rabbit and those maroon highlights might just be dried blood from those who have tried to cross her. 120mm full suspension from BULLS and SR Suntour, Shimano Deore groupset and 180mm Magura MT5/MT4 hydraulic disc brakes give this royalty her personality.

Try out the all new AMINGA EVA TR 2 at a dealer near you today!

 

[LimboJim]

The motobecane full sus is $3500. It has a 71.8 cm standover. Fantastic components and suspension.

Interesting thought, that bike does have a steep top tube. I'm 6'3" and my 50cm Motorbecane HAL eBoost Pro has a low enough standover that a 5'7" friend rode it competently on some pretty technical trails with a short seatpost. Shimano's e8000 motor is fantastic, too!

 

[MikeDD]

Look for a Specialized Turbo Levo in small. I have a medium frame. My inseam is 28". I can put both feet on the ground with the dropper seat post down.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

The motobecane full sus is $3500. It has a 71.8 cm standover. Fantastic components and suspension.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...-hal-eboost-electric-mountain-bikes.htm#gsize

Motobecane guide says:

HAL eBoost Sizing Guide
38cm - 5'5" to 5'7"
42cm - 5'8" to 5'10"
46cm - 5'11" to 6'1"
50cm - 6'2" to 6'4"

She is 5ft 2" with short legs.
She doesn't want another bike that is too high for her. The best would be to try out a few frames with low standover height.

The top tube length of both BULLS and Motobecane is larger than the Haibike she has now. So, both frames are out.

@Dhaner , you should visit some Specialzied dealers to try out few small frames or perhaps even drive to Wisconsin this spring and exchange your bike.

 

[Dhaner]

I live in the sticks, so I will have to make a road trip to try anything in person. There is a dealer about 45 minutes away that sells giant bikes. They only have a couple electric bikes in stock, but they claim their sizing will be the same on a non-electric bike, so I could try an extra small in a regular bike and it would be the same size. Does this sound right? There is another dealer around 90 miles away that has electric bikes in stock. I agree that I can’t buy anything without trying it first. I considered exchanging it for the women’s specific Bulls Eva, or the women’s specific Haibike FullSeven Life in 39. If I exchange the bike I would get credit for my full purchase price. The websites claim that they, being women’s bikes, have a lower stand over height. The problem is I don’t see how that can be true and there is such a steep up slant to the top tube. So there is a good chance I could spend another $1500 and still have a bike I can’t ride!

I have listed the bike on Craigslist in my area and in Rochester area, because that’s a doable road trip, Thinking of listing it in other areas as well. I have someone interested in looking at it this weekend but I’m not sure if we are going to be able to meet because it appears the weather will not cooperate. He made an offer where he is getting a really good deal and I am only losing a couple hundred dollars. If I sell it, I’ll look into the Liv in person, And if they are still too tall, I will just stick with my Hardtail.

My nephew said an interesting thing. He says that in the winter when we can’t ride, we start looking at reviews and watching videos and convince ourselves we need another bike. Then when the weather gets nice and we start riding we realize we didn’t really need another bike in the first place?

 

[Marci jo]

I miss the days of 26” wheels. So much easier to hop on and hop off.

 

[Dhaner]

I want to make it clear that I'm not mad at crazy Lenny's, they are willing to let me exchange the bike for full credit, even though I've had the bike for three months, it just seems they don't carry anything that would work for me , except maybe a 9-10k bike, which is out of my budget. If anything, I should be mad at Haibike, since both bikes are sold as 41cm, and there's a big difference in the height of the top tube. Crazy Lenny's is even willing to let me return it, even though the return policy is only 10 days, and the normal restocking fee is 30%, and he's reduced that to 20%. A good lesson learned, open the box right away, even if there is a foot of snow on the ground ?

 

[raceto100]

What about this Haibike Fulllife 5.0 at Crazy Lenny's?

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

I can't find the specs for it on Haibikeusa or Haibike.com so maybe ask if they can measure the min standover height of size small for you.

 

[Dhaner]

The smallest size is the same as the Allmtn (41cm) I've been talking to Haibike via FB messenger, they say that the standover would be about the same. But thanks for looking.

 

[Marci jo]

Is the Haibike 29” tires? Maybe that’s why it’s too high.

 

[Dhaner]

27.5 tires, same as my hardtail Haibike

 

[WilliamT]

I purchased a extra small FS for my wife (Marin Hawk Hill - sorry its not an ebike) a which was a bit too big for her (she is 4'10). After getting a small dropper post, she can now stand over the bike with the post lowered (I got her a 350 mm post with 80 mm of travel from PNW). When she rides, she raises the post when she gets going. She drops the post when she wants to come to a stop. It works great and she is happy.

If your dropper post doesn't drop your seat to the frame, maybe you can get one that does. That may help.

 

[Dhaner]

Thanks William T. Seat height is only a minor problem. The frame itself is just too big. I don't mind not being able to touch the ground while I am on the seat. It's when I come off the seat where being able to touch the ground is important. The problem is that there is no consistency in sizes across the haibike line. This picture shows my size 41 hardtail haibike and my size 41 Allmtn. There's a huge difference!

The dealer has reached out to me, they think that the only full suspension they carry that would fit me would be the Pivot Shuttle. That's a $10, 000 bike!!! They offered me it for a couple thousand less but it is still out of my budget. And I wouldn't dare buy it without trying it first. The dealer actually offered to pay for me to fly out to try it, but it would be a waste of their money and my time because that bike is simply out of my budget.

 

[indianajo]

I bought a step through frame in part because of the step height problem. It is not suitable for you since it is an on road unsuspended cargo bike, but it is a shame step over height is not a dimension on every bike specification sheet. I wouldn't buy one sight unseen that didn't have it listed, since my legs are 28". I had to convert this frame to electricity myself, since the electric bike that company offers has a ditzy 20" back wheel and a bosch mid-drive which can't be pedaled unpowered.
This frame is stil not perfect, my toes bang into the front wheel when steering and my legs are folded too much pedaling with the seat set where I can touch the ground with my tip-toes. Moving the front stem and crank forwards some would solve those problems, but that would cost $10 more in raw aluminum tube and nobody in the universe would pay for that! I talked to a custom frame shop, they could not get it through their heads what I wanted, they wanted to sell me a standard small frame just like the other 999999999 frames on the market. My Mother's 1946 Firestone bike fit me (and her, she was 64" tall with the same leg length) but that bike outweighed this one by 30 lb. The crank wasn't compatible with modern chains and sprockets, either. It did have 26"x2.25" tires, same as I ride today.