{"id":40901,"date":"2022-08-28T15:00:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=685904"},"modified":"2022-08-28T15:20:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T13:20:13","slug":"how-to-set-up-mountain-bikes-to-fit-women-riders","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/how-to-set-up-mountain-bikes-to-fit-women-riders\/","title":{"rendered":"How to set up mountain bikes to fit women riders"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Katherine Moore\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 28 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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You may have noticed that there were no women\u2019s mountain bikes<\/a> in this year\u2019s Bike of the Year<\/a> tests.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because only one global brand, Liv Cycling<\/a>, still makes a full range of true women\u2019s specific mountain bikes \u2013 that\u2019s to say, bikes with frames designed around typical female body proportions.<\/p>\n

Other female mountain bike brands, such as Juliana Bicycles<\/a> or Scott\u2019s Contessa range<\/a>, simply take men\u2019s or unisex frames and change a few key parts, along with the paintjob. These bikes are often then offered in limited sizes and at fewer price points than the men\u2019s equivalents.<\/p>\n

If you want more choice, the good news is that any mountain bike<\/a> can be tweaked to fit female riders better.<\/p>\n

Many of these adjustments will work for smaller male riders, too, while larger, heavier riders can often do the opposite to get a better mountain bike setup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How to set up mountain bikes to fit women riders<\/h2>\n
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Modern mountain bikes can be altered to suit your body shape in many ways.<\/span><\/figcaption> Steve Behr \/ Our Media<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Many elements of your mountain bike setup can be dialled in to get it working better for you.<\/p>\n

Consider some of these tweaks and parts switches to suit your specific body \u2018geometry\u2019 and riding style.<\/p>\n

Frame size<\/h3>\n
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The right size mountain bike will fill you with confidence.<\/span><\/figcaption> Steve Behr \/ Our Media<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The most important thing is to buy the right size bike<\/a> in the first place. If your frame is too big or small for you, you\u2019ll never be truly comfortable.<\/p>\n

Yes, you can tweak the fit slightly, but if you make big changes to areas such as stem length<\/a> or saddle position<\/a>, it may compromise the handling, potentially reducing grip and control.<\/p>\n

The good news is modern bikes tend to have shorter seat tubes (to allow use of longer-travel dropper posts<\/a>) than in days gone by, along with plenty of standover room, both of which are a boon for smaller riders.<\/p>\n

Take a few bikes for demo rides before buying, so you know what size you need and what sort of geometry<\/a> you like. The key things to consider are:<\/p>\n