Seeking advice on obtaining a mountain bike (cross country)

[jthree]

I know almost nothing about bikes, and I'm just a casual bike rider, as in around town and paved/unpaved trails. Recently replaced my Diamondback hybrid, which was just a horrible fit for me all around (I'd hit my foot on the front tire when I turned too sharply), with a Liv Tempt 4. Actually got it in a size small, rather than x-small, because I have long legs proportional to my height and the shop guy thought the x-small looked too small for when I was on it. Honestly the best thing I can rec is going to a really good bike shop where they'll spend the time to get you on the right bike, kinda like boot fitting. Wish I'd done that originally 7 yrs ago when I bought my last bike.

You and I are both tiny but built so differently! You have longer legs so can handle a higher standover in bikes; meanwhile I'm a bit heavier so I can handle stiffer skis! I totally agree that going to a bike shop is the way to go. However I'm so small that it makes sense to get an idea of what's out there and what the bike shop carries, so that I don't waste my time at a shop that doesn't have anything that fits. Fortunately no shortage of bike shops in Vermont!

So I demo'd the Ibis Ripley AF: https://www.ibiscycles.com/bikes/ripley-af and the Norco Fluid FS https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/trail/fluid-fs/2021-fluid-fs-3/

The Ibis is a really nice bike, but it just felt too big. I did slip off a few times and experienced the lack of standover- not good. Also, the 29" wheels just felt huge.

The Norco is just a touch smaller and with the smaller wheels felt more nimble. Surprisingly even though on paper the standover is lower, because the top tube is straight while the Ibis is curved, it wasn't that different when just standing over the bike. Interestingly I didn't have the same experience of hitting the top tube while slipping off. I'm not sure if it's because I rode it second, and by that time was more experienced with the trail and riding it better, or because it's a better fit.

I'm going to try to demo more bikes because I don't think I've found "the one". Although I might just buy the Norco because the 2021 version is a good deal (although it's possible I might be able to buy the model with better components- no longer available on Norco's website but the store's inventory says they still have it).

 

[echo_VT]

@jthree there are some good bike shops I went to, I’m happy to tell you them so you can call around. I ended up calling 10-15 shops and asking what they had in stock. I think now you can be more choosy bc there will be so much more available these days than previously during the pandemic.

 

[jthree]

So I'm way overdue for an update to this thread... I found THE BIKE!

First, I demo'd the Rocky Mountain Instinct. (Interesting note: the XS only comes with 27.5" wheels; the S frame you can get either for 27.5" or 29", and all other frame sizes are 29" wheels only.) I really liked this bike but it was just a hair too tall in the standover.

I looked at Liv bikes but didn't ride them because despite their geometry on paper, they still didn't really fit me in the standover.

Then, I was able to demo the Pivot Shadowcat (thanks to @echo_VT who clued me in to a surprise demo day) ... and it was like the heavens opened and angels sang! The fit is perfection. The bike is very lightweight and it climbs like a dream. The 27.5" wheels are so nimble when going around switchbacks. It's more travel than I thought I would get (140/160, most of the other bikes I looked at were in the 120-130 range). I would have loved to compare it to Pivot's other bike marketed as a trail bike, the Trail 429, which has 29" wheels and 120/130 suspension, but they didn't have an XS available for demo. I've heard good things about that model and in fact one of the bike shop employees (an expert woman rider who is also an instructor) has that bike and thought it would be a good option for me. However, the ride on the Shadowcat was SO amazing I just decided to get it.

And here she is getting ready to come home for the first time:

 

[santacruz skier]

Wow, wow, wow !

 

[echo_VT]

such a sweet ride!

 

[geargrrl]

Perfect candidate for oil slick bling.