I got a chance to demo a few women’s bikes at Interbike and I was impressed with the selection of high-performance cross-country mountain bikes available.  Actually, let me correct myself, many manufacturers these days don’t necessarily make womens specific bikes, just smaller frames.  With smaller frames, naturally, a more compact geometry follows (for males and females alike) and since front and rear shocks can be adjusted based on rider weight, there’s no need for women’s specific suspension.  Two such mountain bikes that I found are a good fit for smaller riders are the Ellsworth Truth and Yeti AS-R.

The Ellsworth Truth in size X-small was a good fit for me (I’m only 5’0″), with the exception of the 175mm crankset, which made me lean down into my pedal stroke more.  I certainly hope the build kit has a 165mm crankset for the X-small frames.  All Ellsworth full suspension mountain bikes use their patented Instant Center Tracking (ICT) suspension technology, supposedly the most energy-efficient suspension design in the world.  With the ICT, I felt totally comfortable and confident gliding over the rocky terrain at Bootleg Canyon on the Truth.

Another bonus from Ellsworth is their Project Pink.  For three years now, Ellsworth has offered their bikes in a very special rose petal anodized pink frame finish.  For every one of these Project Pink bikes purchased they donate $50 towards breast cancer research.  You definitely won’t go unnoticed on this pink beauty and you’ll be supporting a great cause!

I used to be embarrassed about riding such a little bike, people often mistook my beloved ride for a kid’s bike (I guess the handlebar streamers didn’t help).  Imagine what I thought when the guys at Yeti said, we make an Extra EXTRA Small frame that might work for me.  Phew, those are 26″ mountain bike tires, I thought to myself when he brought the XX-small Yeti AS-R out.  Another thing I noticed were the assymetrical chainstays on the AS-R, designed to provide better chain clearance while maintaining strength on the non-drive side of the bike.  Built up with full XTR, I was ready to see what this bike was made of.

I originally thought the XX-small would be too small, but it handled perfectly.  I was ripping through turns and descents.  After just a few minutes, I felt as if the bike responded to what I was thinking.  Even though the Yeti AS-R has a small 14.5″ frame, it doesn’t fall into the cute bike category, this is a serious racing machine and I didn’t even get to try the carbon version!

I rode a couple women’s specific mountain bikes from Specialized, too.  First, the Specialized Safire FSR Comp proved to be a lightweight and race-ready mountain bike.  The women’s specific geometry is evident in the Safire with the sloping top tube.  The Safire is a fast mountain bike that can take a beating.  Priced more than 3x the Safire FSR Comp is the women’s specific S-Works Era FSR Carbon.  The S-Works Era is in a league of its own, weighing only 20 lbs for the complete bike, this bike is built for the pro mountain bike racers.  I can’t think of anything negative about this bike, considering it practically pedaled itself up hills and took me for a fast, smooth ride.

Both the Safire and S-Works Era use Specialized proprietary front fork and rear shock.  I didn’t want to like it, but the Specialized Future Shock e100 on the S-Works Era was surprisingly well tuned.  Specialized also makes the handlebars, crankset, tires and saddles for their bikes.  I’m sure the technology on the Specialized componentry, shocks specifically, will get even better over time, but that makes me wonder about the fate of the Fox’s and Rock Shox’s of the world.

Every mountain bike I tested had something unique and special about them.  It’s hard not to want one of each!  If you’re looking to upgrade to your next XC mountain bike, fit is unarguably the most important consideration.  And if you’re a smaller rider like me, you’ll be overwhelmed with how many options there are now compared to just a couple years ago.  Good luck and enjoy the rides!

In the history of Mountainbiking, there have been more than a few women who have made huge impressions on the sport, both in the beginning and currently.  Wende Cragg, Jacquie Phelan, Juliana Furtado, Ashley Korenblat, Cindy Whitehead, Alison Sydor, Marla Strebb, Shonny Vanlandingham, Jill Kintner, & Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja; just to name a few.

However, with such a stellar cast of past pioneers & current champions, it seems that a majority of mountainbike manufacturers have made only token efforts to accomodate this sizable segment of riders.  Gary Fisher & Trek have long led the way when it comes to designing a line of women’s specific mountainbikes, with Specialized & Giant following suit.  There are a few others out there that make women’s mountainbikes, and several are European manufacturers (Merida is one).  Others, such as Titus, do not offer floor-model women’s editions, but will build a custom bike for a female customer; and of course, this will cost more than a ready-made men’s bike.  Fisher & Trek’s house-brand, Bontrager, has even developed a line of women’s specific components; bars, saddles, and stems.  Specialized also has their own house branded components that support a woman’s unique physique.

The only other option is for a woman to contact a small-scale custom builder.  This is I think one of the best choices currently available for females.  Not only does it provide the proper fit, but it helps support a struggling frame-building cottage industry.

But for the rest of the big money industry, the general response to the needs of women has been half-hearted.

This leads me to the grist that I wish to grind.

With such a stellar group of women that I mentioned earlier, it boggles my mind to think that the marketing departments have pretty much ignored them.  Many of the current female champions in XC, Mountain-Cross, & Downhill, either ride scaled down men’s frames with one-off custom components, or entire bikes built specifically for them.  But for the rank & file of the average female rider, this is a problem.  For those marketing minds that get paid the big dollars and spent years in school to ignore the potential riches in supporting women’s cycling is mind-blowing.

Too many women I think have been turned off on mountainbiking because they had to resort to a men’s frame that didn’t fit them, and it made the experience uncomfortable enough to make them give it up.

This issue is a sore point for me, as my wife has struggled to find a bike that’ll fit her for a long time.  Fortunately, she found that Fisher has bikes small enough for her that make her rides enjoyable and comfortable.  But many other women who may be interested in the sport aren’t aware of those few places where they can obtain bikes to fit them.

So as fellow mountainbikers, we need to inform our wives, girlfriends, coworkers, and family about those companies which support women, and steer them towards women’s cycling groups like WOMBATS and LunaChix .

Women’s mountain bike camps and clinics popping up all over the country. IMBA is teaming up with Dirt Series by Rocky Mountain bikes at two special camps in Hood River, OR and Park City, UT. Brush up on your technique, master new stunts AND make some new friends at these weekend camps. Rocky Mountain is even offering a $300 gift certificate towards the purchase of a new mountain bike to Dirt series camp participants, see the full schedule and locations here.

For more challenging camps, check out the Women’s Wilderness Institute mountain bike clinics in Colorado and mountain bike world champ Alison Dunlap’s Adventure Camps. Mtbchick, a women’s mountain bike racing team, offers clinics and private lessons. Some ski resorts like Vail, Mammoth, Snowmass, and Crested Butte, are even hosting Women’s bike clinics.

Ladies, we would love to hear your comments on any one of these skills camps!

Wow, what an awesome performance by the US women in the first round of this year’s Mountain Bike World Cup.

From usacycling.org:

Led by Georgia Gould (Ketchum, Idaho/Luna), who placed eighth as the top American in the series opener in Houffalize, the U.S. is currently ranked number one in the world with 864 points. With an impressive showing in Belgium, China improved from 11th to second with 790 points, followed by New Zealand (712), Australia (640) and Chile (626). Gould is currently ranked third in the world, while compatriot Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven) is ranked fourth.

Individual Women’s Rankings

1. Sabine Spitz (GER) 370

2. Ren Chengyuan (CHN) 360

3. Georgia Gould (Ketchum, Idaho) 340

4. Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass.) 334

17. Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo.) 190

18. Willow Koerber (Horseshoe, N.C.) 188

42. Chloe Forsman (Tucson, Ariz.) 122

65. Melanie Meyers (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 90

70. Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.) 84

120. Sue Haywood (Davis, W. Va.) 45

123. Kelli Emmett (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 43

177. Luis Elena Rodriguez Vasquez (Sunnyvale, Calif.) 20

260. Zephanie Blasi (Sparks, Nev.) 6

290. Sarah Bresnick (Somerville, Mass.) 3

294. Nina Baum (Albuquerque, N.M.) 3

299. Heather Svahn (Truckee, Calif.) 3

308. Kristi Lewis (Durango, Colo.) 3

Women’s Nation’s Rankings

1. United States 864

2. China 790

3. New Zealand 712

4. Australia 640

5. Chile 626

The men are hanging in there at 5th, see their rankings and read the full article here.