I need help finding a dh/freeride bike for my wife. She is showing interest in riding and has asked for a bike. I'd like some recommendations on a good fit.
Here are the vitals:
She is 31. Weighs about 135 and is 5'8". She runs 2-4 miles daily and is in very good shape. She hasn't had much seat time on a bike but when she jumps on mine, she is coordinated and handles it pretty well (i ride a RM Flatline).
I ride freeride/downhill and she is wanting to join me. She is pretty competitive so I would like a bike that is capable of downhill racing in case she gets squirrelly and decides she wants to start entering races. 'm thinking 6" travel would be good but have no idea where to start looking as far as make/model and size.
if you forsee her wanting to start racing i would go for at least 7 if not 8 inches. Alot of girls do ride 6 inches at the races because they are riding do it all bikes, but an extra inch or two will give her an advantage.
If youre wanting one she can take out trail riding though.. then stick with the 6 inches.
since she's tall, she can take a bike that any of the gents ride, and full blown dh bikes are getting lighter by the year, so no problem finding something she can handle..
so price range and full out dh or one of the more agressive trail style bikes?
I am about the same size as your wife 5' 8" and 133lbs. I bought myself a Lapierre Spicy 516L a couple of years ago and its such an amazing bike, it handles really well on trails and its brilliant for DH riding too. It has 6 inches travel front and back so is more than capable on DH tracks.
I would say that my Spicy developed my riding skills better than just getting a DH bike straight away, as you have to pick your lines a bit better rather than just bulldozing through the track. I'm really into DH riding now and have decided to invest in a DH bike so I bought an Evil Revolt last month and I love it!
Obviously it depends on her preference, but I am really glad that I started out using a 6 inch travel bike to begin with and then moved onto a DH bike when I had developed my skills.
I'm also the same weight and size as your wife. I have had no issues with bike fit. Depending on the company I ride anywhere from a small/medium frame.
If you're looking for a versatile FR rig, you should look around for the Transition Syren. It's a female specific rig with a big cult following. I would also look around for an SX Trail or a Kona Entourage. They're cheap bikes, very popular, and she'll muscle them around in no time.
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