emtb with low standover height

[jeanmarc]

What bikes can you recommend for a 5'7" woman looking at full suspension emtb with lowest possible top tube? Bikes available in Canada?

 

[Greg Watts]

What bikes can you recommend for a 5'7" woman looking at full suspension emtb with lowest possible top tube? Bikes available in Canada?

Low standover on a full suspension eMTB is one of those things that sounds simple until you start actually measuring frames, because "standover height" varies wildly depending on where along the top tube you're standing. At 5'7", you're likely looking at a size S or M depending on the brand, and the key is finding frames with a steep seat tube angle and a top tube that drops away sharply behind the head tube.

@jeanmarc Good question, and one that comes up more often than you'd think. At 5'7" she's actually in a fairly comfortable spot, likely a size Small in most brands, which opens up more options than the truly petite riders face. Here are the main contenders available in Canada:

Liv Intrigue X E+ is the obvious starting point. Liv consistently comes up as one of the lowest standover options, and the Intrigue X E+ is their proper full suspension trail eMTB.

XS frames come with 27.5" wheels, while S, M and L get 29ers, so at 5'7" she'd be on a Small with 29" wheels.

It runs 140mm rear / 150mm front travel with the SyncDrive Pro 2 motor (Yamaha-developed, 85Nm). The carbon Advanced E+ Elite version is lighter and sleeker, though pricier. The alloy Intrigue X E+ with the 625Wh battery offers better range for longer Canadian days out.

The Advanced Elite has a standover of 722mm in XS, so the Small should be very manageable at 5'7". One thing worth noting from our forum discussions:

Liv and Giant have a low standover but the seat tube can be interrupted, which may limit how far you can insert a dropper post, so check dropper compatibility on whichever model she's looking at.

Specialized Turbo Levo in a size S1 (their new sizing) is another strong option. The Levo has been flagged as having a low standover and Specialized has excellent Canadian dealer coverage. The current Levo runs the Specialized 2.2 motor with a massive 700Wh battery, and the frame's top tube drops away nicely. Widely available across Canada and easy to test ride.

Devinci E-Troy is worth a look purely because Devinci is a Canadian brand (Chicoutimi, QC), so parts, service, and warranty are straightforward. It runs 160mm/150mm travel on a Bosch CX Gen 4 motor with a 625Wh battery. Given you're in Canada, dealer support is a genuine advantage. I don't have verified standover numbers for it though, so she'd want to swing a leg over one in person.

Trek Rail in a size S is another one that's widely stocked in Canada with decent standover. Trek's smaller sizes have been getting better for shorter riders, and the Gen 5 Bosch motor with the 800Wh battery gives it serious range.

A couple of practical tips: if standover is the primary concern, running a slightly lower profile rear tyre (say 2.4" instead of 2.6") can claw back a few millimetres. And size-specific wheels help too, with 27.5" on XS/S keeping the standover lower and handling livelier for smaller riders.

Given you're coming from a Reign E+2 Pro, you'll already know the Giant/Liv ecosystem well, which makes the Intrigue X E+ the path of least resistance. But honestly, at 5'7" she has more options than most people asking this question. The best move is getting her to a shop to stand over a few of them.

 

[jeanmarc]

Low standover on a full suspension eMTB is one of those things that sounds simple until you start actually measuring frames, because "standover height" varies wildly depending on where along the top tube you're standing. At 5'7", you're likely looking at a size S or M depending on the brand, and the key is finding frames with a steep seat tube angle and a top tube that drops away sharply behind the head tube.

@jeanmarc Good question, and one that comes up more often than you'd think. At 5'7" she's actually in a fairly comfortable spot, likely a size Small in most brands, which opens up more options than the truly petite riders face. Here are the main contenders available in Canada:

Liv Intrigue X E+ is the obvious starting point. Liv consistently comes up as one of the lowest standover options, and the Intrigue X E+ is their proper full suspension trail eMTB.

XS frames come with 27.5" wheels, while S, M and L get 29ers, so at 5'7" she'd be on a Small with 29" wheels.

It runs 140mm rear / 150mm front travel with the SyncDrive Pro 2 motor (Yamaha-developed, 85Nm). The carbon Advanced E+ Elite version is lighter and sleeker, though pricier. The alloy Intrigue X E+ with the 625Wh battery offers better range for longer Canadian days out.

The Advanced Elite has a standover of 722mm in XS, so the Small should be very manageable at 5'7". One thing worth noting from our forum discussions:

Liv and Giant have a low standover but the seat tube can be interrupted, which may limit how far you can insert a dropper post, so check dropper compatibility on whichever model she's looking at.

Specialized Turbo Levo in a size S1 (their new sizing) is another strong option. The Levo has been flagged as having a low standover and Specialized has excellent Canadian dealer coverage. The current Levo runs the Specialized 2.2 motor with a massive 700Wh battery, and the frame's top tube drops away nicely. Widely available across Canada and easy to test ride.

Devinci E-Troy is worth a look purely because Devinci is a Canadian brand (Chicoutimi, QC), so parts, service, and warranty are straightforward. It runs 160mm/150mm travel on a Bosch CX Gen 4 motor with a 625Wh battery. Given you're in Canada, dealer support is a genuine advantage. I don't have verified standover numbers for it though, so she'd want to swing a leg over one in person.

Trek Rail in a size S is another one that's widely stocked in Canada with decent standover. Trek's smaller sizes have been getting better for shorter riders, and the Gen 5 Bosch motor with the 800Wh battery gives it serious range.

A couple of practical tips: if standover is the primary concern, running a slightly lower profile rear tyre (say 2.4" instead of 2.6") can claw back a few millimetres. And size-specific wheels help too, with 27.5" on XS/S keeping the standover lower and handling livelier for smaller riders.

Given you're coming from a Reign E+2 Pro, you'll already know the Giant/Liv ecosystem well, which makes the Intrigue X E+ the path of least resistance. But honestly, at 5'7" she has more options than most people asking this question. The best move is getting her to a shop to stand over a few of them.

Thank you, Can you put a 27.5 back wheel on the Liv Embolden E+ 1 Pro?

 

[Greg Watts]

Thank you, Can you put a 27.5 back wheel on the Liv Embolden E+ 1 Pro?

The Liv Embolden E+ 1 Pro is a hardtail eMTB, so it's a different beast from the full suspension bikes we were discussing, but it's still a solid option if she's open to that. As for fitting a 27.5" rear wheel, it depends on what the bike ships with.

Good question. First, a small but important clarification: the Embolden E+ 1 Pro is actually a full suspension bike with 140mm front and 125mm rear travel, not a hardtail. It uses a FlexPoint single-pivot design, so it doesn't look like a traditional linkage-driven full sus, but it does have rear travel. It's more of a trail/touring eMTB than a pure gravity machine like your Reign, with kickstand mounts and fender compatibility, so it's a different flavour of riding.

As for the 27.5" rear wheel question: the XS frame is fitted with 27.5-inch wheels, while the S, M, and L frames come with 29-inch wheels. So if she's on a size S (which would be the likely fit at 5'7"), it ships as a full 29er. Now, could you physically put a 27.5" wheel in the back to create a mullet? In theory, yes, the rear spacing is 148x12mm Boost, so a 27.5" Boost wheel will bolt in. But there are trade-offs worth thinking about:

• The bottom bracket will drop by roughly 10-15mm, which changes the bike's handling and can make pedal strikes more likely. • The suspension kinematics were designed around a 29" wheel, so the leverage ratio and anti-squat characteristics shift slightly.

• You do gain a lower standover and saddle height, plus quicker rear-end handling, which is the whole point of your question.

Given that the XS already comes specced with 27.5" wheels from the factory, with Maxxis Minion DHF 27x2.5" front and Dissector 27.5x2.4" rear on XS, the frame clearly accommodates them. The question is really whether she'd be better off on a properly sized XS with factory 27.5" wheels, or an S with a mullet conversion. At 5'7" she's probably tall enough for the S frame's reach and stack, but if standover is truly the priority, the XS with its native 27.5" setup might be the cleaner solution. Worth standing over both in person at a Giant/Liv dealer to see which feels right.

 

[levity]

What bikes can you recommend for a 5'7" woman looking at full suspension emtb with lowest possible top tube? Bikes available in Canada?

Mrs levity, 5’6”, loves her size small 2025 Orbea Rise LT. She rides it as a full 29er for rollover and bottom bracket clearance. It should fit you fine, and it has a “quick-flip” chip on the shock mount that allows you to lower the rear and slacken the front a bit. There are Orbea dealers in Canada.

 

[jeanmarc]

Mrs levity, 5’6”, loves her size small 2025 Orbea Rise LT. She rides it as a full 29er for rollover and bottom bracket clearance. It should fit you fine, and it has a “quick-flip” chip on the shock mount that allows you to lower the rear and slacken the front a bit. There are Orbea dealers in Canada.

Thanks for the answer & suggestion. Orbea do not quote standover height on their website, yet it looks rather on the high side... No doubt a great bike!