Trying To Help Mom

[bigwaves311]

So my mom and dad bought E-Trance bikes about 6 months ago. While my dads fits perfect my mom's is too tall. She got a woman's xs but she is like 4'10" and in her late 60's. The other day she got hung up in a funny spot and fell over because the frame is about 1" too tall for her to put her feet down comfortably. Obviously i told my dad to return the bike and get her on a youth model, but because of the time they have owned it and the amount of miles put on the bike it is no longer an option. What your guys thoughts on removing the 27.5" tires and putting on 24" rims and tires to drop the frame for her. Reasonable solution or waste of money? she is now very timid of the bike and i just want her to be comfortable on it so they can enjoy their retirement riding fire roads in the local mountains.

 

[Pdoz]

Try dropping suspension pressure first. If you go smaller wheels you'll have to go for shorter cranks to avoid pedal strikes.

 

[TheBikePilot]

I don' think that's going to work on many levels mate.

Haibike do very small ebikes..

 

[urastus]

My partner is 4'11". She wasn't really a bike person - had one but she was never at one with it and therefore didn't really feel the passion. I put my researcher's hat on years ago and concluded a good 24" bike. At the time a good 24" was rare. Kids bikes were usually budget bikes. Found a good hardtail and she is all over that bike front to back and side to side - she works it. That bike has since been set up for urban duties with schwalbe table top tyres. In the last few years some great dual sus 24" bikes have been showing up, although some of them are not very well thought out (160mm suspension etc). She has a burly dual sus with maxxis minion dhf 2.4 tyres - not long on the market. Everything is pretty much to scale for a small person - crank arms, suspension etc. Likewise she is all over that. Because the bikes are the right size for her, they are set up properly. What happens with small people is they end up on a bike with the handle bars too high because they won't go lower - a restriction imposed by the larger wheels. Also, you only need 100mm suspension which is stacks for a small person. I think the gearing is generally too high on mtb bikes, so the gearing should be fine. The photo below was early days - getting the cockpit etc right. It's has a different seat, fork stem is cut to size and a longer dropper. She can get her bum hovering over the rear tyre like the rest of us now. Unfortunately there is nothing like this that I'm aware of in emtb yet - but it will happen. Good luck.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

So my mom and dad bought E-Trance bikes about 6 months ago. While my dads fits perfect my mom's is too tall. She got a woman's xs but she is like 4'10" and in her late 60's. The other day she got hung up in a funny spot and fell over because the frame is about 1" too tall for her to put her feet down comfortably. Obviously i told my dad to return the bike and get her on a youth model, but because of the time they have owned it and the amount of miles put on the bike it is no longer an option. What your guys thoughts on removing the 27.5" tires and putting on 24" rims and tires to drop the frame for her. Reasonable solution or waste of money? she is now very timid of the bike and i just want her to be comfortable on it so they can enjoy their retirement riding fire roads in the local mountains.

OK, here are a few suggestions to make it work for your Mum given the premise that the bike itself cannot change. The Trance e+ is really overkill for their use, but there's no point going there. The decision was made 6 months ago and I'm sure they had valid reasons as to why. So let's see if we can make it work with the minimum replacements, and see if these changes can help her gain her confidence back.

1) It's very likely that the front and rear suspension (especially on a long travel Trance e+) doesn't get used up. Even if you have set the sag correctly (say 25% of shock stroke), seeing as your Mum is a non-aggressive rider and would also be quite light in her weight - you will notice that in the 6 months she'd used it, the most it has ever been compressed never even got close to the maximum travel. Check the O-ring markers or even just the dust level marks on the stanchions - I'd be surprised it even reached past half way. Not wanting to bog you down with fork tokens and rear shock internal spacer details (just trust me on this one), the suspension behaviour on your Mum's bike will most likely be "over-progressive" if still stock factory settings. This could be a blessing in disguise and work in her favour.
Decrease the fork and rear shock air pressures and set the sag to say 40% or 45% of their respective strokes. This will drop the top tube height and decrease the suspension travel BUT should still not bottom-out (which is important). It's also going to lower the centre of gravity of the bike (good for confidence and stability), but it will also lower the motor sump and pedals (bad for ground strikes). Seeing as she's a recreational rider and not likely go over rock gardens or do anything over Grade1 trails, you might get away with the lower motor sump.

2) Pedal strikes will be a problem however, and you need to address this. I suggest you change the crank arms to 155mm or a 150mm if you can find that size. In all likely hood, her Trance e+ still came equipped with standard 165mm crank arms and that's too long for her inseam. Her pedal movement would've been circling too high and diving to low, which (whether she realises it or not) would add to her uneasiness about the bike. The shallower rotation of her pedals with shorter 155 or 150mm crank arms will help with regaining her confidence.

3) And lastly you also need to make adjustment on her handlebars. a) SHORTEN them... but I wouldn't go narrower than 680mm width. Try maybe 720mm first, then 700mm, and see how she likes it. The stock Giant bars are 780mm wide if I'm not mistaken. Her arms would've been splayed-out and would've hindered her ability to turn tighter because she'd be over reaching for the outer bar end. b) LOWER them... remove the Stem, grab all the spacer rings under it, and then reinstall the Stem but then place the spacer rings above it. If it's still too high, get a riser Stem of the same length but then install it pointing down.

All these modifications are reversible, just in case they want to sell it in the future. So don't cut (shorten) the fork steerer tube, but you might want to cover the protruding steering tube with a soft rubber cap in case she hits it. And keep the stock crank arms in a safe place for later.

Hope this helps.
.

 

[bigwaves311]

Thank you so much guys. I will try and set up the bike with much more sag and perhaps add a token if needed. I didn't think about the bars but im sure you are correct in her arms being too spread out so i will shorten them along with cranks. If that isnt enough i will make it a mullet bike with a 26 in the rear. Last resort will be putting it back to stock a posting in the classifieds.

 

[Pdoz]

Another potential solution is to reduce suspension travel. Gave a talk with your lbs, but for example changing the fork will cost $100 oz ( I increased mine by 10 mm but the parts are available to go either way) .

 

[urastus]

Thank you so much guys. I will try and set up the bike with much more sag and perhaps add a token if needed. I didn't think about the bars but im sure you are correct in her arms being too spread out so i will shorten them along with cranks. If that isnt enough i will make it a mullet bike with a 26 in the rear. Last resort will be putting it back to stock a posting in the classifieds.

One other option, considering the changes that you're considering - sell and buy something closer to the mark? Although this is still a few necessary changes too. Giant has a new emtb ht with 26" wheels. I don't think it is well thought out, especially considering it is aimed at youth. It isn't geared anywhere near low enough unless you live where the hills are mild. It has an 80mm fork - forks at 80mm really are cheap junk. If it was for my partner I'd go high volume 2.4 on the rear, high volume 2.3 (both minions) on the front. Good xc 100mm forks - this will bring geo back in line with the taller rear tyre and they will be night and day difference. And a seat dropper - if your mum is older she will appreciate it just getting on and off. I'd have to change the gearing too to 32 front 48 rear - that's for here where it is steep and technical.

Oh, haibike have a similar thing too which would be my pick if I lived across the pond. 24'' wheels, better gearing (smaller chain ring, smaller rear wheel), but could still go lower. I'd still replace tyres, fork and get a seat dropper. It comes with schwalbe table top tyres - a great tyre for commuting and light off road. You can get a minion dhf 2.4 for the rear (high volume, good roller) and a dhr 2.3 (for consistent lean - it doesn't have that "no man's land" that freaks newbies out) for the front. Those tyres would give you as much confidence on fire roads as you could get from tyres. The dhr with open blocks would handle steering in the gravel about the best of what's available for 24".

Geez, things are looking good for smaller riders, another 24" ht; the best yet! I'd put a smaller tyre on the front still (DHR 2.3, and keep the original front as a replacement spare for the rear. Over biked; 140mm fork, 180mm brakes, and it comes with a dropper! 10 speed but could still go lower; a 32 on the front would help a bit. This would be the best match for your dad's bike and minimal changes (chain ring and a tyre). Also, being over tyred and over braked will make it easier to control with less effort. From my own experience with my partner - she would be all over a smaller bike. You can only do so much with a bigger frame and bigger wheels. I did try that initially for a few years (xs bike with 26" wheels), but when we got the smaller bikes everything changed for my partner. For example, she rides down steps now when riding urban - she never would have considered that before mainly because she couldn't get her bum down low and back enough (frame too long and too tall).

 

[SquireRides]

I'd suggest looking at a step through frame. They massively increase confidence. Not only do you get all the stand-over clearance, but it gives you more options to get off in a tight spot than swinging your leg over the back.

Recent article: Step-through eMTB trends of 2020 – 8 insights from our group test | E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine

Considering how new the Giant is, you should find a LBS that will give you a decent price for it. Shops are advertising nearly new bikes for as much as 10% off list around here!

 

[steve_sordy]

If the bike has a dropper seat post, consider removing it and replacing with an ordinary one. You may have to cut down the seat post to get the saddle all the way down to the top of the seat tube. That should give you at least another inch, maybe more depending upon the geometry of the dropper.