Womens Mountain Bikes

Looking for a new womens mountain bike and can’t decide which way to go?

Here are some questions/areas that will help you make a decision.

WHY DO I NEED A WOMENS MOUNTAIN BIKE?

The simple answer is, you may not. If you’re taller than average, you’re probably better suited to the extra reach/sizing that a mens mountain bike provides. But if you’re average or shorter than average, then a properly designed womens mountain bike has several advantages.

Such as:

Data-driven sizing. Especially from a brand like Liv Cycling.

The dimensions (length of the tubes, angle of the tubes, seat type, handlebar width etc.) are not guesswork. Liv are reviewing a database of thousands of physical profiles and then designing bikes that suit.

So, as a female with a typical body type, you will find a ladies mountain bike to be a better fit. This will mean increased comfort and more confidence (due to better bike handling), which will encourage you to ride way more than your old bike.

Womens mountain bikes are shorter in the reach. This means you’re not as stretched out (unless you’re on a road racing bike like the Liv Langma). And the top bar is lower, reducing the center of gravity and making it easier to stand over the frame when you want to stop or dismount.

So, now that you can understand a bit more about the difference between the two choices, it is important to consider a few more possible changes. This becomes more important if you intend to ride more often, or for longer periods, where comfort and performance matter.

• Stem: The stem length is critical to handling and confidence on the bike.
• Handlebar: If the bar is too wide, you may experience sore shoulders.
• Seat: The most important touch point for comfort.
• Hand grips: Sore hands are no fun. This must be right.
• Brake levers: Shorter reach brake levers make braking easier and give the rider more confidence.
• Brakes: Hydraulic Disc Brakes are much easier to use, requiring less power and they have more adjustment.
• Suspension: Having suspension that works for (say) a lighter rider, dialed and adjusted makes the riding experience much more fun and gives added control.

There are 2 categories of mountain bikes: Recreational and Performance.

RECREATIONAL WOMENS MOUNTAIN BIKES

These are designed for family bike rides and riding with friends on bike paths, rail trails, short distance rides around suburbia and light dirt and gravel trails. And they are suitable for pre-teens, teenagers and adults.

There are 2 things you need to know about: brakes and gears.

Here’s a fast snapshot:

At Ivanhoe Cycles, you’ll see 3 brake types on the bikes we stock:

• V-brake (or rim brake).
• Mechanical disc brake. These brakes have a disc but are still operated via a cable. It's an improvement in dry/wet braking compared to the rim brake.
• Hydraulic disc brake. These are the best. They need the least maintenance and they deliver the best braking power in dry/wet conditions.

Next, the gears:

• 7 gears (or 7 speed). These gears are entry-level but still reliable. Perfect if you're riding weekends with friends/family on flat and easy terrain.
• 8 speed bikes use mid-range quality gears. These are smoother and deliver more range (better for hillier rides).
• 9 speed bikes use upper-end recreational parts. These deliver even smoother gear changes and a bigger range.
• 10 speed is considered (affordable) performance. It's designed for semi-experienced riders or those who are riding regularly.

Here are some examples in our range of excellent value girls/womens mountain bikes:

• Malvern Star Axis 1
• Liv Bliss
• XDS Swift 6.0

And some great mid-range options:

• XDS Swift 4.0
• Jamis Helix A1 - Garnet or Slate
• Liv Tempt 3

PERFORMANCE WOMENS MOUNTAIN BIKES

Performance womens mountain bikes are designed for riders who are spending 80% or more of their riding time on off-road single track, 4WD tracks and mountain biking trails like Lysterfield Park, Red Hill, Plenty Gorge and the You Yangs Mountain Bike Park.

These bikes have wider tyres, bigger brakes, more/bigger suspension and wider handlebars for more control.

Our performance range starts off at a mountain bike called the Liv Lurra. This bike is the starting point for riders who want to dip their toes into the sport of mountain biking.

For those that want to take things a little more seriously, we have the Liv Embolden. This is a mid-range dual-suspension mountain bike.

For riders who want a mountain bike that’s more capable of riding steeper and more raw, technical terrain, the Liv Intrigue is the bike. Liv has designed the Intrigue with more suspension than the Embolden, bigger and better suspension, a lighter frame and better parts.

The lightest and fastest womens dual-suspension mountain bike is the Liv Pique. The Pique is perfect for trails that are smoother, where speed and efficiency are the required traits.

To throw a curve ball:

Brands like Orbea and Rocky Mountain produce unisex bikes. These are ridden equally as well by women as they are men. Clicking on the links will take you to the brand pages where we’ve got more information on the different options.

Hopefully this has helped make things clearer for you. As always, please reach out to the experts at Ivanhoe Cycles. We love getting it right. Email, online, telephone or in-store.