i will be visiting these cities in early April and am helping a friend buy a bike. Catch is she is very short (5'2" tops). Are there any shops that will be able to supply a good bike for her? I'm not sure what brands cater to women these days (and Titus is not an option...I asked). Budget is around $800.

I really only need to find a shop that can get what she needs. I've been biking for years now and can find the right bike for her so I don't need a shop thats neccessarily knowledgeable...but it would be a plus naturally.

Oh, and while I'm at it...any good riding here? From New England and love my tight twisty singletrack.

Oh yeah, not much for views but riding is really good. And the weather in April should be great.

i will be visiting these cities in early April and am helping a friend buy a bike. Catch is she is very short (5'2" tops). Are there any shops that will be able to supply a good bike for her? I'm not sure what brands cater to women these days (and Titus is not an option...I asked). Budget is around $800.

I really only need to find a shop that can get what she needs. I've been biking for years now and can find the right bike for her so I don't need a shop thats neccessarily knowledgeable...but it would be a plus naturally.

Oh, and while I'm at it...any good riding here? From New England and love my tight twisty singletrack.

Austin has quite a few bike shops. Ozone and Bicycle Sport Shop just to name a few. Those are more in central Austin near the downtown area. On the north side of Austin there is also Bucks Bikes and Bicycle sport shop has a second store. I know there are others but I just can't think of them right now. The last time I was into these I noticed they had some smaller sizes. Not sure about womens specific geometry but you could check with them. I think Bicycle Sport Shop and Bucks may be the bigger of the shops I mentioned.

Good Riding here?? Heck yeh! I think it is but it depends on what you like. Trails are anywhere from fast flowing single track to super technical rocky. Check out austinridgeriders.com and http://www.freewebs.com/austinbike/mtb/ for local Austin trail information. Have fun!

joltz,

Bicycle Sports Shop, either the north (at Braker and 183 near the Arboretum) or south store (on Lamar just south of the river and the intersection with Barton Springs) have great selection. I was out at 360 Cycleworks the other day (Westlake Village shopping center on hwy 360 just a couple miles south of the intersection with 2222) and their selection looked pretty good but being out near the high-rent part of town I'm unsure about the prices.

Bucks has a good rep (on hwy 183 just a bit north of Duvall intersection - I think), but I haven't been in there a while to know what their selection is.

Ozone are a decent bunch of guys, but you have to be careful to catch them on a more lucid day ... more focused towards the college crowd, which based upon your stated price point may actually be a good thing.

REI here in town (ghasp! in the Gateway shopping center next to Whole Foods, intersection of 360 and 183 and Mopac/Rt 1) also has some decent stuff and you may find a good price/component/frame option in one of their Novara house line ... no experience with the bikes myself but it maybe something to look at as your gal is, er, petit in size and that could be a factor.

you could easily hit REI, BSSN, and Bucks in one afternoon, only couples miles in range from each other.

You may want to give a holler when you're closer to hitting town. For a very active local bbs check out bikemojo.com - the Austin Voodoo section of "speak" - PM either here or on Bikemojo (I'm Bear there also) if all else fails. There's rides happening all the time now that the rain has slacked up.

Weather here for the last week or so was crazy nice, but turned a bit cool yesterday/today (50's) but the trails are in fab shape.

Temperatures could easily range anywhere from the 50's to the 90's, depending upon what Ma Nature has in store for us, but unless you are really unlucky there should be some excellent riding available.

Come see us at Bicycle Sport Shop, we'll find a nice ride for her. Talk to Ryan, Adam, or LJ among many others.
We also have a ton of trails right around the corner. Give us a little warning and maybe we can give you a little tour. Must warn you no roots, lots o' rocks.
512-477-3472

Come see us at Bicycle Sport Shop, we'll find a nice ride for her. Talk to Ryan, Adam, or LJ among many others.
We also have a ton of trails right around the corner. Give us a little warning and maybe we can give you a little tour. Must warn you no roots, lots o' rocks.
512-477-3472
Well we have plenty of rocks here in CT too, its what makes riding fun. I've heard good things about Austin so I'm looking forward to it.

I'll be sure to stop by. I'm having her do the 'what will you use the bike for' kind of list. So I should be able to figure out whats best for her. without seeing the trails I'm not sure if FS is something she should consider. At the Very least just a XC FS bike to soften the ride a bit. these days they are not much more or much heavier than a HT. Here in CT FS is a no brainer for her. Just not sure about down there though. I don't want her on a bike that has too much travel and is too heavy for her to get up hills, yet want to make sure it does tame the trail a bit. She's nervous about riding trails. Wants to learn though. Funny part is she has no problem doing backflips down a balance beam, but riding a bike down a rockly hill...thats crazy!

What brands do you carry? I can start doing my homework. Also, do you stock the smaller sizes? Ideally we'd want to pick it up, rent one for me (am considering packing up the Yo and taking it for a trip) then go riding the same day.

As for a tour...well I might take you up on that on another day. She is a beginer, her husband has some experience. I will have a few days when they are at work that I can go play. Hitting some of the better trails sounds like a good idea. April 2-10 is when I'll be there, during the week I'll be free. Of course since its been snowing and freezing for months, I've not been on a bike since October. Hope I have not forgotten.

For general riding comfort in Austin vicinity you should definitely consider FS. There are a number of trails that have a lower rock quotient on the main loops ( Walnut Creek Park, Muleshoe Bend LCRA Park, Reimers Ranch ) but even some of the less rocky places have their own issues ( Rocky Hill Ranch near Smithville and Bluff Creek Ranch near Warda both have enough rootiness that FS makes for a much more comfortable ride ).

Riding the Barton Creek Greenbelt ( trails closest to downtown Austin and BSS South ) have smooth runs, but the best part of this network definitely qualifies as rocky.

I'm originally from back east (Maryland) and have spent significant time in the Applicacians, and limited time in New Hampshire, and can characterize the difference in rocks between the regions like this ...

- Back east, the rocks tend to be rounded "iceberg" type affairs that won't move regardless of how hard you hit them

- Down in Austin area, rocks tend to be square-edged, some don't move, many will

I have found that the terrain here is much more harsh to the equipment and body than back east.

YMMV though.

Lastly,

A good 4" travel bike, something with active suspension that doesn't pedal kickback will probably be more than enough. They are efficient and light enough now that weight can be a non-issue. I personally prefer the FSR style suspension, but there are plenty other choices.

Have fun!

my mom is 5' 2 she has a Kona fs and a Kona ht they are 14 inch frames.
she loves them and has them set up pretty good.
she got them at Action Bikes in San Antonio
These are her bikes. :D