The Womens EMTB Thread - come on in ladies!
- Thread starter sparked
- Start date
IndigoUnicorn
E*POWAH Master
Ladies, let’s get a bit busier in here, shall we?
Let’s see our GEAR!
What have you found that works great? What sucks? What is almost decent but just misses the mark?
This past Saturday on the Doña Ana MTB trails outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA:
57°F (~14°C)
~4500’ (~1371m)
Trek Powerfly 5
Jones Bars H bar
PNW dropper post
Bontrager VP pedals, LT4 tires, and rack
Nuclear Sunrise Stitchworks frame and snack bags
G-force knee protection
Trusty 5.10 Freeriders
Pearl Izumi chamois, socks, and gloves
Smith Convoy helmet
Ancient Addidas shorts (bc I can’t find a pair of MTB shorts that fit at all)
Club Ride shirt
Osprey Raven 10 pack
Let’s see our GEAR!
What have you found that works great? What sucks? What is almost decent but just misses the mark?
This past Saturday on the Doña Ana MTB trails outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA:
57°F (~14°C)
~4500’ (~1371m)
Trek Powerfly 5
Jones Bars H bar
PNW dropper post
Bontrager VP pedals, LT4 tires, and rack
Nuclear Sunrise Stitchworks frame and snack bags
G-force knee protection
Trusty 5.10 Freeriders
Pearl Izumi chamois, socks, and gloves
Smith Convoy helmet
Ancient Addidas shorts (bc I can’t find a pair of MTB shorts that fit at all)
Club Ride shirt
Osprey Raven 10 pack
Tim1023
Well-known member
Yup more ladies would be great.
And fewer Neanderthal comments from the men (we're in 2021 now!)
And fewer Neanderthal comments from the men (we're in 2021 now!)
- Thread starter
- #65
Awesome photo and idea!
I have been on what feels like an embarrassing EMTB journey!
Since April last year i have tried/bought/returned or sold:
Levo Hardtail - we kept this partner rides it now
Embolden E+2 in small - returned it with a few km on it. I couldnt find a dropper that would suit the frame and didnt like the bike enough to persist searching for one - it felt very large this bike for a small frame.
Focus Thron 2 6.9 - amazing components but the bike in Small was just too big for me - I also found the Bosch really noisy
Levo Comp - best bike of the bunch. But it was so expensive I found myself feeling vulnerable just riding it around home. I found a guy that was dying to buy one and sold it to him for an awesome price.
Most of the above shenanigans would have been avoided if only we could actually demo bikes. Covid you suck!
I now have a Merida E140 400. And this bike is the pick of the bunch geo wise. The fork and shock aren't at the same level as the Comp of course but for now it's going well. And I love that I can actually sit on this bike with the seat dropped and have my feet flat on the ground. No other EMTB in Small allowed me to have that ability. Best part is I have left over $$$$ to put towards a gearbox rebuild on my other toy!
I dont have much gear on the bike yet. Have new pedals incoming. Speedsleev handlebar bag on it for the phone, wallet and keys. Fitted a Specialised bottle cage with the multi tool attached. And have a saddle bag on it but i think that needs to go. Oh and Specialized power mimic saddle i was fitted for!
I need some riser bars though, so that will probably be next step. I'll lose the internal cable routing by switching over, but comfort is king right?
I think i want to remove some of the orange as well... its pretty orange!
IndigoUnicorn
E*POWAH Master
I LOVE all that Orange!! The red/black of my Powerfly is pretty ho-hum, IMO. But, I do love the audible colors the best. I really wanted the black/green Powerfly but ended up with a really good deal on the one I got. So, I can’t complain too much. LOL.
WOW, you have had quite the journey to find a bike that fits!
- Thread starter
- #67
Nah you bike is cool as and easy to add more color to it if you want!
- Thread starter
- #68
Ok I have a question!
I have a set of new Nukeproof Horizon Riser 38mm Carbon bars with 31.8mm clamp i bought months ago. But my new E140 has a 35mm clamp - doh!
If I sell the bars to buy 35mm ones I'll drop probably an extra $100 selling and then rebuying with the postage etc
Or I can buy a new 31.8mm stem for the bars I have now.
Whats the real world difference between 31.8 vs 35mm HB? I'm not a DH or shreddy or jump type rider. Mostly just green trails, gravel, off road etc mostly places even a gravel bike would go (at this stage anyways). So guessing for me it would make no difference at all right?
What do I do? Oh and the fact I'll not have internally wired HBs anymore, is this going to make the bike very unsightly looking? I only have the Shimano SC-E5003 display. So only the one controller on the Meridas HBs and 1 cable.
After 25km the other day, I came home with sore wrists and forearms. The angle of the stock bars is horible. They are just not comfy at all.
Here's the setup the bike comes with new:
I have a set of new Nukeproof Horizon Riser 38mm Carbon bars with 31.8mm clamp i bought months ago. But my new E140 has a 35mm clamp - doh!
If I sell the bars to buy 35mm ones I'll drop probably an extra $100 selling and then rebuying with the postage etc
Or I can buy a new 31.8mm stem for the bars I have now.
Whats the real world difference between 31.8 vs 35mm HB? I'm not a DH or shreddy or jump type rider. Mostly just green trails, gravel, off road etc mostly places even a gravel bike would go (at this stage anyways). So guessing for me it would make no difference at all right?
What do I do? Oh and the fact I'll not have internally wired HBs anymore, is this going to make the bike very unsightly looking? I only have the Shimano SC-E5003 display. So only the one controller on the Meridas HBs and 1 cable.
After 25km the other day, I came home with sore wrists and forearms. The angle of the stock bars is horible. They are just not comfy at all.
Here's the setup the bike comes with new:
manueloFRCR
Member
IndigoUnicorn
E*POWAH Master
Sparked, what did you end up doing?
- Thread starter
- #71
I bought a 31 stem and used the bars. They are fantastic. Better riding position is welcomed.
all the research I did suggested it wasn’t going to be noticeable for a rider like myself.
I hate the red! Oh and my Knog Oi that used to sit next to the grip didn’t fit next due to the levers, so they put that hideous thing on it!
- Thread starter
- #72
the dimension of the bars is ok. It’s actually this bit on the levers that are in the way. The guy in the shop said they sometimes cut it off, touch it up with black paint. I’m not thrilled with the levers full stop.
- Thread starter
- #73
How do you find the H bars? Did it take long to get used to them?
IndigoUnicorn
E*POWAH Master
It didn’t take any time at all. I loved them so much I also got a set for my Priority Embark.
IndigoUnicorn
E*POWAH Master
Nice pic. Now, how about she posts in here?
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #77
Yes! Great idea.
So an update.
My bike worked itself out of the Thule Easyfold XT 2 clamp during a 3 hour drive home. Luckily the bike was held on by the wheel straps so only the HBs hit the road. Ripped a few inches off the carbon bars and destroyed the brake levers.
On the 2 bike XT its very hard to get the clamp onto the frame where it's not twisted on. Even though it was as tight as I could physically get it the constant vibrations and bumps of the road meant the clamp worked its way off the frame, letting go of the bike.
Thule in Australia have been wonderful and have looked after me. Only delay is finding the parts to fix the levers and the HBs. Bike has been gone a good 3 weeks so far, hopefully this week it'll be ready.
so always use extra straps to secure bike if you have one of thse racks!
IndigoUnicorn
E*POWAH Master
Ho-leeeee sheeeeit, Sparked!
Oddly, mine did the same this past Sunday. Thankfully it happened just as I came home and pulled into my driveway. I about had a heart attack when I watched Ohm-ah disappear from the rack in the rearview mirror. My biggest concern was that the mishap may have bent the wheels. Fortunately, it appears all is well.
I run a Swagman for eBikes: https://www.etrailer.com/p-S64678.html. Not as pricey as the Thule or Kuat, etc., and, so far, has been rock solid. Except for the wingnut who installed the bike this past Sunday. LOL.
- Thread starter
- #80
I’m so glad yours is ok. Just add an extra strap I think. Prevention is better than cure let me tell you.
My bike had been gone WEEKS!
Not a lady, but not particularly tall either, so some time ago I started to collect the dimensions of dropper posts, to see which one would fit for my frame(s). I figured this would come in handy for others as well, so I created a website for it:
http://sp00n.net/bike/seatposts/
You can filter those posts that would still fit your frame and riding height, you basically just need to measure the available space in your seat tube (you can use an old fixed seat post for that) and the height from the end of the seat tube up to the saddle rails with your current riding height. Plug these numbers in and it will show all the (probably) compatible seat posts.
http://sp00n.net/bike/seatposts/
You can filter those posts that would still fit your frame and riding height, you basically just need to measure the available space in your seat tube (you can use an old fixed seat post for that) and the height from the end of the seat tube up to the saddle rails with your current riding height. Plug these numbers in and it will show all the (probably) compatible seat posts.
- Thread starter
- #82
Ahhh wow! You've gone to quite the effort there. Thank you so much for sharing
I'm sure many people will find this useful
A lady showing how it's done !
What the hell did you say to them ? I guess it doesn't take much to kick off the fight or flight reaction and enable super human abilities...
?
JackieA
Member
May I throw in a curve ball? Aged 72 I finally admitted my gender dysphoria to the world and started transitioning. Eight weeks ago today had my gender surgery and now have restarted riding aged 77 BUT WITH A LADIES SADDLE. Over the past ten days have ridden 80k including a fair amount off road.
During the pandemic have largely ridden solo but looking for more company. Former clubs appear to have become WhatsApp cliques.
During the pandemic have largely ridden solo but looking for more company. Former clubs appear to have become WhatsApp cliques.
IndigoUnicorn
E*POWAH Master
Welcome! And kick ass!
- Thread starter
- #87
MtBkGrl
Member
OK, new member checking in here.
My partner and I picked up our first EMTBs in June/July. We're getting on in years and I've had three back surgeries so we've been wanting to get e-bikes for quite a while. A recent sale of land made it a reality.
Supply was a real problem here in SE British Columbia so we didn't have much choice in our price ranges.
I got a Cannondale Moterra Neo 5 which is their lowest priced FS bike.
And my partner got a Giant Trance XE+ Pro 3.
Both bikes have small frames but 29" wheels. Would have loved to at least try a 27.5" bike to see how much difference the smaller wheels make.
Either way, loving the new rides! It's great to get back out on the higher trails I haven't ridden in years.
Cheers!
My partner and I picked up our first EMTBs in June/July. We're getting on in years and I've had three back surgeries so we've been wanting to get e-bikes for quite a while. A recent sale of land made it a reality.
Supply was a real problem here in SE British Columbia so we didn't have much choice in our price ranges.
I got a Cannondale Moterra Neo 5 which is their lowest priced FS bike.
And my partner got a Giant Trance XE+ Pro 3.
Both bikes have small frames but 29" wheels. Would have loved to at least try a 27.5" bike to see how much difference the smaller wheels make.
Either way, loving the new rides! It's great to get back out on the higher trails I haven't ridden in years.
Cheers!
MtBkGrl
Member
Thanks Sparked.
I saw your post about your bike coming loose from the Thule Easyfold XT rack. Very scary!
We bought one of those when we picked up my partners Giant but as soon as we tried to load the bike I wasn't happy with the clamp system Thule uses on that rack. No way to get a secure grip on a FS frame. We ended up getting a tailgate pad for our truck to get the bike home (and to use when towing our trailer takes up the hitch) but we still wanted a hitch rack for easier loading and for our van.
Ended up getting the Kuat NV 2.0 folding rack. It uses hooks that clamp to the front wheel so no matter what kind of frame (or size of bike) there's a secure connection to the rack. About the same money as the Thule. I'm really happy with it and would recommend to any EMTB owners.
Cheers!
I saw your post about your bike coming loose from the Thule Easyfold XT rack. Very scary!
We bought one of those when we picked up my partners Giant but as soon as we tried to load the bike I wasn't happy with the clamp system Thule uses on that rack. No way to get a secure grip on a FS frame. We ended up getting a tailgate pad for our truck to get the bike home (and to use when towing our trailer takes up the hitch) but we still wanted a hitch rack for easier loading and for our van.
Ended up getting the Kuat NV 2.0 folding rack. It uses hooks that clamp to the front wheel so no matter what kind of frame (or size of bike) there's a secure connection to the rack. About the same money as the Thule. I'm really happy with it and would recommend to any EMTB owners.
Cheers!
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