XXS MTBs: Bikes & bike parts for particularly small and light people

Biologically and statistically, the situation is clear: children need smaller bikes than adults, women need smaller bikes than men. But of course there are also tall women and short men. Body sizes and therefore the required frame sizes can be extremely different and are not just a question of age or gender. There are also very different rider weights. This is a challenge for the manufacturers of bikes and parts. Many suspension forks and shocks are optimised for a specific weight range. Geometry tables often end at frame size S at the lower end of the spectrum. Bikers under 1.60 metres usually end up looking down the tube. However, with our tips, even the short flyweights among the riders will find suitable MTBs and parts.

XXS bikes: small but powerful!

The official start of the Ghost Lector FS SF just like the Ghost Lector SF race hardtail, from a height of 160 centimetres. However, Ghost Factory Racing team rider Isla Short is only 154 centimetres tall, in keeping with her surname, and proves that the size XS fully can still do a lot thanks to a few adjustments. To adapt the XS bike to her, Isla rides a very short, downward-angled stem in combination with a 680 millimetre narrow handlebar.

It's more difficult for me to experiment with different positions on the bike as I'm already at the limit of the smallest frame size. In the past, I had to use dropper posts with only 65 millimetres of travel, but on my current bike I can fit 100 millimetres thanks to the short seat tube. - Isla Short, Ghost Factory Racing Team

XXS hardtails

The bike weight should match the rider. If a person weighing 60 kilos sits on a 15-kilo trail bike, this corresponds to a bike weight of 20 kilos for a rider weighing 80 kilos. Lightweight construction therefore pays off particularly well on small bikes and the lightest MTBs are hardtails. In general, there is no reason why particularly small and light XC riders should not also look around the market for children's and youth bikes. With the Giant XTC SLRa race hardtail for adults, for example, only starts from 163 centimetres tall, while junior specialist VPace be MAXC29 with a carbon frame and 29-inch wheels is recommended for riders over 150 centimetres tall. The model for teenagers and adults, MAXC29Lstarts from 160 centimetres in size.

In the search for a cross-country hardtail, young bikers will be at the Cannondale Scalpel HT in size S from a height of 154 centimetres. The size recommendation starts at 148 centimetres at the Specialised Epic HT in size XS. This is characterised by the following mini dimensions:

• Seat tube: 367 mm
• Head tube: 95 mm
• Reach: 385 mm
• Stack: 594 mm
• Wheelbase: 1064 mm

The search for suitable trail hardtails for very small riders is more difficult. The size recommendation for the Radon Cragger for example, only at a height of 165 centimetres. Dartmoor offers the Primal 29 only from frame size M for people over 167 centimetres, while the Primal 27.5 in size S can fit from 157 centimetres. Similarly Nukeproof and leaves the Scout 275 from a height of 160 centimetres, the Scout 290 However, you can only start from 167 centimetres. Even with the Cube Reaction TM Trail hardtail it starts on small 650B wheels from 1.60 metres.

XXS fullys

With very compact frames, fullys quickly run out of space for a bottle cage. XS riders should therefore research how much transport volume will fit in the frame triangle before buying. Fullys are also worthwhile for very small bikers A look at the youth department: The full-suspension Enduro VPace Moritz275L fits from 1.50 metres and is in no way inferior to large bikes. But there are also small bikes in the adult range. In size XS, the Rocky Mountain Instinct all-mountain bike fits riders from 142.5 centimetres tall. 27.5-inch wheels and a lowered top tube allow even small riders plenty of freedom of movement and a feeling of safety on the bike. At 165 millimetres, the crank length is adapted to short legs.

Both the women-specific Juliana Joplin, as well as the Santa Cruz 5010 is available in a particularly compact frame size XS. This means that the bikes should fit riders as small as 142 centimetres. In size XS, a Santa Cruz 5010 with C-grade carbon frame and R equipment kit 13.85 kilos (BIKE measurement). Around 300 grams could be saved by upgrading to a CC frame. With the following dimensions, the XS bike is one of the smallest fullys on the market that is not explicitly designed for children:

• Seat tube: 370 mm
• Head tube: 90 mm
• Reach: 406 mm
• Stack: 599 mm
• Wheelbase: 1147mm

Also for the Trek Fuel Ex Gen 6 the size recommendation in frame size XS goes down to 145 centimetres. Nominally, the geometry dimensions are even slightly smaller than those of the Santa Cruz 5010 and Juliana Joplin. The range in which Trek offers its All Mountain Fully is astonishing: Eight frame sizes make the same bike suitable for riders up to 2.03 metres tall. In size XS, the key data is as follows:

• Seat tube: 360 mm
• Head tube: 95 mm
• Reach: 400.2 mm
• Stack: 574.1 mm
• Wheelbase: 114.8mm

If you have special requirements for your MTB frame due to its short size, you can turn to a custom frame builder such as Unique. Unlike with hardtails, however, there are hardly any frame builders who build customised fullys. One of them is Nicolai. Admittedly For example the Enduro Saturn 16 Officially, Nicolai only starts with a rider height of 164 centimetres, but thanks to individual frame construction, Nicolai can also accommodate special requests such as a shorter seat tube or complete custom frames.

I'm pretty relaxed about my suspension setup. I haven't had any problems finding the right settings so far. I run a good 60 PSI in my fork and between 105 and 110 PSI in the shock. - Isla Short, Ghost Factory Racing Team

XXS wheels and tyres

For both hardtails and fullys, many manufacturers rely on small frame sizes. 27.5 inch wheels. The smaller wheels can fit better in proportion to the rest of the bike and the rider's height. In the smallest sizes of their fullys, Rocky Mountain, Canyon, Cannondale and Trek, for example, use 27.5-inch wheels almost everywhere. However, racers do not always want to do without the advantages of large wheels. Depending on their riding style, very light riders may dare to choose a tyre casing with slightly less puncture protection. As they put less strain on the wheel and tyre system, the following are also recommended in the tubeless setup Low air pressures.

There are very few manufacturers who offer XC fullys in frame size XS. For me, however, this is particularly important. Racing on a bike that fits me properly is so much better than having to adapt my body to a bike that is a little too big for me. I run 1.1 bar pressure in my tyres at the front and 1.15 bar at the rear. - Isla Short, Ghost Factory Racing Team

XXS cranks

In general, the perception of crank lengths has changed in recent years and taller riders are increasingly focussing on shorter cranks. If very short riders use cranks that are too long, not only does the risk of bouncing increase, but leverage and ergonomics are also not ideal. With the Evo is available from Hope Cranks that are up to 155 millimetres short ex works and are suitable not only for e-MTBs but also for bikes without a motor. If you have special requests for the cranks, you can get Appleman from the USA, for example, the 2XR Crank even 100 millimetres short. Appleman also offers custom cranks and models with multiple pedal threads.

I believe that most bikers ride cranks that are too long. There is now some cool research on the subject of crank length. In my opinion, almost everyone could increase their efficiency by using shorter cranks. - Isla Short, Ghost Factory Racing Team

More XXS parts

To ensure that ergonomics and function fit, XXS bikers should also choose their parts carefully in other areas. Are Handles For example, if the handlebars are too thick for small hands, control can suffer and fatigue can increase. For example, the SDG Slater Junior with a diameter of 25 to 26 millimetres, which is suitable for standard MTB handlebars, offers a small diameter. Even thinner is only possible with special children's handlebars with a diameter of 19 millimetres.

Saddles are available in many shapes and sizes. Ergonomics experts such as SQlab or Ergon offer their models in different widths so that they can also fit narrow sit bone distances. Due to the trend of Vario supports shorter riders now have a large selection of models with short travel on XC bikes. For example, the One Up Dropper Post V2 offers a minimum adjustment range of 90 millimetres. The Bike Yoke Divine SL can also be ordered with 80 millimetres of travel. The minimalist adjustment range of 60 millimetres is available on the Crankbrothers Highline XC, for example.

But rather tall? You can find our purchase recommendations for XXL bikers here:

>> Bikes for particularly tall and heavy people

>> Bicycle parts for particularly tall and heavy riders

>> Expert interviews: How the industry sees the topic of XXL bikers