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The Best Downhill Mountain Bikes for Short Riders

Looking for a downhill bike to fit your height? Here are some suggestions for the smaller rider...

What are the best downhill mountain bikes for short riders? Are the options limited for smaller downhill enthusiasts? Fear not, if you’re shorter than average you’ve still got a huge range of rides to choose from.

Most bike brands offer their premium downhill rigs in a small or even an extra small frame size, so there’s a good chance that you can still grab whichever bike takes your fancy.

Here are some of the best downhill mountain bikes on the market right now for the shorter rider to consider, along with geometric sizing charts…

Trek Session 9.9

The Trek Session is one of the most coveted bikes in mountain biking, establishing itself as an icon on the downhill scene in the hands of Rachel Atherton and previously Aaron Gwin.

The small model of the Trek Session offers a top tube 574mm long, a reach of 382mm and a wheelbase of 1183mm.


Transition TR500

Tahnee Seagrave transitioned onto the Transition TR500 earlier this year and hasn’t looked back, racking up a bunch of second-place finishes on the World Cup circuit this year and bagging a couple of qualification wins in Lourdes and Lenzerheide as well.

The TR500 offers a wheelbase of 1154mm, a reach of 367 and a top tube measuring in at 557mm on its small frame, a set up recommended for those between 5ft and 5ft 6”.

Specialized Demo 8

Another iconic bike frame in downhill mountain biking offering a small sized frame, the Specialized Demo 8 small has a reach of 395mm, a top tube of 571mm and a wheelbase of 1183mm. The bike runs quick and quietly and has been piloted by some of the best in the world.

GT Fury

A stiff ride ready for the roughest of trails and the rig that the Athertons rode so faithfully before heading over to Trek, the GT Fury offers models in both XS and S sizes.

The former has a reach of 378mm, a top tube 566mm long and a wheelbase of 1191mm. The latter comes in at 404mm, 592mm and 1217mm on those same measurements.

Commencal Supreme DH V4

Another former riding rig of the Athertons, the Commencal Supreme is offered in a small size which has a reach of 377mm, a wheelbase of 1168mm and a top tube of 547mm.

The Supreme is on the short side in terms of length and designed for steep riding.

Polygon Collosus

The Polygon Collosus is the ride that has carried the Hannah siblings throughout the World Cup season and was piloted to Red Bull Rampage success by Kurt Sorge in 2015, so you know it can hold its own.

The small size with a low bottom bracket offers a reach of 377.6mm and a top tube of 536mm. This changes slightly with the high bottom bracket option on the small bike, to 380.3mm and 534.8mm.

 

Mondraker Summum

He may have fallen just short on the overall but 2016 was the season of Danny Hart, who rode his Mondraker Summum to the World Championships and three World Cup wins.

The Summum small has a reach of 397mm, a wheelbase of 1200mm and a top tube measuring 575mm.


Scott Gambler

The Scott Gambler is a downhill mountain bike ready for the roughest of trails, as Adam Brayton proved by riding it to a fourth place in Fort William and a top 10 overall in the World Cup series this year.

The small Gambler is available with both a Low BB and High BB settings. The measurements for the former are 549.7mm for the top tube, 1175.8mm for the wheelbase and 385mm of reach. The measurements for the latter are 546.2mm, 1172.5mm and 393mm.

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