I think you could find a decent bike in the $1200-$1500 range. If you don't mind used you could find one for even less. Depending on the courses you plan to race a hardtail is often a good choice and will save you a lot of money over a full suspension rig. Fit is important. At 5'5" you could find a 29 inch (wheel size) bike that would still fit. I'm your height and have a Specialized 29er. But you are also in the range that a 26" or even a 27.5" (also know as 650b) would work and might give you more options.

If you are ever in So Cal and want to race XTERRA Snow Valley let me know. I can hook you up with a sweet discount, I know the race director.

/

---

Gary Mc
Did I mention I did Kona

So u think I should look at a specialized bike?
I actually live in Canada so probably wont make it there. But ok that helps me somewhat!

I have really focused on XTERRAs this year and am loving it! I have about twice the miles this year on my mountain bike than I do on my road bike. I have raced quite a few XTERRAs which span the spectrum from extremely tame to arguably the most technical in the US. I ended up building my steed, and extensively researched components.

1. You probably don't need full suspension, and in my opinion, it's not worth the extra cost, extra maintenance, and extra weight. If you have a compliant carbon frame with some mid-volume tubeless tires (2.2 inch), you'll be plenty comfortable. (I have raced XTERRAs on both a hard tail and on a FS)
2. For tires, I have had extremely good luck with the Maxxis Icon EXO (nearly any condition) and the Conti Race King Protection (a bit better when it's dry). and have horrible luck with Schwable and Kenda Tires.
3. Invest in a good wheelset (since you're fairly small, the Stan's Crest wheelset is about the best value you can find (less than $500), but there are plenty of options, even carbon, right at $1k.). This is the primary place you want to put your money.
4. The Rock Shocks Reba and the Manatou Marvel are the best value forks you will find, and will give you all the performance and tune-ability you will need.
5. The biggest thing for you would be to try the fit of a couple different bikes. That's rule number one in all bike buying, but in mountain bikes, it's complicated by wheel sizes (27.5 and 29 inch bikes), and the fact the the wheel size has a huge impact on the character of the bike. I have ridden hard-tails in both sizes. For 27.5, I have ridden the Giant XTC 27.5, and the Pivot Less 27.5, for 29ers I have ridden the Giant xtc 29, the Rocky Mountain Vertex, and the Felt Nine, and I ended up choosing the Felt Nine for my frame (more on that below). You can fit a bike with 29 inch tires, but the fit will likely also come with a few compromises (negative rise and slammed stem, zero set-back seat post with saddles moved far forward etc.). Regardless of those compromises, nearly all pro female riders that I have seen, choose 29 inch hard-tails.


1. The difference between 27.5 and 29 disproportionately less than the difference between 26 and 29. From my experience, you get about 75% of the benefits of a 29 with a 27.5 in terms of traction and ability to just roll over obstacles. 27.5 will maneuver slightly better in really tight and twisty trails, but will demand a bit more from the rider going down faster mildly rough descents. The 27.5 will accelerate a bit better, and will also be inherently lighter.
2. Most of that debate depends on you as a rider. If you are a skilled mountain biker and really know how to handle a bike, you'll likely have more fun and be just as fast on a 27.5. A 29er will be more comfortable, and more forgiving if you happen to choose a poor line, or get off your intended line. At 5'5", getting a 29er dialed as far as fit, will require you fiddle around so you'll really have to work with a dealer, or attend a lot of 'demo days' to see what you are more comfortable with, where as a 27.5 will have much more flexibility.
6. As for price...it's really no different than road bikes or triathlon bikes. There's a spectrum there, and the levels of performance/comfort are really pretty analogous to road bike prices. You can get into a really solid, race-worthy, high-performance mountain bike for around $2.5k. You can also spend $1900 on a fork (Rock Shox rs1), $1500 for a drive train (sram xx1), $2,000 for a wheel set (ENVE 29xc), $3,400 for a frame (Open cycles O-1.0), $360 for brakes (Avid XX World Cup), and another $1,500 for an ax lightness finishing kit... That bike would be lighter than most road bikes, but you'd pay a pretty penny for it. In general, for 29ers:


1. you can get under 25 lbs with reliable components and dependable performance for a dependable manufacture for around $2,000 (Giant Advanced XTC 29 carbon 2, FELT Nine 3)
2. you can get under 23 lbs with reliable components and dependable performance for a dependable manufacture for around $2,700-$3,000 (I'm thinking the Cannondale F29 3 was one of the best off the shelf specs for weight/value)
3. you can get under 21 lbs with reliable components and dependable performance for a dependable manufacture for around $5,000 (Niner air 9 rdo 4 star)
4. it keeps going up...How competitive do you want to be?

Well I am not anywhere of a pro but I want a bike to ride that will get me up the mtn and down fast lol. I am just stsrting to do triathlon xterra opposed to road bikes.

First try a couple 27.5 vs 29ers X-C bikes (probably hard tails) and post back. I'd be happy to help you out. Again...there are a lot of people who spend offensive amounts of money on bikes without really 'deserving' the performance. If you are starting out, I'd look into bikes like the Giant XTC 2 (they have this in 27.5 and 29), Scott Scale (700 or 900), the Cannondale F39 Carbon 3, Trek Superfly (carbon), Specialized Fate Comp, and the Felt Nine 3. With those bikes you'll get solid performance, reliable components, and huge up-grade potential if you start to move up podium spots, or if you fall in love with it and want to invest more in it, all for reasonable money. If you can, give a holler to a Giant or Scott dealer. They have the exact same bike in both wheel sizes, so you can really evaluate that variable during a demo day.

I agree with InWyo. His advice is much more complete than mine. Look at several brands and pick the one that fits all of your criteria.

/

---

Gary Mc
Did I mention I did Kona