Helps much, thank you.

My reading about women's geometry is that it caters to people who are typically longer of leg and shorter of torso than a man the same height. Likewise,apparently the "typical" woman runs 30lb lighter for the same height. I am atypical in both ways, being long-waisted and heavy. I suspect this makes the definition less important to me than to some other women.

Living in New England I would 100% go FS if you’re going to use the bike for general recreational riding as well, especially if you’re not at the pointy end. There are plenty of options for fast, well-climbing mid-travel FS bikes that are perfectly capable for French River and also everyday trail riding.

Have fun, it’s a great race!

Sounds like a typical gymnast frame so not uncommon in women. Usually standover height for a wsd frame is going to be less if my memory is right.

1x vs 2x. More often than not the grade and speed changes will be such that the spacing is more appropriate to move a single cog at a time.

Hydration pack 100% for me, so i don't need a saddle bag for multi tool and extra co2. I'm good enough with a bottle and am generally fast enough to only need one, but it is just easier to throw on a small hydration pack. Specialized bike have their built in swat compartment though, so that is a decent option.

At 5'3", you need to consider 27.5 (650b) bikes vs 29ers. I'm the same height as you and wanted a 27.5 that had aggressive geometry. Cannondale Scalpel and Trek Top Fuel were the main contestants. I also looked at the Santa Cruz Juliana and Liv, but these bikes had too much travel and weight. For endurance xcountry/xterra, you don't need a ton of up front travel (100-120mm is fine).

I would also look at getting Enve M25 carbon hoops on whatever you decide. Light and stiff!

Finally... let's talk lockout. Alot of mtbs say they have a 100% lockout mode for climbing, but when you ride them- the fork/suspension still squishes. The Cannondale Scalpel Si has a 100% lockout of both the front and rear shocks. I would always try the bike before you buy!

My Scalpel Si HiMOD (size S) weights about 23 pounds.

Dont' waste your time on women's models of bikes unless you need an XS framesize

What he/she said.

Something to keep in mind with the women specific stuff is that for some reason they tend to have worse resale value than the mens versions. So once you nail down your sizing you could likely find a better quality build for a better price in a womens specific looking for used on a place like Pinkbike or something. I would also second staying away from the stumpjumper as it is not really a race bike for that style. The epic would be a better choice. But also would recommend riding/racing more on your hardtail or upgrading those components first as it will teach you better line selections and technique. Then when you upgrade to the race weapon you can take full advantage rather than using the FS as a crutch.

The smaller womens specific bikes also have smaller reach brake levers, womens specific saddles but aren't necessarily shorter front to back than the mens bikes.

In fact I was actively seeking out shorter length bikes so I could pull the front wheel over objects on the trail

This.

If you rarely race it’s probably best to get a bike that you’re going to ride on your normal trails.

I also disagree with most advice saying to start with a hard tail. Even if it’s faster on some xterra courses, the beating you take in general riding is not worth the supposed benefits to your technique.

I’ve been mountain biking for 30 years and will never ride anything but a full suspension bike on technical trails.

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Formerly DrD