Would a 29" wheel MTB be okay for a 5'6" teenager?

chipperhead · 5 Nov 2020 at 21:11

I'm looking at getting my 14 year old son a bike for Christmas. He's 5'6" but rapidly growing, looking at size charts he's maybe an inch off a medium so I've got to go for that size otherwise he'll have grown out of a small by the summer.
I like the look of the Cannondale Trail, in a small they're a 27.5" wheel but in a medium it goes up to a 29" wheel. I'm a bit concerned that it'll be a bit unwieldy for him and hard to steer.

I'm not up at all on mountain bikes so any advice would be much appreciated.

I'm looking at this bike.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-Trail-6-Mountain-Bike-2021-Hardtail-MTB_228551.htm

DereksDontRun · 5 Nov 2020 at 22:11

naa - there must be plenty of 5'6" women flying around on 29ers.

at the end of the day a 29" mtb wheel is pretty similar to a road bike 700c and I'm sure you wouldn't worry about buying him an adult road bike?

chipperhead · 5 Nov 2020 at 22:50

Thanks for the advice, I've got him that bike.

dacads · 6 Nov 2020 at 12:57

I’ve got the 2020 version , there isn’t much standover clearance as the top tube is quite high. Not sure if 2021 has changed but it may be an issue if not.

otherwise great bike I think personally I would prefer 27.5” but this is my first MTB