Best Mountain Bikes for Women (& do you really need one?)

What is a women’s mountain bike & How do they differ from men’s?

“A women’s bike is any bike a woman rides”

Trek Website

To be honest, there’s not a whole lot that sets a women’s mountain bike apart from all the ‘unisex’ bikes on the market.

Sure, some brands (like Liv) do have slightly different frame geometry which I’ll talk about below and others (like Juliana) set their women’s bikes up with lighter suspension tunes.

Let’s take a look at the main differences between women’s and unisex bikes:

1. Bike frame size

Many women’s mountain bikes come in smaller sizes than men’s or unisex bikes. Women, on average, are shorter than men and sometimes an extra-small bike is needed for those ladies close to or under 5 feet tall.

On the flip side, some women’s bike brands, like Juliana, do not offer bikes in L or XL.

Also, on some women’s bikes, the top tube is curved to make it more accessible for shorter women to straddle the bike. Check different brands and models to see what options they have in your size.

A women’s-specific bike may or may not be needed for your height.

2. Geometry

Perhaps the most disputed difference between women’s mountain bikes and unisex bikes is the geometry. Liv, the sister company of Giant that – like Juliana – produces only women’s mountain bikes argues that the difference in women’s torso and arm length in relation to their height warrants a different frame geometry.

In other words, Liv says that women, on average, have shorter torsos and longer legs than men and therefore require a different bike set-up.

Theoretically.

Usually, this means a shorter top tube (shorter reach) and a higher rise (longer stack). Of course, women can swap out components like the stem to get a shorter reach, but that means relying on guesswork rather than actual science and data.

I don’t necessarily buy into this argument. There are men out there with short torsos and long legs and women with vice versa. Just like people, all bikes are different and it really comes down to what feels most comfortable to you and your body.

If you demo a Liv bike and it feels right, great! But you might also jump on a Devinci (who doesn’t have a women’s line) and it may feel just as good. 

Unless you’re the elite of the elite athletes and looking to get the absolute most out of the geometry of your bike (or you have exceptionally long legs or an exceptionally short torso), it’s better to focus on feel and comfort of all bikes rather than limiting yourself to a women’s line.

As a final note, geometry differs for each bike brand. For example, Juliana bikes have EXACTLY THE SAME geometry as their counterpart Santa Cruz bikes (ex: the Roubion and Bronson below) whereas the geometry of comparable Giant bikes does differ from their sister company, Liv. 

These bikes are pretty much identical

3. Suspension Set Up

Women tend to weigh less than men (30lbs, on average according to Juliana), so therefore women need a bike with suspension that is appropriate for their weight, right? Yes, however pretty much all suspension set-ups (both front fork and rear shock) can be adjusted for a wide variety of weights by dialing in the air spring (how much air is in the shock) and adjusting the rebound (how fast the shocks rebound).

There are no women-specific shocks (that I am aware of).

That being said, Juliana (sister brand to Santa Cruz) does sell their bikes with a slightly ‘lighter’ shock tune than Santa Cruz bikes to help the bike feel more plush and smooth for lighter (and less aggressive) riders.

4. Saddles

Women’s saddles do make a difference, but these are easily swapped out. Women tend to have wider sit bones than men and therefore a wider saddle is more comfortable.

Women’s mountain bikes will most likely come with a women’s-specific saddle, but that’s not – in my opinion – a reason to only opt for a women’s bike.

5. Color

I hate to say it, but a lot of women-specific mountain bikes come in ‘female colors’ like pink, sky blue, or purple. To be fair, there are usually a few colors to choose from including less womanly hues, but it annoys me that female = pink.

I have noticed in recent years that this is changing, though! Juliana has been coming out with some amazing color choices.

So do you need a women’s mountain bike?

Any mountain bike you buy these days is going to be an amazing bike, women-specific or not.

Many women’s mountain bikes do have a few women-specific features (like the ones I talked about above), but I just want you to understand that women don’t need to ride a women’s bike.

There are so many great mountain bike options out there, so try not to put yourself in a box. Keep your options open and try to really dial in what is most important to you when it comes to a new bike.

That being said, women’s mountain bikes can be optimal for certain cases.

Choose a women’s mountain bike if:

• You’re on the shorter side and need an extra-small bike
• If you have a particularly shorter torso and longer legs
• You like being part of a women’s mountain biking movement
• You love the color!

As a final note, I really like this article by racer and Juliana ambassador Alex Pavon about why she believes women’s mountain bikes are making a big difference in the sport. It has nothing to do with the bike, but rather the fact that women’s bike brands elevate female athletes and give a brighter spotlight on women riders.

6 best women’s mountain bikes

Alright, let’s jump into the bikes. There are two women-specific brands at the forefront: Juliana and Liv. Juliana is the sister company of Santa Cruz and Liv is the sister company of Giant.

Personally, I LOVE Santa Cruz and therefore I love Juliana because they are essentially the same bikes. I haven’t ridden any Liv bikes, but they get rave reviews and there’s a strong Liv community of women riders that you can find all over the country. I also coach with Ladies AllRide, which has a strong partnership with Liv.

If you’re new to picking out a mountain bike, be sure to read my post on how to choose a full-suspension mountain bike.

The Juliana Furtado is the equivalent of the Santa Cruz 5010. It is a short/mid-travel bike with 130mm of suspension in the rear shock and 140mm of travel in the front fork.

The Furtado is a great ‘do it all’ bike for women who want to do a little bit of everything. From cross-country to enduro to bike park, it’s the only bike you need in your quiver. That being said, since it’s so versatile, it doesn’t excel at one thing.

The Juliana Furtado has been updated to rock mixed wheels – 27.5″ in the rear and 29″ in the front – which is my personal preference for enduro and downhill riding. Mixed wheels do detract a bit from speed and efficiency on cross-country terrain, though.

If you want more of a true cross-country bike, check out the Juliana Wilder which is a short-travel cross-country bike with 29″ wheels.

The Juliana Roubion is a step up in suspension travel from the Furtado. It is equivalent to the Santa Cruz Bronson (which is what I currently ride!) with 150mm of travel in the rear and 160mm of travel in the front.

The Roubion is a mixed-wheel bike, so it has a 27.5” wheel in the rear and a 29″ wheel in the front. Personally, I love this setup because I find that it offers the best of both worlds: quick and nimble in the rear and lots of smashing power in the front.

The Roubion would be a great choice for someone who wants to ride more downhill and technical terrain from the bike park to enduro-style trails. It’s not the best for long cross-country rides

The Juliana Joplin is my cross-country mountain bike. It’s similar to the Furtado in that it’s a short-travel bike, but it has 29″ wheels instead of a mixed wheel setup.

The Joplin’s ‘brother’ is the Santa Cruz Tall Boy, which is touted as the downhiller’s XC bike (that’s me!).

I really love my Joplin – it’s great for east coast riding with lots of rocks and roots and it’s also great for long, pedaly desert cross-country missions. If I’m doing a ride with more downhill-focused trails, I’ll bring my Bronson (the Juliana Roubion).

The Juliana Maverick is a trail-crushing beast. With 140mm of rear travel, 150mm of front fork suspension, and 29” wheels, it is the perfect all-around riding machine.

The Maverick’s Santa Cruz counterpart is the Hightower and if I were to recommend one women’s mountain bike for a do-everything rider, it would be this one.

The Liv Intrigue is a mid-travel do-it-all bike. With 140mm of rear suspension and 150mm of front fork travel and the option to choose 27.5″ or 29″ wheels, it’s a great bike that can tackle both trail riding and moderately technical descents.

If you’re just starting out and don’t plan on doing anything too rowdy, this would be a great option.

The Liv Pique is the shortest-travel bike on this list with only 100 mm of travel in the front and the rear.

It’s a great option for cross-country enthusiasts and riders who know they don’t ever want to get too rowdy on the descents.

Last thoughts on women’s mountain bikes

So are women’s mountain bikes all just marketing? Yes and no. Some women may really benefit from a women’s-specific mountain bike if they have the proverbial short torso and long legs and are relatively short in stature.

BUT this doesn’t mean that unisex bikes can’t work for them. What it really comes down to is how a bike feels, what your budget is, what your riding style is, how much you ride, and what kind of components you want.

If you’re set on getting a women’s mountain bike – go for it. They’re awesome. But know that unisex bikes are a great option for women too.