Specialized unveils full-carbon women’s 29er

By Shannon Mominee

Recognizing the different needs of female riders, Specialized took fit, efficiency and style into consideration while developing their 2012 women’s mountain bike line. Three women-specific 29ers will be offered and one 26”-wheeled bike.

All address fit, weight and handling and two of the frames are made of aluminum. The other is the first full-carbon bike designed for a female. All are hardtails with a good amount of standover height and women’s Body Geometry saddle and grips. Rotor size, handlebar width, and crank lengths are all chosen depending on frame size and intended use.

The Myka is made from Specialized M4 aluminum and is the base model. It’s designed for the recreational rider and has hydroformed tubing, is suspension tuned for a woman, and has enough space in the main triangle for a bottle cage on all sizes.

The Jett is the enthusiast platform, also made from M4 aluminum, and available with either 26” or 29” wheels. It features performance geometry, machined dropouts to shave weight, and a 80mm suspension fork with the spring rate tuned for the lady. Jett will be available with either a Comp or Expert build. Rack mounts add to its versatility.

The Fate, above, is the cream of the crop and is a full carbon race bike. It rolls on 29” wheels, and available in a Pro or Expert build in size 15”, 17”, and 19”. The Pro utilizes a custom RockShox SID fork with 80mm of travel and Specialized’s Brain Fade technology with rebound adjustment. Fate has a tapered head tube, internal cable routing, hollow carbon dropouts, SRAM 2×10 drivetrain, carbon PF30 bottom bracket, and Roval Control carbon wheels to shave rotational weight. Claimed weights for complete bikes are 22.7lbs. for the Pro and 22lbs. for the Expert.

On the Jett and Fate frames, the 15” frame has a 51mm fork offset to avoid toe contact with the front tire. Size 17” and 19” have the standard 46mm offset. Those ladies looking for a dropper seatpost will also be glad to know that the Command Post is available in 27.2mm with a 75mm drop and fits all the mentioned frames above.

In addition to the bikes Specialized also creates Body Geometry shoes, saddles, and gloves with cool color schemes that avoid the typical feminine colors and flower patterns.

Oura saddle

Motodiva shoes