Looking for a frame for 5' tall daughter

[FlaMtnBkr]

My 11 yo daughter is finally starting to get tall enough to get a real MTB so I've been looking around at the various carbon HT frames and hoping to get some suggestions.

She is 60" and has a 24 1/4" inseam while barefoot so I figure with shoes right around 25". She is also growing like a weed and on track to be 5' 8" when done growing. I'm thinking a 13.5" frame will fit her OK now and should last a year or 2 before she outgrows it?

Since 27.5" wheels are becoming less and less popular I'm not sure if I should go with them and hopefully find a good deal on something decent? Or if 29" is at all feasible at this point? We're in Florida so trails tend to be fairly flat and groomed unless you're looking for rocky and rooty.

She plays softball and is in pretty good shape and usually fairly fearless and I think she will like it. I got her a pretty nice aluminum kids bike with 7 gears in the back when she was 5, that she learned to ride in about an hour (which was a lot quicker than I did from what I remember), and can still get around on it but is far too big for it. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has gone thru something similar and has any suggestions? I'm hoping to move parts over when it's time to size up so would like to be able to move over as much as possible and I also have a pretty big parts bin that can be used if they will fit.

Or maybe I should wait a bit longer and let her grow some more? Anyways, any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Brand suggestions for a 13.5" HT that tend to be well made would also be great.

PS if there is a better forum for this feel free to move it

[pmark]

You would probably be better off getting a 2nd hand 26inch, then replacing any worn parts (maybe giving a respray and getting her to choose color).  29inch is far too big and if you get a new 27.5inch, it will only have to be replaced again. 

If you want to get something she can keep for a while, you could probably get a Brompton (or Chinese clone).  Near me I have seen fathers cycling with their kids (who around 11) and they all had Bromptons.   A Brompton isn’t a mountain bike though.

[FlaMtnBkr]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try looking into used stuff, just figured there isn't much in the XS/S range, new or used. Her mom is 5'3" and I think she has a M specialized frame that's fairly old with 26" wheels, which was an attempt to get her to ride with me a long time ago but never really caught on.

I wonder what height 29" wheels would start to work ok? If a frame is designed for them I would think strength would matter more than height if there is adequate standover? I actually have a really nice set of Chris King wheels that I built right before I got really sick, but they are for rim brakes and not disc. Probably not easy to find a mtb frame with brake bosses these days.

I guess I'll have to do some more research since I'll also have to find a decent front fork that will work.

Thanks and any more suggestions would be great!

[pmark]

I have heard of riders that are 5ft 1 struggle with 29inch MTBs.  5ft 4 is probably the min height I would recommend for someone getting a 29inch, if you are any shorter than that, you are generally better off getting a 27.5inch wheeled bike. Berm Peak did a review of 2 bikes a few months back (29 and 27.5) with young teenagers riding them and most of them preferred the 27.5. 

Older rim brake MTBs (from 90s/early 00s) are quite popular at the moment as lots of people like restoring them and converting into city or gravel bikes.  So if you have any 2nd hand bike/charity shops near you, you should find some.