Riser lengths

[Timid Toad]

Hi every one
My daughter has now outshot her rolan trainer bow, and we foolishly promised her an SF with wood limbs for her upcoming 12th birthday if she got straight 'A's in her exams...big mistake....and we have started to look around for what she needs.
However, what are the advantages of a short handle over long. When I bought my first proper bow (yamaha alpha-ex - great bow, still does the business), my coach advised a short handle and medium limbs ( I am 5'9" and draw 28"). These days that doesn't seem the current advice.
We want a mid priced riser she can grow with and change limbs as necessary. The choice seems very limited with 23" risers, in the £150-£200 price mark.
She is 5'5", draws 25" holding around 26lbs, and 12 years old. Would it be ok to go for something like the SF, which is 25" but light, with short limbs, getting medium as she grows, or try a 23" riser with short limbs, having to change the whole kit in 2 years when she is suddenly 5'10"? Either way, has any one any recommendations from experience?
Your comments would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[Furface]

The simple answer is try all combinations if possible, and choose the one that suits your daughter best. As I recall, a long riser/ short limb combination can be a bit "fiercer", trickier to handle, while the short riser/medium limb gives less power. However, your daughter is already quite a tall girl, and long riser / medium limb shouldn't be difficult for her, and will give scope for further growth. If she grows further, the short riser may well have insufficient cut-out for her to sight at short distances. Other points: overall weight is critical for juniors (don't go overboard with stabilisers either); draw weight should only be increased in small stages, so remember she will only be expected to compete up to 40 yards for the next couple of years.

[Tuck]

Do you mean Sebastian Flute by SF? if so then there is no question it is only a 25" riser.

23" risers are available for these starter or intermedeate risers

WW Evo 2, Samick Mizar

Or higher level - Best Zenit, Best Nilo, Samick Ultra, Hoyt matrix.

We have an 11 year old shooting a 25" riser with short limbs - and he is not big!

Hes is doing well - in the county team!

I have an SF riser and would reccomend it to anyone, I have had (and do have)
top flight risers from Merlin and Hoyt but would still regard the SF as GOOD.

The Mizar is a great improver riser for smaller people, my daughter has one, but don't assume a 25" is totally out - try it.

Tuck

[Kuchipuka]

I'd got for the long riser; I handle mind fine, and I'm a little shorter than your daughter! But there's more than height involved. The biggest shock for me when I changed from a plastic trainer bow (a rolan) to my Hoyt GM riser was the weight of the riser on my bow arm! It takes some getting used to! And although my new bow shoots like a dream, I could see how potentially the weight could be difficult to manage, and although it may seem like a waste to buy a shorter riser, and then a longer one; it might be the best thing to have if the weight of a long riser is so much that it switches off archery enthusiasm!
I think a well prepped archery suppliers could provide a selection or bows for your daughter to try, as s surprise trip out so she can try lots of risers and find the one she really likes. It may be the SF if she's got her heart set on it. It'd be good to have a play around and get some good advice on the set up in the process. I wish you both the best in your archery together, and many comgratulations to your daughter for her hard work in exams too!

[Miner Willy]

If weight is a potential issue you could look at a win&win winact riser.
It comes in 23 & 25" sizer and is one of the lighter risers on the market.

[SVL]

Originally Posted by Timid Toad

Hi every one
We want a mid priced riser she can grow with and change limbs as necessary. The choice seems very limited with 23" risers, in the £150-£200 price mark.
She is 5'5", draws 25" holding around 26lbs, and 12 years old. Would it be ok to go for something like the SF, which is 25" but light, with short limbs, getting medium as she grows, or try a 23" riser with short limbs, having to change the whole kit in 2 years when she is suddenly 5'10"? Either way, has any one any recommendations from experience?
Your comments would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Congratulations to your daughter for doing well in her exams

To determine bow length, it is the archers draw length that is important. You get a good idea of bow length required by adding 40'' to the draw length. This results in 65'' for your daughter so I would recomend a 66'' bow going for short handle medium limbs and keeping the draw weight low and bow weight in the hand low as she is still growing. Nearly a teenager so next few year may see some raoid growth and changes in strength and perhaps draw length..
With the set-up suggested above it should be suitable up to 27'' draw but above that and it is time to consider a 68'' bow.....which depending on how much time has passed could be new limbs or new handle.

But for now the physical weight of the bow and the draw weight are very important.

Hope this is of some help for you

[hypertigger]

i would definitely recommend a 25" riser, i have a 25" drawlength, and have comfortably shot a 66" bow and a now shoot a 64" bow - but i'm not going to grow anymore.....

[sarahjrd]

Originally Posted by hypertigger

i would definitely recommend a 25" riser, i have a 25" drawlength, and have comfortably shot a 66" bow and a now shoot a 64" bow - but i'm not going to grow anymore.....

I also would recomend a 25'' , I have a 23'' drawlenght and shoot a 66 and its fine. Its working well for me. At one stage i was shooting 68'' but the 66'' was much better. Short limbs and long riser are the way to go. It should last her longer.

[SVL]

Originally Posted by sarahjrd

I also would recomend a 25'' , I have a 23'' drawlenght and shoot a 66 and its fine. Its working well for me. At one stage i was shooting 68'' but the 66'' was much better. Short limbs and long riser are the way to go. It should last her longer.

Short limbs long riser seems good for your draw length, but if you had a longer draw length I think you might be reaching the point where the bow starts to stack up, which would not be doing you any favours, especially for a junior archer.

Sorry, but when you look for bows for junior archers, it is not about long term use, it has to be about suitability to ensure there is no long term damage to a growing junior.

[wingate_52]

The Winact riser is good, but I think that the 23" version is a painted rather than anodised finish.