Buying a used bike for my gf - fit questions

[bvz]

Hello,

I am going to purchase a road bike for my girlfriend. She is quite athletic, but has never really ridden a bike other than the occasional commute on a really heavy, half broken hybrid bike. She is totally on board with the idea of trying out the sport so there is no coercion on my part :) but I still want to set her up for success as best I can (within some reasonably tight budgetary constraints).

Because cost is an issue I am looking at a used road bike. Craigslist seems like a good source and I am pretty sure I can manage to get a decent 51cm bike with decent components on it for about $400. Alas, this means I am unlikely to get a frame that is more specifically tailored to a woman's body. She is 5'3" (5'4" if you ask her, so let's split the difference :) ) and has test ridden several bikes. 51cm seems to be the best fit from these very very short rides.

My questions are regarding the best way to fit the bike for her. I bike fairly regularly myself and I generally know what makes a "good fit" for someone like me, but I am curious if anyone has any unique advice to offer. Like many women, she has longer legs vs. torso compared to me. This has me a little worried that if she fits on a 51cm leg-wise, that she might be too stretched out with regard to the top tube. What should I be looking out for here? How could I tell if she is too stretched out? Since it is a road bike and she has no experience on one, she just shrugs her shoulders when I ask if she feels comfortable on the bike. And if she IS too stretched out, would going to a smaller frame be ok (i.e. the seat post tube would be much shorter and require a longer seat post itself)? I have also looked at the Terry website and they mention different width road bars. How does this change the fit? And is it something I should be considering? How about any other specific tweaks that would improve the comfort?

Any other advice that would make her first riding experiences enjoyable/successful? She's pretty awesome and I want make sure she has as much fun as possible.

Thanks in advance... I know this is a huge number of questions!

(and if anyone has any pointers to specific bikes for sale out there, I'd be happy to check them out too!)

[bvz]

Me again.

I just found the following bike:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/1813226770.html

It is a bit more expensive than I had originally intended to pay, but the components seem top notch and and sizing seems dead on as well (women's specific bike I think, right?)

My question regarding this bike is whether the geometry will be too aggressive for a new rider. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks again.

Ben

[Owlie]

If I'm wrong, someone correct me, but I doubt Giant (or anyone else) makes women-specific bikes with the team paint jobs. I think they used to designate their women's bikes with a W.

I ride a medium (50 cm) Giant women's road bike. I borrowed the equivalent unisex model (a few years older, but same measured size and whatnot), and I was way stretched out. I had a fair bit of back and shoulder pain from a 12-mile ride. (For reference, I'm 5' 6.5") Short-reach shifters would have helped in that situation, but not much.
You can't really gauge much, I'm starting to find, from really short rides, unless something is really wrong.

I'd be intimidated by something that aggressive, if I were a new rider. Heck, I'm still a bit intimidated by it. It's pretty, though.

[OakLeaf]

If the ad is correct (which is always questionable on CL ;)), it says the TOP TUBE length is 50 cm, not the seat tube (or the "virtual" seat tube, or whatever sizing conventions the particular manufacturer uses these days).

I'm 5'3", pretty standard WSD build except that my upper arms (humeri) are extra short compared to my total arm length, and likewise my femurs are extra short compared to my total leg length. I'm okay on a 50 cm Cannondale WSD which has a 50.5 cm top tube, although I could have gone a size smaller.

So IF that's an accurate measurement, it could well be a good fit for your gf.


Other tweaks: she will definitely want to read the saddle fitting threads on this board. Saddle fit (as you probably know from your own experience) is very personal and a lot of trial and error, but if she knows her size and whether or not she needs a cut-out, she can rule out a lot of saddles that are just the wrong size for her.

Handlebar width wouldn't be the first thing I'd worry about unless she's getting specific wrist or elbow discomfort. Most people are comfortable on a pretty wide range of bars, and it's easier to "live with" too wide than too narrow.

Short reach levers is one thing she'll know right away - either she can reach the levers or she can't. ;) The reach of the bars, placement of the levers, and the shape of the hooks can have a large effect on distance to the levers, as well.

What about the gearing? A standard double seems like it might be a bit much for a new rider in your mountainous area, and converting to a compact would be expensive. When she test rides it, make sure she climbs some hills with a good cadence, and if she's in her lowest gear on hills that aren't the steepest you have in your area, it might not be the best bike for her.

I think if the bike seems like it's in the ballpark when she test rides it, then go for it, and after she's ridden it for a few hundred miles, it's well worth the cost of a fitting. If you don't have a fitter you like, post another message here, there are several TE'rs in the Bay Area who can probably recommend someone.

Oh, last thing - if it really has the original tires, they're probably hard and/or dry-rotted and need to be replaced, regardless of how much tread is on them. The seller doesn't specify the model year, but racing-style bikes have had 10-speed drivetrains for quite a long time. It's not as critical on bicycle tires as it is for motor vehicles, but do check the tires very, very carefully for any sign of age, and if the tread seems hard or chalky when you scratch it with a fingernail, replace them.



ETA: I've been scrolling through Giant's archive (http://archive.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?year=2006) trying to find the specs for that bike. I don't see a frameset in that color going back to 2003. But it appears that they started putting 10-speed drivetrains on their higher-end bikes in 2005, and by 2006 they were all 10-speed. It's hard to see from the picture, but if those are bar-end shifters and not STI's, it's 2003 or earlier (and from the fact that I don't see that color in their catalog, I'd guess earlier).

So if those are the original tires, you definitely want to replace them. Also ask what they mean by "recently tuned," and examine the bike closely for evidence. At that age, regardless of mileage, it should have had the cables and housings and the brake pads replaced. Deb can chime in here, but I would think that after 8+ years you'd want to re-pack the bearings as well.

[bvz]

Wow. Thanks for all the awesome and quick responses!

Owlie: I think you are setting me straight again on the geometry. I was getting starstruck by how high end the components are and forgetting how important the geometry is for comfort (I ride a fairly relaxed bike specifically because I didn't like how twitchy the higher end bikes seemed). That's what happens when you shop craigslist at 2 am. Bad me.

OakLeaf: Thanks for the extensive research you did. I couldn't figure out what year the bike was and just assumed it would have shifters integrated into the brake levers. Now that I think of it, the price is very low for it to be a recent bike with that level of components (again, I use the 2 am excuse to try to shift blame away from me :) ). I'm not really against an older bike as long as it is of high quality with the exception of the shifters. I think she should have integrated shifters to make the experience more enjoyable. One of the most common complaints I have heard regarding biking from other people (luckily not my gf) is that they hated "10 speeds" because it was hard to shift. I suspect they are still thinking of friction shifting on the downtube. But all the info you have given me, especially reminding me that tires get old, is excellent. With regard to the size of the brake levers, luckily that shouldn't be an issue. She is 1 foot shorter than me but has almost the same sized hands! She's embarrassed about it but I think it's pretty cool.

Thanks again for all the replies, and I will post back with my results. And who knows, with any luck she will get so into it that she becomes a regular on this forum herself, eh?

[bvz]

Oh, and not 10 seconds after I hit submit on my last post, I found this:

http://archive.giant-bicycles.com/it/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?year=1999&model=9514

So it seems to be a '99, though I can only find references to the frameset, and not a full bike. I've looked around a bit but can't discern whether the 99 ultegra's used integrated shifters. Regardless, the mystery will only really be solved if the poster gets back to me (and if history is any guide, that may not happen at all...)

[malkin]

Take a tools with you when you ride so you can change her seat position(s). Smile and do this happily and encourage her to keep changing it until it is right.

[Trek420]

Bvz, Based on your Craigs ad I surmise you are in the Bay Area? There are many places that sell used bikes here. You get the services of an LBS, adjustments, swapping parts, selection, test rides ... without the possible bad karma of a hot Craigs bike.

Off the top of my head; Pioneer bike shop off Piedmont Ave in Oakland, Trips for Kids Recyclery in Marin, Missing Link Bike Co-op in Berkeley (new bikes south side of the street, used on the north), Karim Cycles in Berkeley .... I'm sure there's more than these. This is just off the top of my head.

[moonfroggy]

There is also the bike kitchen in San Francisco

[Trek420]

Yep, and there's another one of those in the East Bay ...:)

[bvz]

Thanks for all the bike shop suggestions... I think I'll look around at those (I actually bought my first and second mountain bikes at the missing link almost 20 years ago and the same guy who sold them to me is still working there!)