Help me look for a bike

[goldfinch]

I am 4'11" and 56 years old. My inseam (to the ground) is 27.5". I currently ride a diamondback hybrid. It is a very small frame but it never has been comfortable. I think that I want a more aerodynamic riding position that my hybrid gives. I am overweight and very out of shape and trying to bike to get back in shape. I've lost 20 pounds and have 25 to go. I am not a new rider, just a returning rider.

I can only ride 5 or 6 miles before serious seat and hand discomfort sets in. My current ride:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_g6R2k92UI78/Tat75i_49vI/AAAAAAAAYeQ/3kzzw_pKMRU/s128/002.JPG

You might notice the weird seat angle. This is the only way that I am comfortable on the seat. :(

Anyway, I am looking for something that can ride city street, crushed gravel bike paths, and the roads, with 10 to 20 mile rides fairly regularly. The area is hilly and given that I am out of shape I need low gears more than high. Any ideas? I can pay whatever I need to pay but I don't want to waste money either. :)

Thanks for any help.

[Trek420]

Hi, and welcome to TE. You'll find a lot of help and peers here (I'm 55 and 5'1") and do you have an LBS who can do a good job of fitting you to the bike? Here's a good thread to start the shopping process.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=36972

[goldfinch]

Hi, and welcome to TE. You'll find a lot of help and peers here (I'm 55 and 5'1") and do you have an LBS who can do a good job of fitting you to the bike? Here's a good thread to start the shopping process.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=36972

My local bike store has very limited inventory and an unpleasant staff. :) I probably will have to drive a long ways to find a place that can help me out. So, I want to do as much homework as possible before I go. I'd like to see what options there are for someone as short as me.

Thanks for the link!

[Velocivixen]

I have a Trek FX 7.3 women's specific design that I love. I haven't ridden on gravel and it has 700x32 tires, so not sure about that. Their FX platform is their most popular and you can use it as fitness, commuting, leisure, etc. When the sales person brought it out I thought, "that doesn't look comfortable", but after a 20 minute test ride I bought it! I put on fenders, a rear rack, a kickstand, etc.
Good luck.

[goldfinch]

I have a Trek FX 7.3 women's specific design that I love. I haven't ridden on gravel and it has 700x32 tires, so not sure about that. Their FX platform is their most popular and you can use it as fitness, commuting, leisure, etc. When the sales person brought it out I thought, "that doesn't look comfortable", but after a 20 minute test ride I bought it! I put on fenders, a rear rack, a kickstand, etc.
Good luck.

I am putting it on the list of possibilities. They do have a very small frame version, though I don't know how well the frame works with the tires. Of course, the nearest Trek store doesn't carry the smallest frame. :(

Another possibility I found was the Camaleonte Due. It is geared decently low, like the Trek, and is sized appropriately with a 43cm frame available. I don't think I can post links yet without falling in the moderation queue so I'll skip the link and the lovely picture.

No dealers around though.

[Trek420]

I don't think I can post links yet without falling in the moderation queue so I'll skip the link and the lovely picture.

Sure you can :)

Is there a Surly shop in your area? I tried one in a smaller frame size than I normally ride and loved it.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=17451

[goldfinch]

Sure you can :)

Is there a Surly shop in your area? I tried one in a smaller frame size than I normally ride and loved it.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=17451

I see from the Surley website that they do 42cm frames. I have no local dealers of anything interesting but I do travel to Minneapolis a lot. There are a number of dealers there. I suppose I could get on the phone and start calling them to see if any actually have any on hand, specifically the small 42s.

[spatch]

I'm 5'0" with a 28 inch inseam, and am a new rider who first got on a bike at age 45, so I understand how frustrating it is to buy a new bike. I currently ride a 43cm Trek 1500 that I got on ebay for 1/3 of new retail price, and it's in nice shape--came with a trip computer that I would never have bothered to install, and it fits me well. I also bought a 42cmish 1987 Bridgestone 550 on ebay for about $350; it has the smaller front wheel. The Trek, like many of the smaller size WSD bikes, has 650 wheels which I find a lot easier to handle than my old bike, a 46 cm. Bianchi Brava whose bar I could barely clear. When I had a painful accident coming down on top of the top tube I realized that I needed at least an inch or two of standover height. My commuter is an old Panasonic mixte with big knobby tires, fenders, and North bars--that was an ebay find too. Mixtes are often small bikes, good for shorter riders because of the sloping top tube.

the smaller road bikes do show up on ebay sometimes, and I went that route because I live in a tiny town with only two bike stores that never has small sizes. I had to take a chance on sizing because of not being able to test ride ever, but I'm happy with the result. Only downside was that this process took several months to find, put together, and get these bikes the way that I wanted them. It cost me more in time than money. but it was fun.
:rolleyes:

[Trek420]

I'm about your height and ride a 47 cm frame. Either might fit you. We want to hear the test ride reports. :)

[KnottedYet]

Surly is based there, and if we can have all the sizes here 3,000 miles away, I betcha someone will have the 42 there!

Good luck, and good hunting!

[goldfinch]

Test number one. I passed a bike shop on a short trip and stopped in. They had a Cannondale Quick 4 in the "petite" frame size. I sat on it on their trainer and spun around awhile (it was snowing outside!). What a difference from my hybrid. It might fit just fine. I'll add it to my list for a test drive.