Road bike recommendations - tough fit situation, creative ideas appreciated!

[dizzydiesel]

I'm a 5'5" woman currently riding a Trek 7200 hybrid - typical ride length is about 35 miles.

I'm looking to do faster, longer rides - probably 50 - 75 miles. The Trek's great, but it's not built for speed.

And here's my challenge in upgrading to a road bike:

I have hip issues that make it completely impossible to lift either my right or left leg over a typical top bar. In fact, the top bar on most if not all mixte frames is too high. In my ideal world, the standover height would be about 24" at most.

So if such a thing exists, I think I'm really looking for a true step-through road bike or, Plan B, a mixte frame with a VERY sharply declining top bar might work. Unfortunately, I haven't SEEN any good step-through RBs, and the top bar on most of the mixtes is still pretty darn high.

One suggestion I've gotten is to stick with my Trek hybrid, but swap in drop handlebars, road shifters, etc. Which I'm not opposed to doing, but I'm still hauling around about 10# of extra weight just due to the frame and coil suspension, I think? So I'm wondering how much that really helps with speed.

Or maybe there's a different hybrid with stronger road bike characteristics?

Or maybe I should go w/ mountain bike (not hardtail, but with suspension - those hip issues again) and swap out for low-weight components? No one seems enthused about that but out here in the real world, compromise is usually necessary :p and I am OK with a Frankensteinian solution if it helps me go faster for longer.

Any suggestions? Custom frame is probably too expensive to be a realistic option. I was originally thinking of spending about $750 for a used bike but then suddenly realized I couldn't actually get on any of them. :D

All ideas appreciated!

[roguedog]

you are in luck.. how bout this baby?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Serotta-/150848193977?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231f40c5b9#ht_500wt_1413

serotta makes great bikes and this one is probably one of a kind.

[pinsonp2]

You might take a look at the Trek FX series. The 7.1 and 7.2 have a "stagger" frame that might help (http://www.trekbikes.com/au/en/bikes/town/fitness/fx/7_2_fx_wsd/#). Not technically a road bike, but probably alot more nimble than what you have. The only other new option I see is to build up a SOMA Buena Vista mixte frame (http://velotraffic.com/2010/06/best-mixte-bikes-2010/). This would probably be a budget buster but would allow you to choose exactly how you want it built. The link shows a bunch of available mixte bikes for you to take a look at. There is also the used market for mixte or step through road frames. They would probably end up a pretty pricey project too.

Good luck in your search,

P2

[emily_in_nc]

Have you considered a Bike Friday? They are super easy to step over, and you can get 'em in many configurations. My Pocket Crusoe is a "touring" configuration, but I had it made with drop bars. When unloaded of racks, etc., it makes a great little road bike.

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz82/emilys7atgmaildotcom/Cycling/IMGP6785758x800.jpg

[OakLeaf]

Just to clarify - do your hip issues also prevent you from hinging at the hip? Road bikes are typically mounted by swinging the standing leg over the rear wheel, NOT over the top bar. Step through frames were designed for women wearing tight-ish skirts that don't permit normal mounting procedure. The high handlebars of most hybrids also make it difficult to hinge forward at the hip enough to do a rear mount. Have you tried getting your leg over a diamond frame road bike the usual way?

[pinsonp2]

Dahon and Tern both bake road style bikes that might work for you. Of course they are quite pricey....>$2k. Here's a pic of the current Dahon Vector x27h (the latest addition to my fleet):

[BodhiTree]

I have a 54 cm Soma Buena Vista mixte. The actual "top tube" height (from the floor) is 21 1/2 inches. http://www.somafab.com/archives/product/buena-vista

If you are thinking less than 24 inches would work for you, this might be a direction to look.

It is a fast road-worthy bike. I find it to be a stiffer and faster ride than my Surly with identical parts.

The frame set (frame and fork) is about $550. The cheapest way to get the pieces and parts you need to build it up is to buy a used bike and swap everything onto the Soma frame. That's what I did. And that's how I know the Soma is faster than my Surly. They truly have identical parts (except for the brakes). Only the frames are different.

My hips have good days and bad days. When I'm not in the mood to swing my right leg over the rear wheel and saddle, doing the step-through routine on the Soma Buena Vista works nicely. It also saves some grief when the rear rack is fully loaded and awkward to swing a leg around.

[Wahine]

Welcome to TE.

Oakleaf makes an important point. Is the problem that you can't swing your leg over the back wheel and saddle so you want to try to step through? There are some tricks to get around this (to a certain degree) if that's the case.

Once you are straddling the bike are there any issues with flexing the hips while pedaling? If there are, it will effect how upright you will need to be on the bike.

Havign said that, the foldable bikes like the Bike Friday and Dahon mentioned above are good work arounds.

[Sky King]

With your budget, I like the idea of a soma buena vista. the Betty Foy by Rivendell is going to be over your budget. Another nice one is the She Devil by Handsome cycles but in looking at their site they are currently out of stock