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Can someone suggest some stock 650c road frames that might fit a 4'10.5" woman?
She's been on a 650c salsa for a long time and we're looking for something newer. Also I heard there were new Shimano shifters specfically for woman and small hands?
if we went custom we'd go Luna.
Thanks
Terry bicycles might be good? I bet they have really small sizes.
Hard to know if an XS of any of the usual production bikes would fit her at 4'10". I have a friend who's about 5'2" who just bought an XS Giant and it fits her nicely. Go figure.
Definitely a custom Luna would fit her.
Yes, look for the Shimano "short reach" brifters. They are wonderful, I love them!
I am 4'10". I have an XS Lightspeed Bella (2006 model). I switched to flat bar handlebars because of the reach, but all in all, I really like my Bella...It is titanium. When I was looking, I could find little to test ride. I would have liked to try a Terry and custom was out of my price range.
I was recently looking at Rivendell's website, and they have a lot of frames leftover (people ordered and then canceled) in that size range.
Karen
Both Felt and Giant make very small frames. I personally love the Felt womens bikes. Mostly because they have some quality frames in small sizes. Very hard to come by these days! :cool:
They even make a junior road bike with 24" wheels that's pretty sweet.
edit to add.... yes they have short reach shifters. Look for companies that take the extra time to spec their bikes with them. I HATE companies that just "pink and shrink" a bike and call it a womens specific design... arrgghhh....
Giant actually has an entire department in their company dedicated just to womens bikes. They even have a dedicated website just for women.
Terry's Fast Woman. The Isis has the stupid 24"/700c setup.
Merlin Camena/Litespeed Bella. Probably close to the cost of custom.
Those are the ones I think have the best geometry. A lot of women's bikes have really steep seat tube angles, which means that the reach can end up being fairly long once the saddle is positioned.
The Felt's women's bikes look pretty decent, though.
The smallest size in Orbea's Diva comes with 650 wheels, but I don't think it's quite small enough.
If you do go custom, sweetpea bikes look nice, too.
If you send her measurements to Smiley at R+E, he would be able to tell you if one of their stock frames would work for her. And if it doesn't I think it's something like $250 extra to build a custom frame.
Bike Friday -- they can make one as small as you need it, and it folds for travel. I love mine, and there are others here who love them too. You can't mind being different, though, as they get a lot of attention. I don't mind talking about mine one bit! :cool:
Emily
Cervelo RS?
I know the smallest size comes with 650c wheels...
I don't think it's small enough. It'd probably be the size I'd get, and I'm 5'4".Quote:
Originally Posted by celerystalksme
thanks all. Keep the suggestions coming please.
Although no Terry for this family. Bad experience years ago been boycotting ever since.
hmm... boycotting Terry?
Funny, I thought I was the only one around here boycotting them.
Tho I do have their test saddle program in my shop. BTW- does everyone know that Selle Italia makes their saddles? I thought they looked eerily similar. And low and behold when I got the test saddles in they came from selle italia.
But I digress...
I forgot about sweet pea. Thats a killer diller bike.
Tho not stock...
I second the felt women's line we have some in and they are great bikes and come small!(44 i think!!). pinarello also goes very small in size, if you are looking for osmething along those lines.
You may also want to check out this thread from a little while ago about small hands & shifters & shims:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=23110
Cannondale goes really small in their WSD bikes. I saw a 44 cm at the LBS one day, not sure how small a person it would fit. FWIW I ride a 47 cm Cannondale and am 5'2" with slightly long legs for a short person.
The Cannondale Six13 Feminine Road comes in a 40 cm. I got one a month ago (I'm 5'1.5 with a 27.5-inch inseam), and it fits me like a glove!
Litespeed makes a Ti model that uses 650 wheels and is made for shorter people. I think they outfit it with either road or TT group and bars depending on what you ask - I have only seen the TT version though. It looks nice if you like 650s, and the brushed titanium finish is always beautiful.Quote:
Originally Posted by ashwinearl
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
I have a Luna and a Bike Friday, and I love them both. I'm not short. Bike Fridays are great for short people, though. Here's a picture of mine in case you've never seen one before.
Hmmm, I don't get what the negative terry talk here is about. I love my terry bikes, both with 24" front and 700c rear wheels. They are the only non-custom bikes I know that give you both a slack seat tube (73 degree which is impt. if you are long femured) and short top tubes (mine are 48-49 cm), with no toe clip overlap. I just feel much better in terms of balance and handling on my terrys than on bikes with longer top tubes and itty bitty stems and short reach bars. I have a 2005 titanium isis and 2003 steel isis that I converted to a travel bike with s/s couplers. They fit like a dream.
I had a bike friday pocket rocket pro that was stolen, also a good option and also can be built to fit and handle well, but you pay a premium for portablity and mine never shifted as well as my full size s/s coupled steel isis.
What I don't like about the 24"/700c bikes is that I'd feel like I needed to carry 4 spare tubes. And a lot of shops don't carry 24" tires.
I also think toe-clip overlap is overrated as a problem. I'd rather have a 650c bike with a bit of toe-clip overlap just because it's logistically easier to deal with.
I'm 4'10 1/2, and I just purchased a Giant FCR2 Women's in size XXS. (It's a 2006 leftover--I think it was just waiting for me to walk into the shop!) This road bike has a flat handlebar; there's an OCR Women's model with drop handlebars in XXS as well. The bike store recommended the flat handlebars because of my small hands and previous discomfort even with compact brakes and handlebars. My riding position is very comfortable, as I can be as low as I would be with drop handlebars, but they pulled the brake levers and shifters in closer and for the first time on a road bike, everything is within easy reach. I had them cut off a bit of the handlebar width, too. I'm happy and I don't feel like I've compromised anything--I don't miss the drops. The wheels are 650c, which is appropriate for these proportions, and there's no toe-pedal overlap.
Serotta makes the Fierte (steel or ti/carbon) in a 47p with 650c wheels.
Aegis (carbon fiber) makes small frames on 650c wheels.