looking for road bike advice from short women

I'm 5' and looking for a new road bike. I had a 16" Terry Symmetry that I loved but we were hit by a car and she was totaled. Since Terry doesn't make the Symmetry anymore, I'm shopping around. I tried Terry's Isis but the riding position was too aggressive for my taste (so was the $2400 price). Has anyone as short as I am bought the XS Giant Avail? Since I'm used to the 24" front wheel the 700 seemed awfully big to me. What about the Scott Contessa? Do you have any other good ideas? I'm looking for something in the $1,000 to $1,500 range. Thanks.

Hi, welcome to TE! we have a bunch of gals here who are your size who will post here soon, be patient.

I don't have any experience with the bikes you mentioned, but you might want to consider something with 650c wheels. You can do a search and find a few good threads about wheel size/rider height, etc.

I'm 5'1" w/ a 27" inseam. My bike has 650c wheels and a 43cm seat tube.

The shop that made my bike has come up with a bike that is just over your price range, but may be worth considering: http://www.rodcycle.com/

For some reason I can't copy/paste a direct link to the bike, but if you click "Randonneur" on the side, the "Navigator" is the first one that pops up. They have a long-distance test ride program, if you are not in the area.

I think Cannondale might also make a small bike, but I'm not that familiar with their product line.

You may also want to look at the 47cm Trek 1500 that someone is selling here:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...235#post430235

I'm 5'1 and ride 700c wheels without any problems. I don't have long legs & have a longer torso I guess - 540 mm reach is fine for me, so I don't get WSD's.

If you need a short top tube, you might be better off with 650 wheels.

I'm 4'11" and have the XS Giant OCR3w (08 version of the Avail). Very nice bike, especially for the money. I've been very happy with it. I'd recommend getting the 1 or 2 version with true road gearing (mine is a triple with an 8 speed cassette and is set up closer to a mtn bike) otherwise I'd buy it again.

I've also test rode the Scott (carbon men's version, very little difference) and was very impressed. It came in second place in my bike search (I ended up getting a Wilier Izoard).

I have absolutely no problems with 700c wheels so long as the bike manufacturer was smart about toe overlap (and I've only test ridden one that wasn't). I have no intentions of dropping down, but if you are used to smaller wheels you may be happier with 650b's.

It seems most mainstream manufacturers are only offering 650b's on the XXS bikes (Giant for instance) that may be a hair too small for you depending on your build (I could ride one, but I'm somewhat long torso'd and like the more stretched feeling the XS generally gives me (plus I like my 700c's)).

Orbea I believe starts 650b bikes a size larger than most do now, so you might want to look into them. (Incidentally this is the brand I had toe overlap issues on, but I was also riding the 700c bike that was technically a size too big for me; I suspect it is not an issue on the 650b bike.)

Ride everything you can get your hands on and have fun. Test riding is one of my favorite parts ;)

Ha! Thanks for the plug, Jocelynlf.

EJS, I sent a PM to you in case you are interested in the bike I am selling. It is in fantastic shape (frame and components).

I had a hard time finding a bike (being small). The trek fits me perfectly, I just want a smoother riding bike for the longer haul. I love the 650 wheels - helps me have better control. I checked out all kinds of bikes and that was best for me size-wise.

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Originally Posted by jocelynlf

You may also want to look at the 47cm Trek 1500 that someone is selling here:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...235#post430235

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I'm 5' and ride a 47 cm Trek 2.3 WSD and it fits great.

Im 4'11" and I just bought the Giant Avail Alliance a couple weeks back. I absolutely love it and it fits me perfect. I cant get over how comfortable it is compared to what I was riding before. I have almost 175 miles on it and no complaints.

My SO is 5'1" and rides a Jamis (I forget what size). The bike fits her well and it's a great value for the money.

you should check out the jamis line of bikes. with Jamis it seems you really get a lot for your money. their 48cm runs small and they also make a 44cm bike in an aluminum frame with carbon seat stays and a carbon fork with shimano 105 components that runs about $1200. the 44 even uses 700c wheels which is cool because you don't limit your choice in tires, tubes are easier to find, wheel upgrades are easier and if you get a flat on the road and someone stops to help you, their spare tube will fit your bike too ;)

i am also very petite and found that the scott contessa in the 47cm fits most small women great, they run a shorter top tube. the jamis however puts carbon seat stays which add comfort and dampen the harsh feeling of the aluminum frame, especially on the smaller size bikes.

i found the the giants run very long in their top tube, so if you have a shorter torso/arm combo and longer legs you might feel really stretched out. The giants also run a longer wheelbase which affects the handling. some people like it, others don't.

The best thing to do is get out there and test ride stuff to find what feels most comfortable for you and remember it is easy to change your stem/handlebar combo to dial the fit in.

I'm 5'2". My bike is Fuji Finest RC 2009 XS (MSRP:$1,660). Like it. :D

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_O8pum8JiUxw/Sf...503-095018.JPG

At this height, two main factors you need to consider when choosing a road bike: the standover height and the effective top tube length.

You can check the suggestion from Fit Calculator - Competitive Cyclist.

i did that competitive cyclist fit calculator, and it came up with some funky measurements. i wouldn't completely trust it. nothing takes the place of going to a well respected shop with fit knowledge and getting their advice while test riding bikes, or having a professional fit session.

I'm not quite 4'11". Although toe overlap doesn't bother everyone, I dislike it (previous bike), and was determined that any future bike wouldn't have that. I'm on a 2009 Trek 2.1 WSD, size 43. No overlap, great fit; I'm not the least bit stretched out. Of course the wheels are 650, which I'd expect (prefer) on any road bike that fits me and has no overlap. I love the fit and comfort of this bike.

I'm 5' 1 3/4" with short legs (27 3/4" inseam) and shortish arms, and found the 44cm Specialized Ruby to be a good fit. I had the 48cm for about 6 months, and felt too stretched out. So now I finally feel like I have a bike that fits ME and not some generic male that bike companies used to think were the only bike riders. It has 700c wheels but I have had no toe overlap issues. And in reading the posts above on other brands like Giant, Trek and Jamis, it looks like manufactures are 'getting' that the WSD concept isn't about pink bikes with little flower motifs, but FIT for us smaller women. So you should be able to find a bike you can feel good on be confident with.

This is where having a good LBS is like gold. They should be able to put you on a bike in your size and let you test it out- only you can decide if the 700c wheels make the bike feel too big or unstable. I have heard good things about all the brands mentioned here and I am sure that at least one of them will fit you well. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by tzvia

I'm 5' 1 3/4" with short legs (27 3/4" inseam) and shortish arms, and found the 44cm Specialized Ruby to be a good fit.

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I have a 44cm Ruby too. Mine is the 2007 Expert model with the Ultegra 10sp triple set up. It's a very nicely spec'd bike for smaller riders.

I also have a 42cm Surly Pacer. The standover on this bike is taller than the Ruby.