Gear for little people

[TripleGem]

I'm in the process of designing a custom road frame and building it up and wow, a few things really frustrate me.

Handlebars: I measure 34cm from shoulder to shoulder (w/prof. bike fit). Handlebars are only available in 38cm and up, and many of the good ones don't even come in 38cm. Then, there is a huge drop and too much for my little hands- I can't use Campy parts because I can't actually reach the brakes. I found an aluminum Bontrager I like, but it doesn't have an ergo flat top which I would like. I just feel like there needs to be someone out there designing handlebars, perhaps even carbon ones (?!) for us smaller gals.

Shoes: The Sidi Genius 5.5 only comes in (eu)38 and up. I have small feet. Reduced choices again.

Zipp: Have you checked out their website? The gear they sell and the pictures that illustrate their offerings would leave you to believe that very few women use Zipp wheels.

Don't merchants realize what a huge part of the consumer market we are???

[VeloVT]

I totally sympathize, and I'm not even that small, at 5'6". The bars I really want just don't come in 38cm...

That said, you have a few options. Deda makes a few bars in 36 outside-outside (this is a 34 cm bar by more conventional center-center measurement):
http://www.dedaelementi.com/En/Produ...ctIDMaster=383

http://www.dedaelementi.com/En/Produ...ctIDMaster=377

as well as a sexy (I think) carbon bar in 38 o-o (36 c-c):
http://www.dedaelementi.com/En/Produ...ctIDMaster=357

Salsa makes several bars, including the Poco Carbon, in 36 cm (this is center-center, unfortunately).

The Ritchey Biomax bar, which is pretty popular, is available in 36 cm c-c.

I'll bet if you are willing to sacrifice on weight, you could find some Nitto or Cinelli bars in smaller widths as well.

However, I'm not apologizing for the lack of adequate choices for women. I'm totally with you there. Makes me mad. grrrr....


p.s. I actually have those Piega bars on my CX bike (they came stock). They are not bad. I'm not sure they'd be my first choice if I were going custom (sort of a hybrid traditional/anatomic shape), but it's definitely an option for you since they do come in 34...

p.p.s. It sucks to have to settle for lower end, but Sidi DOES make the Zeta shoe in 36 (size 6), and Specialized makes the Women's Carbon BG Pro in 36 also (annoyingly, they don't even MAKE a women's version of their top-end shoe... this kind of thing infuriates me...but there are a few TE women who wear and love the BG Pro, and I have the men's carbon Zeta because I found a killer deal on it, and it's fine, if not as light or swanky looking as the Genius...).

[Zen]

Check out the Bontrager Fit VR
clamp size- 31.8mm
width 360mm (don't know if this is an inside or outside measurement, I'd have to check my bike)
drops-120mm

[elk]

Does anyone HAVE the Deda for girls?

I need to know if it's an ergo or a more traditional curve..or at least a gentle ergo!!! I want to dump my Ritchey Biomax 11 for a less ergo bar...

(don't mean to hijack)

I've been researching bars and I'd add to the list the Modolo Venus bar
http://estore.websitepros.com/193951...ars/Detail.bok

[Zen]

The Bontrager has a plain old curve, no ergo needed.

[elk]

but it's not in 26.0, the BOntrager....

[bike4ever]

I have the Bontrager Fit h'bar and love it. I've put many women on it in my shop. Yes you are right that it is only oversized. You can always switch out your stem to oversized.

[elk]

just found a TTTEva...so I'll try that. VERY hard to find!!! and i love my adjustable stem...

[tulip]

TripleGem, are you a Little Person (officially?) or just a small person?

Bike Friday makes bikes that fit all sizes of people, including Little People (with and without dwarfism).

They may be a good resource for gear and accessories, and I bet they have a group of folks (Little People and others) who ride Bike Fridays who would be good resources, too.

[Kathi]

I'm in the process of designing a custom road frame and building it up and wow, a few things really frustrate me.

Handlebars: I measure 34cm from shoulder to shoulder (w/prof. bike fit). Handlebars are only available in 38cm and up, and many of the good ones don't even come in 38cm. Then, there is a huge drop and too much for my little hands- I can't use Campy parts because I can't actually reach the brakes. I found an aluminum Bontrager I like, but it doesn't have an ergo flat top which I would like. I just feel like there needs to be someone out there designing handlebars, perhaps even carbon ones (?!) for us smaller gals.

Shoes: The Sidi Genius 5.5 only comes in (eu)38 and up. I have small feet. Reduced choices again.

Zipp: Have you checked out their website? The gear they sell and the pictures that illustrate their offerings would leave you to believe that very few women use Zipp wheels.

Don't merchants realize what a huge part of the consumer market we are???

I'm a small rider too and have the Modolo Venus bars in a 34cm width. I love my Campy Record shifters because they fit so nicely between my thumb and forefinger.

The bend on the Modolo Venus bars are designed to bring the hand closer to the brake levers.

I also suggest that you don't let the mechanics adjust your brakes to their strength. A loose cable brings the lever in a little more and is easier for my short fingers to reach the lever.

The Deda 4girls handlebars will be to wide for you, I had them before I discovered the Modolo Venus bars and there is a world of difference between the 2 bars. I had a very difficult time reaching the brake levers, not sure if that was because the bars were to wide,th e reach on the bend to long or both.

You don't say what your weight is but I bought handbuilt wheels from Jeremy at Alchemey bicycles in Santa Fe, NM. I used him because he was able to get Nimble Spider rims. They are designed for a lighter rider and Jeremy spec'ed the wheels to my weight rather than a 180 lb rider. The wheelset is not as fancy as my American Classic sprint 350's but I get a much smoother ride. They are very light wheels with tune hubs.

If you decide to go Campy and need a 165 crankarm I use the Specialities TA Carmina. I believe you can get it as a double, compact double or triple. You can chose the chainring sizes, I'm currently using a compact 48-34. The crankset works very well with a campy cassette.

Here's the link to pictures my custom Serotta. I don't know what happened to the last 2 pictures but you can see part of the crankset.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=8515

[elk]

those Venus bars are NICE!!!,,if the Evas don't work out for me...I'll get those!!

[Crankin]

I wear a 5.5 or 6 US shoe size and the Sidi Genus size 38 fit me perfectly. They run super small; I even had to get the 38W. I have 37s in my mtb Sidis and they are too tight.

[Eden]

Sidi's do tend to run small. I wear between a 4.5 and a 5.5 in most shoes and my Sidi's are 37's. I have even seen 36's in Sidis - they are too small to squeeze my feet into....

the sizing info page says Genius 5's (yeah, the soles are not carbon, but they will still be good and stiff) come in 37's http://www.sidiusa.com/sizing.html

as far as Zipp goes - they must have heard you, as they have Kirsten Armstrong splashed all over their home page right now....

[Bron]

ITM also make narrow bars. Mine are the "elle" bars and are 36cm measured from the centre of one brake hood to the centre of the other.

[Kathi]

Adjusting the "play" in you brakes makes a difference also. It drives the mechanics nuts.

http://www.slb-coaching.com/training...tion.asp?Id=57