Another beginner with a bunch of questions

[Odinne]

Hi, I'm a total beginner when it comes to bikes (in fact I just learnt how to ride one last year, and I'm in my mid-twenties) so I'd like to ask for your kind help to maybe answer some of my questions:

1- I'm a very short women, less than 5.5" ft with short legs (less than 26in in seam I think), and it's very hard to find a bike that both fits me, I like and is within my budget.

Raised tubs are not for me because of my short legs, it's hard to raise my legs (I'm not very flexible) so I tried the Schwinn clear creek comfort for women which I thought looked perfect for what I'm looking for, but the bike itself is made for a tall person so it was hard to seat on it. I asked if the tires (26") could be changed to smaller ones but I was told that "no, that bike was made for 26" tires".

All I need it for is commute, so I don't need anything with lots of speeds or anything fancy. Money is an issue too, since I'm always in a tight spot, being a student. At most I can shell out $300.

Also, I never liked the handle bars of the cruiser types (the bent ones, for some reason the position of my hands is not comfortable), the straight kind fits me better. Maybe I'm being too picky?

2- I live in the middle of downtown LA, so finding a spot to polish my nonexistent cycling skills is very hard, does anyone know of a place nearby to practice? I have a couple of empty parking lots around but most of the time I could get in trouble if I'm fooling around in them.

I tried some local shops to support small business, but I found out most just carry the stuff that sells most and almost nothing for women (outside one or two cruisers).

I also have a Target nearby but all the bikes are around the schwinn clear creek size and height. At this point I'm up to buy it online and assemble it myself (although I'm trying to avoid that since I know nothing of bikes) but I can't exactly try it online. If anyone's got my issues and knows of a low-tube bike that could fit me it would be great, thank you in advance for your help.

EDIT: by the way, I've been at this for almost half a year now, so I did a lot of research. I already went to local shops, Targets, Walmarts, Craiglist, Amazon, read tons of reviews and whatnot, so it's not like I didn't do anything already stated. I can find models that I like online, the problem comes when I need to try them; that's something you can only do in shops. I went to shops and tried some, but as I said the women selection was almost nonexistent and all the sellers wanted to sell me women's bike after listening to my request, and the models I did get on were too tall for me.

[tatormc]

I did not see you mention that you've been to a bike shop so if you haven't already that is your first stop. Visit bike shops in your area. Do not shop at Target or Walmart for a bike. It's low quality product and put together by some stock boy that doesn't know anything about bikes. If you work with a bike shop they are the professionals who can find what you need and it will be assembled by someone who knows what they are doing. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

[Odinne]

I mentioned going to various local shops almost at the end; as you said I'm reluctant of buying in Target for the reasons you state so today I'm going a lot farther to see other shops. The only downside I see on this is that the places I'm going to try are in fancier zones, so I know prices will most probably be out of my budget.

[tatormc]

Tell them your budget up front. I know you'll be able to find something. If you're just looking for a commuter they are not that expensive. Of course you can get expensive ones but entry level is cheaper.

(My husband owns a bike shop so I've learned a few things about bikes in the last 3 years)

[spazzdog]

while you're looking at bike shops, get a handle on what size frame you should be looking at.

also, check out craigslist for used bikes.

spazz

[Cataboo]

Odinne,

The first thing I'd say is... measure your inseam again. 26" inseam really?

'cause I'm 5'1 with short legs and my legs are 2-3 inches longer than yours.

If you really do have that short of legs... I don't know if you want a road or a hybrid or a mountain bike - but you can look at the 24" bikes instead of 26" bikes. You can also look at 650c wheel bikes instead of 700c bikes... Smaller wheels'll get you a lower top tube to straddle. With 650 wheels you're starting to talk about rarer bikes that you may not find for $300 or less... 24" bikes you'll find at any of the box stores.

I know there's a nice bike path along the beaches in Santa Monica, etc. .. maybe you can go practice on that.

[Kris]

I believe you. There isn't a bike I want that fits me at the lbs's either. I'm 5'4" with 28" inseams. I've been riding a women's hybrid, and I guess that's what I'll keep riding. I also don't want to order something I haven't ridden (which is what I did with the hybrid). LBS's aren't always what we would wish.

[Odinne]

Yes Catriona, I honestly have very short legs. When I get in the bus I'm lucky to reach to floor while sitting, they're that short. Thank you Kris, I know it's hard to believe, there will always be a little minority with short/longer/more/less any physical characteristic than most, making it hard to find somethign that fits you.

Ok so I went to Martin Bicycles and I found one that looks quite nice... for $400, and I still need the smallest one (the guy said 13 something something). It's a long way from my budget, maybe I could save some more, I'll ask my cousin to give me all her bottles and plastic.

[ccbloom]

If you're looking for a road bike, you might want to try a men's road bike vs. the wsd's (women specific). I just went through the whole process of buying my first bike, and I learned that the wsd's are geared towards the avg. woman who has longer legs and a shorter torso. You sound like me (I'm 5'2") and have a longer torso and shorter legs.

I ended up spending $500 for a new 2006 Trek 1000. Yes, it's an older model, but it's plenty of bike for me as a new rider. I know it's a little more than your budget, but there are deals to be found (I believe this bike was about $800 when it first came out). The benefit of buying new vs. used is warranty and LBS help. I also got 1 yr of routine maintenance on my bike, which equates to about 1 tune-up ($60) and any other fine-tuning I need.

[tctrek]

Odinne, one of the benefits of finding a bike at a local bike shop is that you can actually "shop". You can try out different bikes and see how it feels getting on/off, maybe even test ride it a little in the parking lot.

You can get an idea of bike size, wheel size, brands, etc. Then you can search Craig's list and other sources of used bikes and you will know what you are looking for --and you can price shop that way.

I would recommend against buying a bike that you haven't tried first... so try them out at the bike shop and if you can't afford their prices, go price shopping elsewhere.

[TrekWSDmechanic]

I just went through the whole process of buying my first bike, and I learned that the wsd's are geared towards the avg. woman who has longer legs and a shorter torso. You sound like me (I'm 5'2") and have a longer torso and shorter legs.

Hi. I know this post is a few days old but I just wanted to clarify this some. WSD bikes (which is Trek's brand name, btw, not a general term) are absolutely not made the way they are because of some generalization about proportions. In fact, during the research stage we found no scientific evidence that women on average have one proportionality moreso than men.

We change the geometry of our bikes in order to deal with the fact that as women, our center of gravity is not located in the same place as that of a man, and it is for this reason that less reach and a higher hand position is more anatomically correct for most women (notice I did not say 'all').

It is not about height.

It is not about proportionality.

If this is what you were told by a Trek dealer, please feel free to send me a PM and let me know which one it was. We train shop staff on the reasons why WSD bikes should be an option for women, and there are still a lot of shops who are getting it wrong.

[tctrek]

I have (2) TREK WSDs and there's no other bike I've ever tried that fit me as well as they do. I have short arms, short legs, short torso... I'm overall pretty stubby . I have very small hands and what I love the most about my WSD is the wonderful spacing when I am on the hoods and need to get to my brakes and shifters. I also love the slightly narrower top bar -- it allows me to keep my arms loose and tucked in.

[NbyNW]

It is also probably worth your while to run some searches here on TE regarding bikes for petite riders. You will no doubt come across a few discussions re: 700 v. 650.

I'm 5'1" with a 27" inseam. My road bike has 650c wheels. I also ride a folding bike with 20" wheels, which I find extremely comfortable, and I love that it has a low stepover. I have a bad hip, so the low stepover makes it easier to get on and off, while I am not so graceful getting on and off my other bike.

[MamboGirl]

I have a Trek WSD 1600. With 650c tires.
The smaller tires are really the key for me. I am only 4' 10" 1/2.
And the bike is perfect for me!

the bike is a 2007 model and I bought it new just about a month ago. I know that the Trek WSD's are above your budget. But think about spending more than you originally wanted to. Because if you spend $300 or $400 on something that isn't great, it is better to spend $800 or $900 on something you will love and want to ride every day. I originally was going to get the Trek 1.2 WSD model, but the bike shop happened to have one of the WSD 1600 there and I went ahead and shelled out the additional bucks for it.
But the Trek 1.2 is around $900 I think, and seems to be a good bike.

[ccbloom]

Hi. I know this post is a few days old but I just wanted to clarify this some. WSD bikes (which is Trek's brand name, btw, not a general term) are absolutely not made the way they are because of some generalization about proportions. In fact, during the research stage we found no scientific evidence that women on average have one proportionality moreso than men.

We change the geometry of our bikes in order to deal with the fact that as women, our center of gravity is not located in the same place as that of a man, and it is for this reason that less reach and a higher hand position is more anatomically correct for most women (notice I did not say 'all').

It is not about height.

It is not about proportionality.

If this is what you were told by a Trek dealer, please feel free to send me a PM and let me know which one it was. We train shop staff on the reasons why WSD bikes should be an option for women, and there are still a lot of shops who are getting it wrong.

To be honest, I can't remember if it was an actual Trek that the employee was referring to when he was telling me about it being for shorter torso/longer legs since I also tried out the Specialized women's bikes. Either way, that is the impression that I was given while testing the women's vs. men's bikes. I'm happy to give you the name of the LBS where I purchased the bike, though. I can say that my first 3 experiences with them were not great; however, as long as I get this one employee there, I'm more than satisfied since he's so helpful.