Thoughts on 13 inch frame?

[laughlaugh18]

Tomorrow I'm going for my second test ride on a 13" Trek 7.5fx wsd. I'm 5-2 and have been searching for a bike seemingly for ages. Most folks have put me on a 15 or 16" frame and it's never felt quite right. I felt more comfortable riding the 13" than any of the other bikes I've test ridden, but I sure never thought I was so small as to need the littlest frame (oh no, maybe I'm shrinking! ).

Is there anything special I should consider with the 13"? Steering? Toe overlap? Room for water bottles? I seem to remember some discussion about smaller bike frames, but can't find the threads.

Thanks, Cathy

[eofelis]

Tomorrow I'm going for my second test ride on a 13" Trek 7.5fx wsd. I'm 5-2 and have been searching for a bike seemingly for ages. Most folks have put me on a 15 or 16" frame and it's never felt quite right. I felt more comfortable riding the 13" than any of the other bikes I've test ridden, but I sure never thought I was so small as to need the littlest frame (oh no, maybe I'm shrinking! ).

Is there anything special I should consider with the 13"? Steering? Toe overlap? Room for water bottles? I seem to remember some discussion about smaller bike frames, but can't find the threads.

Thanks, Cathy

13 inch is about the size I ride. I have a 13.5 in Gunnar Rockhound mtn bike, and a 13.5 in Novara Randonee touring frame bike (my commuter). My road and touring bikes (Surly Pacer & LHT) are both 42cm. On those I'm mostly concerned with the standover height (71cm) and the effective top tube reach (50cm).

The only bike of mine that does not have toe overlap is the Novara. All the others do have toe overlap but it had not been a problem. Most of mine take 2 water bottles just fine, but it depends on the frame. All of my bikes steer and handle nicely.

You may want to pay close attention to the effective top tube length, which is essentially how far it is for you to reach to the handlebars. I found many bikes to be too long for me. Changing to a shorter stem sometimes helps.

[emily_in_nc]

I am 5'2.5" and also ride small bikes. My Novara Bonita WSD mountain bike is a 12" frame size and my new Titus Racer X mtb is a 15" (XS) size, yet the geometry and standover are very similar, so different manufacturers can measure very differently. The only real issue I've noticed with these small sized frames is that there is only one water bottle mount. This is not a big issue on a mountain bike as water bottles can get dusty on trails anyway, so most mountain bikers use Camelbaks. Even though the bike you are interested in is not a mountain bike, you can still use a Camelbak when you need more than one water bottle.

I do not have toe overlap on either bike because they have 26" wheels. However, on my 46 cm road bike with 650c wheels and a shorter top tube due to the drop bars, I do have a little bit of toe overlap. It's not ideal to have if it can be avoided. On a Terry (with a 24" front wheel) I recently sold (44.5 cm) and my Bike Friday (with 20" wheels) I have no toe overlap.

I took a look at the bike you are looking at (pretty!), and since it has flat bars the top tube is longer, like my mountain bikes, but with the 700c wheels, you may end up with toe overlap, especially if you don't have small feet. It is certainly possible to ride a bike with toe overlap, but you do have to be careful when turning the front wheel, which is normally only an issue if you are turning sharply at slow speed. The primary way to avoid toe overlap while maintaining a short top tube is to buy a bike with smaller wheels (just the front, like a Terry; or both, like a mountain bike, 650c-wheeled road bike, or folding bike like a Bike Friday or similar brand).

Good luck!

[Imperfectstorm]

Jamis Dakar XLT 1.0-3.0 all come in a 13" frame. I am picking mine up tomorrow Sweet! Jamis is a family owned business with a women CEO

[laughlaugh18]

Well, I went back to the bike shop today. I still like the reach on the 13", but it seems a bit small otherwise - the bike shop guy and I are both concerned that the seat is cranked up almost as high as it can safely go. He's going to get the same bike in a 15" for me to try over the weekend. He said we can try different handlebars/stems to shorten up the reach on the 15" if necessary.

Glad to hear the experiences of other folks on little bikes! I looked at the Jamis Dakar on line - pretty! Enjoy!

Emily, my feet are anything but small, I'm afraid. I saw the water bottle space issue, but a camelbak would be fine.

At least I feel like I'm making progress, although I'm starting to think my body is one size on top and another size on the bottom in bikes (as in everything else - why this should be such a surprise . . . )

[Denise223]

Hi Cathy!

I have a Gary Fisher Nirvana 13" (2003). http://www.fisherbikes.com/archive/index.asp?year=2003

I just found out I'm no longer 5' 1 & 1/2" tall -- I'm 5' 1/2"!

It sounds like you have a great bike shop in that they're not pushing anything on you -- they're taking the time to make sure you get a good fit.

I really believe that my top tube is too long b/c I really don't have any bend in my elbows..... would that be an indication?

How would they put a new top tube on, or can they?? (I don't know a lot about bikes).
It's not terribly bothersome, but anything I can do to make my ride more comfy would be nice - if it's not too expensive.

Thanks!

Have a great day.

Denise

[melissam]

Hey Denise and laughlaugh,

What you're describing (top tube length vs. seat tube length) is one of the reasons behind the WSD frames (Women's Specific Design.) Women typically have shorter torsos relative to their leg length than men of the same height. WSD bikes generally have shorter top tubes relative to the seat tube length.

Laughlaugh -- try the 15" frame size, but if you feel too stretched out, you should probably look at some women's specific designed frames. Trek makes a lot of WSD bikes. Bianchi makes the Eros Donna. Specialized makes the Ruby series. I forget what Cannondale calls their "women's" frames.

Denise -- How's it going? Long time, no chat! You can't change out your top tube, but you can change your stem length. Careful, though, because drastic changes will affect the handling of your bike. Your bike shop can give you recommendations.

Hope this helps!

-- Melissa

[laughlaugh18]

Melissa - both the 13" and 15" bikes I'm looking at are wsd (that's why I have to go back tomorrow; they didn't have the 15"wsd in stock). I've test ridden a bunch of bikes and I'm pretty convinced that wsd is the right thing for me!