New Bike for Tall Plus-Size Woman?

[Juliegoddess]

I know I'm beginning yet ANOTHER "help me find a bike" thread, but I've been searching for posts most like my situation, and haven'y quite found it yet!

I really want a road bike. I just feel like I need one, for spring riding next year, and to further my cycling into something more serious, with more distance. My budget for spending is REALLY low, I know this...i know I'll end up with an entry-level bike and I don't mind. I can spend about $600.

That said, I am 5'9" tall, with a 32" inseam, 229 lbs, and I'm short waisted with short arms. I know I need a WSD, for sure, just because of my short-waisted-ness (ha...is that a word??!!) The trouble I'm seeing is that a lot of women's bikes seems to be made for SHORT women?

I'd just like an idea of where to begin my search. Are there other ladies out there like me, bigger, but tall...with big boobs, a short waist and short arms? A men's bike has too long of a reach for me. But a men's bike fits my legs.

Any thoughts? Thanks Everyone!

[Pax]

I own this road bike and LOVE it. Like you I'm bigger (5'10" and 225, with a 32" inseam), and found the bike to be a great fit.

I can't ride mine anymore (health issues) so I'm going to sell it, you could look for used bikes in your area and get more bang for the buck that way.

[Thorn]

Taller than you, but also short arms and back. While my go-fast bike is custom (save them pennies), I also ride a Surly Pacer for winter riding and rainy summer days. I spent a little under $1K for the bike.

My Pacer is a teeny-tiny frame (52cm) with a huge seatpost and a stem extender (raises the bars up, not pushes them out--I need the short top tube). The bike handles fine although it looks rather peculiar. In fact the Surly handles for me better than my first road bike.

I used to ride a 60cm frame and was terribly uncomfortable (can you say back pain?). A wise, older mechanic told me that I was a classic case of why fitting by leg length is stupid. You can always raise the seat and handlebars, but you can't do anything if the bike is just too long.

So, my suggestion is find a shop that will do a fitting focusing on reach, not height. It may mean a silly stem extender (oh, the Fred-jeers I get for it), but if the bike is comfortable, you'll ride it more. Also, if you start looking at frames by length, not height, and accept long seat posts and stem extenders, you will open up the possibilities of more lower-end bikes.

Just my 2cents....others may disagree, but it worked for m.

[lo123]

I'm 5'6", but with a 31" inseam and teeny torso... Try for WSD if you can swing it... In my testing, Trek had the shortest top tubes and most comfortable fit for me.

I ride a 54 WSD Trek Madone 5.2. It comes in up to a 58cm in WSD.

There's a fit calculator on Competitive cyclist. It was a very good tool for me to help identify what geometries might work best for me. You can compare geometries on most brands' websites.

oh yeah, one thing that can work.. smaller frame to get the top tube length right, with higher seatpost... In hindsight, I wish I had gotten a 51 in my cyclocross bike. It took a TON of adjustments to get the 54 reasonably comfortable.

[Juliegoddess]

Thanks ladies! Well, it does appear that my thinking wasn't "stinking"! I kinda figured that the most important thing would be to make sure that top tube isn't too long. Because, like you said, you can't adjust that...but you can adjust the height plenty. And with that in mind, I for SURE need a WSD bike. Short waistedness just doesn't work on a men's bike, no matter what I do.

I'm going to check out that calculator! Thank you SO much!

[out_spokin']

Another tall woman (5'10" and 33" inseam for clothing, let alone my real inseam) with almost no torso (ha!). I also ride a custom steel road bike for going fast, so +1 on the saving your pennies...depending on your actual measurements and the geometry of different models you might be able to fit on a 56cm roadie, which is the largest frame for most WSD. Be careful about the handlebar height though -- getting your seatpost high enough is cake, but I highly recommend against having too much drop from your seat height to your handlebars. Racers can get away with it, but for newer/older/less limber/just all around cyclists it can be very uncomfortable and lead to riding less.

Don't forget Terry Bicycles - most of their road models over the year have had a 23" (58.4cm) option with shorter top tubes. Their new stuff is way out of your price range, but with patience used ones can be found. I found a new old stock frame/fork last year that I've almost built up with parts from a well-priced craigslist find.

This thread just rocked my world though -- didn't know that some of the Treks come in a 58!! Geometry probably still won't work for me, but I am SURE going to find one to test ride!