Hi All

I'm new to this site, just joined a couple a few weeks ago. I just noticed some interesting discussions about second bikes and also issues arising from short riders. So here's my situation - I'm thinking of getting a second bike - a good road bike. I've got a pretty nice flat bar road bike (sublime 2) but I'm getting more serious about riding so would like to keep my flat bar for commuting but get a serious road bike for hill training and longer weekend rides.

I've put in a post here (in the bike section) and also in another cycling forum (mixed- for guys and gals). There's a guy there that insists that if you are short (ie around the 5 ft mark) you can only really get a good fit and real aerodynamic position without too much weight on your hands if you go for shorter cranks (at least 152) with 650 wheels and get a custom made bike. Any truth in this?

Ladies - what are your experiences out there? My flat bar has 700 wheels but shorter cranks (165) and I'm quite comfortable with it.

I'm not keen to go down the custom route because:
(a) I've had some bad experiences just with getting clothes tailor made that haven't turned out how I imagined, let alone spending a few thousand on a bike, especially when I don't know that much (have only been riding seriously for about 14 months).

(b) In terms of "bang for my buck" I'd prefer to spend the money on a lighter bike - probably carbon as I'm not aware of any really light WSD aluminium bikes.

I definitely need a WSD just because I've got small hands, so need WSD handlebars and short reach levers/brakes. So far I've sat on a Cannondale Synapse (on a trainer) and taken both a Subzero 3 and a Ruby Comp out for a very short test ride (my first rides with drop bars ever!).

If it helps here's some more info - I'm 5 ft, with an inseam of 26 inches and trunk of about 20.5 inches. Does this mean I have a short torso?

I'm a bit confused by all of this, so any input from anyone out there would be helpful.

Thanks
JO