I am pretty short (5' 1") and it's difficult finding bikes that fit. My number 1 bike is a surly LHT 42cm and it fits perfectly. I'm currently looking for a number 2 bike. I have a pretty specific idea of what I want and it doesn't seem to exist in my price range.

I live in the UK and my in laws live in the south of spain. We visit relatively regularly and the cycling has always looked fantastic. I want a bike to keep down here I can use. I'm looking for a bike to ride on the roads, but some of the back roads are pretty rough and there are some unpaved roads. It is also very hilly. I was thinking a cyclocross bike would be good, also something I could put a rack on for a bit of light touring. The problem is small cyclocross bikes don't seem to exist at an entry level. Also I don't want to spend too much as it'll only be used a few times a year when I'm over here.

I was feeling a bit disillusioned, when I came across this http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/luath700lrg.html

It's a kid's bike, but a pretty serious one. Seems to be able to be used for cyclocross and touring, so should suit my purpose. The largest one may even be a bit big for me, but there are smaller ones. A bit more investigation found this http://www.dawescycles.com/p-232-espoir-3000-26.aspx

What do people think? Would these type of bikes work for smaller women, or are there obvious drawbacks? I like the sound of the small reach brake levers in particular.