BIKES THAT FIT WOMEN under 5'4"

[Triskeliongirl]

Mimi, if Bilenky's stoke frames have too long a top tube, their custom frames can be whatever you want. I was where you were a few years back. I didn't go custom not just cuz of the money (cuz often its not more money, just more time) but it was also cuz I didn't have anyone I trusted that would build me a bike that fit, so I did the 'safe' thing and stuck with terrys which have a geometry I know works for me. But folks that go custom *with the right builder* say its the best, and given that rodriguez is in your neighborhood and seems to understand womens fit issues, it may be best for you. This is especially true for those of us who want bikes that are both Light and take fenders/touring tires. This combination is really hard to find in a stock bike. I would guess the rivendell you are looking at is heavy. Maybe you should visit with Rodriguez, and see what it would really cost to get the bike you want (make sure they undertand both the light part and fenders part since these 2 features often don't go together) IF he could transfer all the parts from the veloce. It may not cost as much as you think since the components are a huge part of the price, and then you would get your money back out of the veloce (and you could even sell the stripped frame). ANother thing to be careful of, I know you don't want to be technical, but you need to pay attention not only to top tube length but to seat tube angle. Remember for every degree increase in STA you need to add a cm to the top tube to get the same reach. For example, a bike with a 73 degree seat tube angle and 52 cm top tube, has the same reach as a bike with a 76 degree seat tube angle and a 49 cm top tube because on the second bike you will need to move your saddle 3 cm further back to get your knee in the same position relative to the pedal axis. This point is really imporant and I am not sure you fully get it. Another factoid is that as top tube lengths get shorter than 52-53 cm it gets harder to get a 700c wheel in front and avoid toe clip overlap without making compromises to the frame geometry that effect handling (i.e. you either slacken the head tube angle or increase the fork rake, in an attempt to push the front wheel further forward, but then the bike becomes so stable it is hard to turn). What I did was to test ride different bikes that used different solutions to this problem, and after my test rides could tell how a bike was going to feel purely by looking at its specs.

[KnottedYet]

I think Lisa S.H. said her Riv weighed the same as my Waterford: 21 1/2 pounds.

My lugged steel Waterford weighs less than my aluminum Kona hybrid commutermobile, but I weigh more than both of them put together!

(my *bikes* don't need to lose weight... hee hee! )

[Triskeliongirl]

I thought Lisa posted that her ramboulleit weighed 27 lbs hence my concern. As you know I am a fan of light steel, but by light I mean bikes in the under 22 lb range. I although think bikes with a sloping top tube are better aesthetically for those of us that prefer our bars high, although my bikes have straight ones.

[KnottedYet]

I thought Lisa posted that her ramboulleit weighed 27 lbs hence my concern.

Hmm, maybe it was the Legolas? Someone has a Riv that weighs the same as my Waterford... it's gonna bug me now until I find it....

I was looking at a Bleriot at Robinson Wheel Works in San Leandro CA, and thought it was a pretty spiffy frame. Mimi, you really might wanna check this one out!

[Triskeliongirl]

Hmm, maybe it was the Legolas? Someone has a Riv that weighs the same as my Waterford... it's gonna bug me now until I find it....


I was looking at a Bleriot at Robinson Wheel Works in San Leandro CA, and thought it was a pretty spiffy frame. Mimi, you really might wanna check this one out!

You are thinking of Veronica's Legolos. I agree the Bleriot is a very spiffy frame in a very women friendly geometry (I just love the slack seat tube angles) but it would bug me to not be able to use tires narrower than 30mm. That is very wide for the minimum size.

[KnottedYet]

I guess I'm missing something here. Why the minimum tire size? Is that determined by the rims you put on the frame or by the frame itself?

[Triskeliongirl]

I guess I'm missing something here. Why the minimum tire size? Is that determined by the rims you put on the frame or by the frame itself?

If you go to the link above, there is a 15 page pdf file you can download about the bike. For some reason Grant designed it to use a very non-standard wheel size, 650B. He says that tires for 650B rims only start at 30mm and then go considerably wider. I think he chose them over 650C since while 650C tires are available in racing widths, the widest they go is 28mm. THat's the catch.

HEre is the relevant section of the pdf:

What’s the Bleriot frame/bike?
It’s a multi-purpose bike built for 650B wheels. The rest of this brochure
goes into more detail.
What’s a 650B wheel?
It’s bigger in diameter than a mountain bike 26-inch wheel, and smaller than
a typical road 700c wheel. Rims are sized by something called “bead seat diameter” (bsd)—the diameter at the point where the tire bead nestles to the rim. Every tire made has its bsd molded into it, because bsd is the universal language of rim & tire compatibility. Here’s a chart.

rim size bsd
700c 622mm
650B 584mm
26-inch (mtn) 559mm

Why 650B?
A 650B wheel is smaller than a 700c wheel, so it allows more tire and fender
clearance, which is especially helpful on small-to-medium sizes.

650B history:
Bikes with 650B wheels go back 60 years, and still have a strong following in
France, with a growing, fan base here in the United States. It’s a smart size that one could argue should have been the mountain bike size, but in the frenzy to get a bike out there, it was easier to use the current mountain bike size (559mm bsd 26-inch), and once that caught on there was no going back.

Tires:The 650B tire that people think of when they think of 650B tires if
they think of 650B tires at all, is one that’s about 36 to 38mm wide and runs
on 30 to 50 psi. You can get 650B tires as narrow as 30mm and as wide as
41.5mm. Start off with a 33 to 38mm tire, and see how you like those (you will like those).


p.s. The 650C tire found on many wsd racing bikes have a bsd of 571 and are not interchangeable w 650B. I do not believe this frame will support a 650C rim but I am not sure of that. One reason I went with the terry bikes with the 700c/24" combo is that 24" (520 bsd) high pressure tires are available in sizes ranging from 23c racing to 32c touring, the range I was interested in using.