Help! Carbon bike choices for me?

[NJBikeGal]

No offense to the suggestion, but I'd highly suggest not going with 650 wheels! There's no reason you should work that much harder than everyone else on the road just because you're small! You'll spin your legs with more cadence (expend more energy) to get the same amount of speed as someone on 700 wheels.

The Ruby is a great choice (sorry to beat a dead horse). And, it comes in small sizes that are built really well. One of the girls that rides for Aaron's has a Ruby Pro that is a 44! I've never seen a bike so small for an adult! It's TINY...still has 700 c wheels and she LOVES it!

[Torrilin]

No offense to the suggestion, but I'd highly suggest not going with 650 wheels! There's no reason you should work that much harder than everyone else on the road just because you're small! You'll spin your legs with more cadence (expend more energy) to get the same amount of speed as someone on 700 wheels.

Not particularly true. You'll have more variation in speed from a knobby tire vs a smooth one, or a low pressure tire vs a high pressure one than you will from a small tire vs a big one. It *is* more convenient to use the same size tires as everyone else, since it's easier to get tires and tubes if you run out at an event. For most riders, tire size just doesn't make a real difference in their speed. If it did, all bikes would still be specced with 27" wheels. Instead, we've got people on 16" wheel folders, 27" wheel vintage bikes, and everything in between .

The geometry compromises that happen for a short legged rider on a bike with 700C wheels can make a big difference or no difference. It depends on the rider's preferences. So someone who has short legs should try smaller wheeled bikes and see what *they* think.

[Tri Girl]

I'm barely 5'3" (I know I'm a little shorter) and am riding a Cervelo full carbon (granted, it's a tri bike, but they do make road bikes full carbon). I toyed with WSD, but in the end the 48 P2C is what won out. They make the Soloist and R3 which are the road bike versions in carbon.
I LOVE my bike. It has 650's and I absolutely LOVE the smaller wheels. I can accelerate much faster than on my Giant OCR1, have much better steering control, and in reality I'm not expending more energy or spinning that much more than someone on 700's. They are a better fit for me than my 700's. That's my opinion. Plus, on such a small frame, the 650's look more proportional to me thant he 700s. Again- my opinion.

[Aggie_Ama]

I am about the same size (height, inseam) and ride a Cannondale Synapse WSD, 47 cm. LOVE IT!! Although it has 700s I think it corners well with no toe overlap. She is also quite the little workhorse at climbing, I love how much stiffer she is than the inexpensive Fuji I used to have. Only downsize was the saddle that is comes with is a torture device, I had to swap it out quick. Mine is 105/Ultegra but it looks like this year it would be all 105. The next step up is all Ultegra but the website only list compact doubles. http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/08/c...el-8RWC3C.html

The Specialized Ruby is never a bad option and it looks like there is the comp with some mix of 105/Ultegra and the Expert with Full Ultegra.

[Bluetree]

Another happy Ruby rider here. 5-1 with a 27.5 inseam.

I ride a 44cm S-Works. I used to ride a 48cm, but it was too big. Sure, I could ride it somewhat comfortably but performance-wise, I needed a smaller, stiffer frame. Personally, I would NOT get a road bike with 650 wheels (TT bike is a different story), but it has a lot to do with the accessibility of different wheelsets.

I have shorter legs, but have not found the steeper angles to be any less comfortable or responsive, whether sprinting or on hillier centuries. In fact, I have experienced no downside at all to this bike's geometry.

[Jo-n-NY]

No offense to the suggestion, but I'd highly suggest not going with 650 wheels! There's no reason you should work that much harder than everyone else on the road just because you're small! You'll spin your legs with more cadence (expend more energy) to get the same amount of speed as someone on 700 wheels.

The Ruby is a great choice (sorry to beat a dead horse). And, it comes in small sizes that are built really well. One of the girls that rides for Aaron's has a Ruby Pro that is a 44! I've never seen a bike so small for an adult! It's TINY...still has 700 c wheels and she LOVES it!

I have to agree with NJBikeGal here....You should fit a Ruby just fine. I ride a Ruby Pro, however a little bigger than most my size - a 51 cm and I am 5'2, 29 inseam, but I like the less cramped feeling. You should fit perfectly on one of the smaller sizes, 48 or 44 with 700 wheels. One reason not to go with 650wheels unless "absolutely" necessary is, if you are in a pinch, get a flat, and you may even just once need to borrow a tube, not many people ride a 650 wheel. Another reason they are just not as common.

If you find that is what fits you best fine, but try a WSD bike with 700's and see for yourself.

~ JoAnn