i'm 5'2" and looking for a bike

[bicyclulz]

yay for getting a new bike!

here is some additional info that may be helpful. I ride a Fuji finest and it love it. Part of my initial issue was that the stem was toooooo long. Here are my measurements:

My effective top tube is 52.5 and your stem is 80 mm (8 cm). That gives me a total reach of 60.5. You can always run that info by your LBS too.

seatpost value won't really matter for you. they are all within a few cm and you can adjust how high the seatpost sticks out. For example, with the Fuji Finest, you could also ride their size extra small, which has a 51cm top tube
with a 9.5 mm stem and get the same 60.5 reach.

you can do that with a lot of sizes as far as reach goes but you dont want a super short or super long stem b/c it affects handling. (and by super long or short i mean 60 (or less) or 120 (or more) )

this chart may also be useful :

http://www.fujibikes.com/2007/pdf/fit_guide.pdf


HTH!

~Bicyclulz:-)

Hey guys,

I've been toying with the idea of getting a bike to start riding. I haven't ridden a bike since I was in elementary school, with the exception of renting a mountain bike last year once.

I would really like to start riding again, but that rental left me really frustrated. It was a 14" and felt way too big for me, but was the smallest size the shop had. I didn't like having to lean to one side almost a foot before being able to reach the ground and found a lot of pressure was put on my wrists while riding.

Is that something I am just going to have to learn to deal with, or are there actually bikes out there that would fit me better? I'm only 5'2" and about 115lbs.

Any advice you could give me would help. I've tried looking up guides online but they all speak bike terminology that is beyond someone who hasn't ridden since she was 12.

thanks in advance,
-suzy

[HillSlugger]

With a typical road bike you won't be able to put your feet on the ground while your bottom is still on the seat. If that's important to you, then you need to look for bikes with what's called "feet forward" geometry, typically found in a cruiser bike. They have the seat set lower, but further back.

[farrellcollie]

I am 5'2 and have a 47 road bike and a 15 hybrid that I commute on. I commuted on the hybrid for years and rode with a group of friends who all had hybrids or mountain bikes with road tires - we are all fairly evenly matched in our ability to ride and would go out weekly for 10-15 mile rides. I then got a new job that is not 9-5 and I wanted join another group of friends (gym teachers with excess energy) who all had road bikes and rode further and faster - so I got the road bike. The point of this is - if you are going to be riding with friends who have road bikes - you will probably be struggling to keep up with them if you get a hybrid or comfort bike. On the other hand - getting the bike you are comfortable riding is probably still the best plan.