Road Bike for 5' Woman?

[mixie]

Maybe a Giant? They have smaller sizes. And Giant tends to be quite good for the money.

Avail 3
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...te/3881/36266/

Giant will probably be too big with a 51cm top tube and 74* seat tube angle.

[Eden]

Giant will probably be too big with a 51cm top tube and 74* seat tube angle.

Agreed - depends on your build of course, but for a person like me, 5' even - short torso/arms, Giants, even in the smallest sizes are way big....

I have a 44cm Specialized - love it!

[hideandsheep]

Just wanted to say that Specialized has a life-time warranty on their frames and I just had a very small crack in my 6 year old bike and they give me a whole new bike, delivered in less than a week. Great customer service!!!

[eofelis]

I have a friend who is 4'10" and she rides a tiny Lemond Big Sky road bike. I'm not sure of the size of the bike but it takes 700c wheels. It's aluminum w/ carbon fork. She has done many century rides on it. She is now thinking about a custom frame.

I'm not sure if they still make the Big Sky, maybe they might show up on ebay.

[colorisnt]

There are a lot of great small frame bikes, but a lot of them are not going to be found used. So, that is good that you are looking new. Also, go get fitted. I thought I was in your range (same height as you) and I am a 47 cm girl on my Trek and a 50 in giant's OCR series. Just really depends on the geography. I am all legs, so I take a taller bike, but you may be surprised!

[oz rider]

As Eden mentioned, it's all about proportions rather than height when you're small. For example, I have a friend the same height but she has short legs (so standover is her critical issue; she rides a very compact 700c Giant) and I have long legs/short reach (so effective top tube is my crunch number; I ride a custom 650c).

It's very difficult to find xs bikes to try, but keep trying as you will learn what geometry suits you. Or get a professional fit as already suggested (if you're a member of club, they might be able to recommend someone reliable). The geometry of your current bike is a good start if it fits (get the data from the manufacturer's website or see Park Tools on how to measure a frame). Key measures (depending on your proportions) are top tube length (your reach) and standover (which you can measure easily anyway). Once you have a feel for those, you'll be able to assess anything that comes up and shop the main brands' websites for what's likely to fit. Good luck.

[tangentgirl]

Cannondale makes ws bikes that start at 44 cm.