recommendations for frame size for my 5'2" wife...

[oz rider]

I'm a smidge under 5'2", but with short torso. I run a 500ish ett on both tourer and roadie, and the 42cm Surly LHT fitted (bit high in front though, and heavy as a % of body weight). Another my height, but with short legs, is quite happy with a 510mm ett. If you're looking at cx bikes, keep an eye on the standover, given the BB height.

[djb]

ta Oz rider for the numbers, I suspect those tt lengths would be pretty close for my wife. I agree that a LHT would be overkill as I really dont ever see us doing touring with much weight. I tend to take the things we need in my pannier/s so she doesnt need one (makes a real diff if there is lots of climbing as we all know). For this reason I will keep an eye out for a more sport tourer or a cross bike like the Tricross that has similiar geometry to a light tourer, ie not too quick steering and the bb is not too high either (but yes, standover comment well taken)

cheers, we are just starting to get colder, I guess its the opposite for you...

[oz rider]

cheers, we are just starting to get colder, I guess its the opposite for you...

It's been a good year for me; I spent a month of our winter riding through a Canadian summer and it's a beautiful sunny still 24C here today. Roll on summer #2!

[djb]

what part of Canada were you in?

as for temps, I had the poly pro top, thin fleece and a windshell on the other day on a 3C ride (bit cooler than usual) so we are in the last stages of riding over here, alas.

Always sad to begin riding less...November and Dec are the kinda "blah" months, more rain, colder. Riding in cold and dry is alright, but cold and wet...blah.
December is too early to have any lasting snow, so cross country skiing hasnt started yet (especially the last few years our winters have been milder than usual, not as much snow by far)

c'est la vie

[Triskeliongirl]

Another suggestion would be a used terry classic/madeline in 17.5". You can get these used for a good price. Try the buy/sell a used terry on the terry web site. They will have small front wheels, but a good solution for a short top tube without toe clip overlap. Get an older steel, 2001-2005 for 9 spd drive train. If you are carrying most of the luggage, a symetry/isis would also work.

[azfiddle]

I'm 5'1" and ride a 44 cm bike. it's not a touring bike specifically- an aluminum road bike. I'm short-waisted, with proportionally longer legs, if that helps.

[oz rider]

what part of Canada were you in?

Vancouver to Inuvik, via Vancouver Island.

We have to go looking for snow in winter, so our annual snow ride is a novelty. hehe. It surprises me that you have so few trackies over there, given the weather.

[featuretile]

I'm 5"3" and I ride a Specialized Ruby Compact 48cm. The handlebars are slightly higher than the seat so there is very little difference between it and my previous straight bar Specialized Vita. It was very easy to get used to.

I bought a used Bike Friday that was close to my size. It seemed fine at first for short distances, but after a 40 mile ride (with handlebars level with seat) my hands were numb and my privates hurt. Changing the saddle (to one like my road bike) fixed one problem, and getting an adjustable stem that raised up the handlebars fixed the other one. I am thinking that I must have short arms because when I lean over too much, there is too much weight on my wrists. I am not talking about a bolt upright position like on a cruiser, just a more gentle lean.

Your wife might want to try an adjustable stem on her new bike (it was only about $30) to see if that is why she is leery of dropped bars. When I want to get lower, I can use the drops, but when I am just cruising along the hoods are more comfortable. She could play around with the height and change it at a later date if she wants.

[djb]

First of all, I dont have this set up so that I get emails when there are responses, so I have to remember to check in.

Triskelion--thanks for that Terry mention, I have never heard of that company (and its in Vermont, not far from us in Montreal) but just looked at the website. Neat, even just for the basic bike sizing/geometry explanation videos.
Very good pointer for the used section and your model suggestions too, very much appreciated.

Az-tks for the size reference, I now have to make a chart with the metric/imperial equilavents to keep track...

Oz- Wow,neat trip. When we got married we drove across Canada (in car) and took the ferry from Prince Rupert down to Vancouver Island. I'm sure you had to be extra careful of bears, much more than out here in the east.
My grandparents were Brits, so I am familiar with Britspeak, but I'm afraid you lost me with "trackies"--do you mean people who ride in the winter?

Feature- you are a good 2 inches taller than my wife, but again, a good comparison, and my wifes present bike is a Vita. The adjustable stem idea is a good one. There are so many factors in what is a good set up for any given individual-ones flexibility, or even early in the riding season our backs and gut muscles arent as strong, and as we bike more, we will pedal a bit harder and consistently, taking weight off our hands a bit more too. The added weight of an adjustable stem could really be outweighed by the quick-changing aspect as you mentioned. And as you say, saddle choice and postion play a big part also.

again, thanks to all for the real world experiences.