No bikes for short girls

[colorisnt]

I felt the same way looking for a bike about a year and a half ago. I have a 47 cm Trek 1.2. They've changed the models around, but Trek definitely makes smaller sizes. They may need to order one in, but if they do, you aren't required to buy. I completely understand your pain.

I love my road bikes and I can't imagine being without one. But I did go to about 3 stores before I found one that carried bikes that small to try. I didn't want to order one in if I didn't have to.

[jordanjustgo]

I've heard really good things about the specialized dolce and i've heard that Felt's women's specific bikes are improving in their quality for their dollar... i'm so excited about this again... but i know the shops are going to have to order in an XS for me no matter what it is... none of the LBS around here carry anything in my size. :P

[Artista]

I'm 5' 1" and ride the second smallest road bike that Terry makes. I'm betting that their smallest frame would fit you well. Terry designs bikes specifically, and only, for women. Georgena Terry designed a semi-custom road bike for my mother last spring. Mom is also 5' 1". Her new Terry is the best fitting, and smoothest riding, bike that Mom's ever had. Here's a link to Terry's main bike page if you're interested: http://www.terrybicycles.com/Bicycles

[Sylvia]

I'm 5 feet but with a really short inseam for my height. I've got a 25" inseam, so I feel your pain. There are road bikes available normally on 24" wheels. Trek used to make a road bike I think it was called KDR 1000. They come up on ebay and craigslist. Felt also has one.

Another option other than the ones already mentioned by others is to look into a Folder like a BikeFriday. I have one of these and love it. Because they are on 20" wheels, the gearing can be a lot lower. If you don't prefer that, I'd get one with a Capreo hub and cassette which would help compensate for the lower gears the small wheels will give you. This is the setup that I have.

[starcloud]

A couple of related thoughts:

1. Another folder: http://www.xootr.com/folding-bicycle.html (there's also custom ordering from Human Powered Machines, IIRC)...ask them about the geometry on the small. The Swift gets rave reviews (see bikeforums.net for a really long thread about them) and is used as a road bike rather often as I understand it.

2. They might be hard to find at the moment, but the Cannondale Hooligan is another 20" option. I had one for a bit (the 2011 8), and loved it, but opted to try a MTB as my first foray back into cycling. The Hooligan is very nimble and no slouch on speed. I'd probably be fine on it now. Worth trying if you find one and think it might fit you.

3. Consider swapping parts once you have a frame that fits your legs well. I am a long person, and spent several appointments (mainly because we had to acquire parts not on hand already) with a bike fitter at REI to get the right fit for my MTB and it was well worth it. We switched out the seat post for one with more setback, changed the stem to a much steeper angle (30 deg. + IIRC, but about the same length -- there are also adjustable stems) and added a Delta stem riser. But if you can get one custom made for you obviously that's even better. But a little tweaking of existing parts can make all the difference, as long as the frame fits your legs and desired posture. (Beware of bikes with non-standard dimensions for things like handlebars, stem, or seatpost, though, which will limit the number of other parts you could swap in. I went with a cheaper model for that reason and will just upgrade components as I go.)

[Artista]

If your legs are long in proportion to your height, then the distance from saddle to bars will be a little shorter to accommodate a shorter torso and reach, and the distance from saddle to ground a little taller. If your legs are short in proportion to height, it will be the opposite.

You may want to check your inseam length against other bicyclists that are your height. I always thought that I had short legs until I started bike shopping. That's when I found out that my legs are actually long for my height & my femurs are really short. All of those proportions will affect bike fit. I ended up with a relatively tall bike with a short top tube, my saddle positioned all the way forward, & a long stem to get my handle bars far enough away from my forward saddle position.

Here is some good info on womens' bike design & fit from Georgena Terry http://community.terrybicycles.com/wordpress/?cat=9

[Koronin]

I'm 5'0" tall with short legs and a longer torso. I currently have a 47cm Trek 2000 (older men's road bike) which I found used at a beach bike shop last summer. I can ride the Trek 47cm bikes as well as the Specialized 44cm bikes. On the other hand I cannot ride any of the Cannondale bikes.

My current bike has the 650 wheels, I personally want 700 wheels on my next bike, and have tested the Lexa, but intend on getting a Madone.