Carolina,

At your size, I would definitely try to check out women's specific bikes. I am exactly the same measurements and ride a 17.5" Terry Isis currently. I am also having a 46cm Aegis Swift built up with 38cm short-reach drop bars and Terry Butterfly saddle (only one that works for me too!). For me the reach to the handebars is critical and a WSD bike will have a shorter top tube (both my bikes have top tubes around 19") than the equivalent man's frame. It can be very difficult to get a short enough top tube if you are a petite female without going WSD. A man's 50cm bike (smallest "standard" size) is just too large for me - as is anything with two 700C wheels. The Terry I ride has a 24" (small) wheel in front and 700C in back, and the Aegis I am having built has two 650C wheels.

I test rode a Trek 5200 WSD in the smallest size (47cm), and it was okay, but the top tube (19.6") was still a bit stretched out for me since the stem could not be raised any higher (it's threadless). I prefer the "old timey" quill stems (threaded), since they can raise the handlebars as high as the saddle, which is the height I need.

Most women have longer legs and shorter torso than men for a given height, and that is what WSD bike frames are trying to address. If you haven't, make sure to check out www.terrybicycles.com as they usually have last year's models of their bikes at a good discount, and will ship them to the LBS of your choice for assembly (not sure if this is USA only, though). Since you have the exact same inseam and height as me, there is a good chance that you'd ride the 17.5" size like I do. Terry makes a very good bike, though the two different size wheels means carrying an extra tube on every ride.

Good luck in your search! Let us know what you decide.

Emily