How tall are you? (Women only, please)

[minan]

4'9.5" usually rounding down. I'm not "vertically challenged," dammit (what a lame phrase!!!) -- I'm proudly tiny!

I ride a 44cm '06 Ruby Comp (700c) for tri's and bike racing (I have a <27" inseam). Fits me great for road racing, less than great with aerobars but since I'm doing hilly tri's, they'll do. I also ride a 43cm steel Havnoonian fixed gear w/650c for track, which rocks.

I've been curious about the new Cannondale Six13 Feminin in 40cm or 45cm, 650cm, and the Orbea diva. I am still a fairly new rider, only been riding for about a year, and am still trying to figure out whether I would be more efficient/go faster with a road bike on 650c (better fit) vs. 700c (bigger wheels). Every bike shop I talk to says to go with 700c wheels if you're racing, but I'm not totally convinced.

[Peanut03]

I'm 5'5" and ride a 51cm Litespeed Arenburg. I just purchased a Specialized Ruby comp today, 51cm. I have a short torso with long arms and legs, so I'm hoping the fit will be perfect. My first women's bike.

[alimey]

5'1" here. I ride a Principia & a Serotta w/ 650c wheels (48cm top tube) - also an XXS Titus Racer-X, also a custom Bike Friday . . . Very difficult to get a good fitting bike (but has got easier). I love the FSA compact bars & I have double-shimmed my STIs. My husband & I run a bike business (servicing, fixing, building up, fitting) & fitting smaller women is the biggest challenge. Had to chase all over to find 160mm cranks for my road bike - & bought BMX for my 155mm track cranks.

I find it's all about top tube length for road bikes & all about standover height for mountain bikes. 650 wheels are great for smaller riders - I know there isn't as much choice in wheels/tyres - but hey, I don't buy clothes that are too big for me just because there is more choice . . .

[Eden]

5'0" here - As with many smaller racers, I have and love my Ruby Pro.

I also have a Ti bike with 650's though I find the Ruby with 700's fits me a bit better. I guess I just have a bit of a rule breaking body.... Long legs (28 1/2 - 29ish inseam) short torso, short arms.

My TT bike also has 650's and there I could never get away with bigger wheels - I already can't get very low....

[Lakerider]

I'm 5'9". My husband is 6'6". We have a grown son and a grown daughter. Our daughter is 5'9" like me and our son is 6'6" like my husband. We have 4 grandchildren, ages 2 - 10. They may outgrow us.

[owlice]

:: stands next to Lakerider ::

I'm 5'10". My exhusband (father of my spawn) is 6'5"; our spawn is about 6'3" and still growing.

As the ex likes to put it (still...!), I'm the "runt of the litter," as in the shortest of my generation in my family. SUCH a nice guy, that one!!

[shootingstar]

5'1". I think my inseam is 29 or less.

No, I don't ride a woman specific model.

[redrhodie]

I'm 5'5", minus a hair. I started with a 48cm WSD, now realize it was too small. I've moved on to a traditional geomery road bike, and it feels better.

[michelem]

5'2". I ride a 48" Specialized Ruby Expert. It was a close call between the Ruby, the Cannondale Synapse Feminine (I think that was a 47"), and the Giant OCR . . . can't remember the exact model, but it was a 2007 and xxs. Anyway, I did get shorter stem put on, a narrower saddle, and narrower handlebars. Other than that I really love the fit of my Ruby. The other bikes were nice, but I really feel like I got a bang for my buck with the Ruby (on sale, nearby LBS, etc. I've yet to pay for any tune-ups or anything and I'm going on a year with this bike).

The thing I have a hard time with is clothing! Petite pants are a tad too short (perfect until I wash them, and then they are too short). Regular pants are way too long. Waistbands gap like crazy even in a size zero, but hip/thigh area more snug. If I lift the shoulders up to about my ears on a dress, then the top part fits fine -- ha ha.

No wonder I HATE/LOATH shopping and still wear clothes I've had for going on 10 years. I should be featured on What Not to Wear . . .

[Wahine]

Hi Blue!!! How ya been?

5'7" with relatively long torso. I definitely fit better on a men's frame, but one with a slightly shorter top tube than average. I can't fit WSD frames sometimes because they are too short. For eg - the WSD trek TT bike would be out of the question, even in a large.

[ginny]

I'm 5'6" and I should be riding a 54cm frame, but I have super short torso (like the top of my head cannot be seen from the back of my car - I look like a little kid driving). Anyhoo... I have a 50cm Bianchi eros donna and it is the first bike in my entire life that has fit me well! It is SO much fun riding a bike that feels like an extension of my body!

[malkin]

I'm glad we're at least shaping into a normal curve. When I first checked in, it had some weird bimodal thang going.

[LainiePants]

I'm 5'7.5'', 30'' inseam. (voted 5'7'').

My road bike is a 54cm WSD Specialized allez vita. Seems to be a good fit, though i do have a pretty short stem on it...and in a perfect world i'd make the top tube 2cm smaller (it's about 53cm).

Also have a 52 cm (men's i suppose) Kona Jake the Snake. top tupe is 54cm. tiny stem on that one too. (I'll go with the 49 next time, thank you very much).

[Fujichants]

5'6 and I ride a Fuji Finest 2.0

I so want a Specialized Ruby though! Maybe next year When i'm good enough for that bike.

[malkin]

5'8" and a quarter or so...Large Giant Wimmens FCR.
I like the short reach on the brakes; overall, the fit is good, probably not perfect, but I'm not clever enough to figure out what should be different.