commuter/city bike for tall woman?

[Karen]

Dear all,

I am looking for a well-fitting bike to zip around town, and haven't had
much luck yet. I am quite tall (180 cm / 5'11") with typical female
proportions (long legs, shorter torso and arms, narrow shoulders, small
hands), so all ladies' bikes I've seen are too small, and all men's
bikes have the wrong proportions.

Can anyone recommend a make/model/supplier I can search for? Or do you
have any tips on how to modify a suboptimal bike?

I have a women's road bike I am extremely happy with (Terry Symmetry,
23"), so now I'm spoiled and know what a good fit feels like. For daily
use, I need a very different bike, though.

Most importantly, it needs to be robust, to survive street grime and
abuse by other cycles in the overfilled bike parking facilities. It
should have straight handlebars, to make me feel safer in heavy traffic.
It must be able to safely have a a child trailer, a child seat and
pannier bags attached. And - because of the trailer - mudguards have to
fit. I only need a couple of gears, as Cambridge is very flat apart from
one hill and several bridges. Although this description sounds like a
comfort bike, I don't really like the "sit-up-and-beg" position. My
commute is 20 minutes each way, so the bike doesn't have to be extra
fast, but the ride should still be enjoyable. Oh, and I don't want to
break the bank, especially since it there is a very real chance that it
will get nicked or damaged when parked in town. Around £500 is
acceptable, although I would be happier if I stayed well below that. Am
I asking too much?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Karen

 

[Mark T]

Karen writtificated:

> Can anyone recommend a make/model/supplier I can search for?

Specialized do a wide range of sizes and should be big enough for you. My
bike shop had a large folder with sizing charts and recommended heights for
every Specialized bike. I couldn't find the same information on
Specialized's website, but a call to them or your local Specialized dealer
should get you the information you need.

 

[[email protected]]

On Jan 30, 4:34�pm, Mark T
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
wrote:
> Karen writtificated:
>
> > Can anyone recommend a make/model/supplier I can search for?
>
> Specialized do a wide range of sizes and should be big enough for you. �My
> bike shop had a large folder with sizing charts and recommended heights for
> every Specialized bike. �I couldn't find the same information on
> Specialized's website, but a call to them or your local Specialized dealer
> should get you the information you need.

The Specialized Globe Sport comes in 3 sizes for women and has braze-
ons for a rack and mudguards. It has a suspension seatpost and a
trekking frame. Not too expensive either and understated looks should
help keep thieves eyes off it.

 

[Karen]

[email protected] wrote:
> On Jan 30, 4:34�pm, Mark T
> <pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
> wrote:
>> Karen writtificated:
>>
>>> Can anyone recommend a make/model/supplier I can search for?
>> Specialized do a wide range of sizes and should be big enough for you. �My
>> bike shop had a large folder with sizing charts and recommended heights for
>> every Specialized bike. �I couldn't find the same information on
>> Specialized's website, but a call to them or your local Specialized dealer
>> should get you the information you need.
>
> The Specialized Globe Sport comes in 3 sizes for women and has braze-
> ons for a rack and mudguards. It has a suspension seatpost and a
> trekking frame. Not too expensive either and understated looks should
> help keep thieves eyes off it.

Thank you very much for your suggestions! I've had a long look at the
Specialized website and will visit the local dealer as soon as I can.
While I have the attention of you experts: What do you think of the
Sirrus ? This is certainly the kind of bike I would have gone for while
childless, the question is whether would suit my needs as a mum.

Sirrus vs. Globe, as I see it:

PRO Sirrus:
- much better looks (my taste, of course; apart from the colour)
- almost horizontal top tube: bike more stable and main reason for
better looks (step-through frames make me feel like a little girl or an
old lady)
- built for speed
- comes in five sizes: WXL should be the perfect fit

PRO Globe Sport / other Globe models:
- step-through frame will make it easier to mount/unmount the bike with
a child on the back
- wider tires safer in adverse weather conditions?
- easier to fit mudguards? (But there are holes on the Sirrus picture:
so a rack can be fitted - mudguards as well?)
- bigger difference to my road bike, i.e. between the two, I'll have a
bike to suit more conditions
- more robust?
- £50-100 less expensive

Am I missing anything? The quality of the components is about equal??

Still grateful for your thoughts,
Karen

 

[Clive George]

"Karen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:%[email protected]...

> Thank you very much for your suggestions! I've had a long look at the
> Specialized website and will visit the local dealer as soon as I can.

You're in Cambridge, right?

My preferred shop there was always Ben Haywards - have you trieed them, and
did they struggle to get you something to fit your requirements?

cheers,
clive

 

[Mark T]

Karen writtificated

> What do you think of the Sirrus ?

Beautiful...

> This is certainly the kind of bike I would have gone for while
> childless, the question is whether would suit my needs as a mum.

....but not the bike you are looking for - it'll be almost but not quite as
fun as your road bike.

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>, Karen
[email protected] says...
> Although this description sounds like a
> comfort bike, I don't really like the "sit-up-and-beg" position.

I'd have thought that a smallish framed town bike, possibly with a
longer/higher stem, would probably reproduce the position on your Terry
quite easily[1]. Have a look at the Carrera Subway 8 in your local
Halfords - hub brakes/gears, so bash and muck resistant, and really
quite a good overall package.

[1] A quick Google didn't reveal geometry specifications for either
bike, so I could be quite wrong.

 

[Karen]

Rob Morley wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, Karen
> [email protected] says...
>> Although this description sounds like a
>> comfort bike, I don't really like the "sit-up-and-beg" position.
>
> I'd have thought that a smallish framed town bike, possibly with a
> longer/higher stem, would probably reproduce the position on your Terry
> quite easily[1]. Have a look at the Carrera Subway 8 in your local
> Halfords - hub brakes/gears, so bash and muck resistant, and really
> quite a good overall package.
>
> [1] A quick Google didn't reveal geometry specifications for either
> bike, so I could be quite wrong.

Thank you, but I'm not going to buy a Halfords bike ever again. After my
trusting Gary Fisher was stolen, I quickly bought a second-hand mountain
bike, which turned out to be from Halfords. Apart from the frame, I've
had to replace almost every part, they've really saved everywhere. The
only advantage of this bike is that it won't get stolen. I'll keep it as
an extra bike, but want something better now.

Sorry, I really did not mean to insult you personally. Maybe the Carrera
Subway is a lot better than the Apollo Frenzy, but I am not going for
another brand this time.

 

[Clive George]

"Karen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Rob Morley wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>, Karen
>> [email protected] says...
>>> Although this description sounds like a comfort bike, I don't really
>>> like the "sit-up-and-beg" position.
>>
>> I'd have thought that a smallish framed town bike, possibly with a
>> longer/higher stem, would probably reproduce the position on your Terry
>> quite easily[1]. Have a look at the Carrera Subway 8 in your local
>> Halfords - hub brakes/gears, so bash and muck resistant, and really quite
>> a good overall package.
>>
>> [1] A quick Google didn't reveal geometry specifications for either bike,
>> so I could be quite wrong.
>
> Thank you, but I'm not going to buy a Halfords bike ever again. After my
> trusting Gary Fisher was stolen, I quickly bought a second-hand mountain
> bike, which turned out to be from Halfords. Apart from the frame, I've had
> to replace almost every part, they've really saved everywhere. The only
> advantage of this bike is that it won't get stolen. I'll keep it as an
> extra bike, but want something better now.
>
> Sorry, I really did not mean to insult you personally. Maybe the Carrera
> Subway is a lot better than the Apollo Frenzy, but I am not going for
> another brand this time.

Apparently the Halfords Carrera bikes are actually ok. It's their 'premium'
brand - and the subway 8 is quite a well regarded bike. (And yes, their
Apollo stuff is scrap out of the shop).

cheers,
clive

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>, Karen
[email protected] says...

> Sorry, I really did not mean to insult you personally. Maybe the Carrera
> Subway is a lot better than the Apollo Frenzy, but I am not going for
> another brand this time.
>
I didn't find your comments insulting. Of course, if I'd told you to
buy an Apollo I'd have deserved a good thrashing. A Carrera costs
about twice as much as an Apollo, and the difference really shows.

 

[renum]

Karen wrote:
> Thank you very much for your suggestions! I've had a long look at the
> Specialized website and will visit the local dealer as soon as I can.
> While I have the attention of you experts: What do you think of the
> Sirrus ? This is certainly the kind of bike I would have gone for while
> childless, the question is whether would suit my needs as a mum.
>

The Sirrus is made up of road bike components, while the Globe uses
Mountain bike parts. The geometry of the frame is also different, the
Sirrus being more 'sportive'.

 

[[email protected]]

On Jan 31, 3:34 pm, Karen <[email protected]> wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> > On Jan 30, 4:34�pm, Mark T
> > <pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
> > wrote:
> >> Karen writtificated:

for my money, Step-through is a big advantage with a rear seat
although long legs and a lowish sloping top tube go some way to
mitigate the problems. You may need a front rack when using a rear
seat without a trailer. An extra mudflap is useful on SKS 'guards
witha trailer and consider a sturdy kickstand, two legged. Worth the
weight

best wishes
james