Very short female needs advice on new faster bike

[ritzvin]

I'm 4'10" with relatively short fingers as well. For the last year, I've been riding a Trek Navigator 200 WSD, which is a comfort style bike. Unfortunately, I find it way too slow (I average about 10 mph at a comfortable level, 15 mph if I work hard). It makes my daily commute (7 miles each way mostly through ugly suburbia) somewhat frustrating. The upright position is also uncomfortable for my arms, since the position is pronounced much more than it usually would be (the handle bars have very limited adjustability while my seat is quite low to reach the pedals).

I'm looking to upgrade to a road bike or a flat-bar road bike. While I'd like the higher speed of the traditional road bike, it's possible I won't be able to reach the brake levers easily enough for the bike not to be a death trap. On the old 10-speeds, I could barely brush the bottom brake lever with the tip of my middle finger, and thus had to keep my hands on the top straight part of the bar much of the time. I'll be stopping at the local bike store one of these days to at least see if I can grip the brake levers on the newer WSD bikes. They've moved them closer on the WSD bikes nowadays as compared to the old 10-speeds, but that may still not be enough for me.

If anyone has a list of road bikes (flat-bar and regular) that are particularly suited for much shorter than normal females, It would help a lot. In particular, bikes that have closer than average brake levers, and come in smaller frame sizes. (I almost forgot to mention that riding the old Women's 10-speed involved hack-sawing part of the stem off so I could reach the pedals ;-| ). ANother factor to consider is the adjustability of the handlebar height. Oftentimes, the lowest allowed handlebar height is higher than it should be compared to the lowest allowed seat height (where I usually have to put the seat).

I'm looking to spend less than $700 (a bit more than the price for Trek's lowest end WSD road bike) if possible. The cheaper the better as long as it's a decent bike that can go a decent speed. (The only reason I don't ride an ancient 10 speed out of the classifieds is that I can't physically ride it; oh-if anyone knows if it would be both possible and feasible to have some kind of retro-fitting work done to an older bike's brake levers to solve that problem, that information would be useful too depending on the price range of potential new bikes I could fit). I'm not looking to be able to race or anything; I just want to be able to go ~ at road bike speeds.

Thanks for your help.

 

[gclark8]

My GF (little jackie) is 4'10" on "a bad day" and has short fingers, arms, legs. She rides a Felt F100 650c 47cm, it has extra brake levers on the flats and has adjustable reach Sora STI levers.

Giant have similar sizes now in the OCR and FCR (Flat Bar Road) with 650c wheels, the 3/2XS Womens sizes. The 8 speed OCR3W has adjustable reach Sora STI levers.

Also consider short cranks, Jackie uses 152mm on her MTB but 165mm on the Felt but is conidering changing the Felt to 160mm.

 

[BillM]

I'm 4'10" with relatively short fingers as well. For the last year, I've been riding a Trek Navigator 200 WSD, which is a comfort style bike. Unfortunately, I find it way too slow (I average about 10 mph at a comfortable level, 15 mph if I work hard). It makes my daily commute (7 miles each way mostly through ugly suburbia) somewhat frustrating. The upright position is also uncomfortable for my arms, since the position is pronounced much more than it usually would be (the handle bars have very limited adjustability while my seat is quite low to reach the pedals).

I'm looking to upgrade to a road bike or a flat-bar road bike. While I'd like the higher speed of the traditional road bike, it's possible I won't be able to reach the brake levers easily enough for the bike not to be a death trap. On the old 10-speeds, I could barely brush the bottom brake lever with the tip of my middle finger, and thus had to keep my hands on the top straight part of the bar much of the time. I'll be stopping at the local bike store one of these days to at least see if I can grip the brake levers on the newer WSD bikes. They've moved them closer on the WSD bikes nowadays as compared to the old 10-speeds, but that may still not be enough for me.

If anyone has a list of road bikes (flat-bar and regular) that are particularly suited for much shorter than normal females, It would help a lot. In particular, bikes that have closer than average brake levers, and come in smaller frame sizes. (I almost forgot to mention that riding the old Women's 10-speed involved hack-sawing part of the stem off so I could reach the pedals ;-| ). ANother factor to consider is the adjustability of the handlebar height. Oftentimes, the lowest allowed handlebar height is higher than it should be compared to the lowest allowed seat height (where I usually have to put the seat).

I'm looking to spend less than $700 (a bit more than the price for Trek's lowest end WSD road bike) if possible. The cheaper the better as long as it's a decent bike that can go a decent speed. (The only reason I don't ride an ancient 10 speed out of the classifieds is that I can't physically ride it; oh-if anyone knows if it would be both possible and feasible to have some kind of retro-fitting work done to an older bike's brake levers to solve that problem, that information would be useful too depending on the price range of potential new bikes I could fit). I'm not looking to be able to race or anything; I just want to be able to go ~ at road bike speeds.

Thanks for your help.

Giant bikes....for women. Made for smaller physiques. Worth checking out.

http://www.giantforwomen.com/index.php?section=BIKE%20FINDER

 

[Little Jackie]

Just want to reiterate what George said about bike fit for a small person. Felt F100 is excellent. I am actually 5' but as I am older, on a bike I am probably effectively 4' 11". George reckons I have short legs. This size Felt may be too big for you in the drop bar, consider a flat bar equivalent!

The 165 cranks on the Felt are slightly too long but I am living with them at the moment! Will upgrade to 160 when I find some crank arms only. Last time I updated a bike from 170ml, I had to change chain rings as well as arms were not available.

I recently sold an Apollo boys MTB, which I had been riding with an 11 -28 cassette. As it had smaller wheels, I was able to duplicate the performance of the Felt to some extent, though obviously not as stable at high speeds. I absolutely loved it, but it was heavy to lift on and off the car carrier.

For Sale: 2006 Apollo Panther 21 Speed MTB. $250
It has a 12.5" blue and silver compact frame and would suit an adult, 5 foot or shorter, it has only been ridden on bike paths 5 or 6 times and would therefore suit a new bike buyer.
Features:
24"x1.75 Hookworm style city slick tyres,
152mm 28/38/48 tooth cranks,
Junior cassette 14-28,
Blue Eddy Merckx bottle cage,
Soft foam blue Velo hand grips,
Uno alloy suspension seat post.

Full specs and geometry: http://www.apollobikes.com/apolloproducts/id/37/cid/8/parent/0/t/apolloproducts/title/PANTHER
Adult cassette option, MF-HG50-7 11-28.

As you are so short, it is worth thinking about a bike such as this. (I needed a slightly longer seat post.) I have certainly still been able to outride some of my friends on it! I had mine fitted with a nice light weight carrier and lights etc.Great commuter bike- nice and comfy!

In the road bikes, Merida and Giant make a 24" wheel size, but you are limited to what tyres you can buy, and there is a possibility that they would be too small for you. Hope this gives you some food for thought.

 

[RickF]

A good LBS can set you up correctly. They can swap bars, stems, and cranks and reposition the hoods so that you will be able to reach the pedals, brakes, and bars. As much as many people malign the compact frame geometry that has pretty much replaced the traditional racing geometry, you are a good example of someone who would benefit from the change. Also, modern brake hoods make it much easier to reach the brakes compared to the old style road bikes.

Specialized has an Allez Junior that has 24" wheels. That might be too small for you, but it is worth checking out. Another possibility, although it might be a little above your price range is the Specialized Sequoia (MSRP $770, although you might find the 2006 model on sale for less than $700). The 47 cm frame has the same effective top tube length as the 47 cm Felt, but the seat tube and standover height are smaller than the Felt. The Sequoia also has a second set of brake levers that can be reached from the flat part of the bar in addition to the standard brakes on the hoods.

Retrofitting an old bike will blow your budget, and you will not end up with anything better than you could get with the entry level new bikes. Your best bet is to find a LBS that is willing to work with you.

 

[Eden]

Depending on where you are short you may have a few more options as well. I'm 5' even, I have a short torso/arms and longer legs for my size. I ride a 44cm road bike (with regular 700c wheels). I can stand over larger sizes, but I need a short top tube to be comfortable and be in the proper pedaling position. I have a Fuji and a Specialized, I've had to put a shorter stem than comes stock on both, but I've been able with minimal changes to make both of them work nicely for me. Even at 4'10" if you are proportioned with a longer torso, a bike of this size may work fine for you too.

You might want to look into the Fuji Finest 2.0. It comes in a 44cm, has adjustable reach shifter/brake levers and lists for about $1,000, which means you can probably purchase it for about $700 if you look around (try Performance - they carry Fuji and they discount them quite a bit) It comes all set up for us short folks - narrow handlbars, 165 cranks, etc. so if it fits a minimum of changes would need to be made. - Fuji's also have one of the shortest top tubes around - Giant even in their very small sizes have long tt's.

One other thing to remember - even if you are still having trouble reaching levers on a WSD bike, if they are Shimano they can be shimmed out to bring them closer. The bike shop can do this for you, its a simple thing to do and I would think that they should do it without charge when setting upl the bike.

 

[Little Jackie]

Merida Kids 240 has 650 wheels, but only 2 chain rings, but was a slightly smaller fit. I thought that the Felt F100 was better value for money! It also has cyclocross levers which I love!

 

[gclark8]

I use this as a fit guide:

600mm seat height, 24" wheels, 152-155mm cranks,
650mm seat height, 26"/650c wheels, 160-165mm cranks,
700mm seat height, 700c wheels, 170-175mm cranks,

It keeps it all in proportion.

 

[gclark8]

I use this as a fit guide:

600mm seat height, 24" wheels, 152-155mm cranks,
650mm seat height, 26"/650c wheels, 160-165mm cranks,
700mm seat height, 700c wheels, 170-175mm cranks,

It keeps it all in proportion.

The other consideration is standover.

I measured both Jackies bikes the way Giant suggest, 12"/300mm forward of the seat post,
Felt F100-650c 47cm Road Bike: 700mm
Giant Upland 14" XS Ladies Bike: 660mm

Similar sized frames, Giant FCR/CRX 42cm with 700c wheels have a standover of 730mm or greater.

A common measurement in the above bikes is the Bottom Bracket to ground, 270mm. This also effects mounting and dismounting as the majority of 26" MTB frames with suspension have 300mm BB-Ground measurement where 24" seem to have 275mm.

Jackie's Upland Project: http://www.cyclingforums.com/t363004.html