Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Tiny Bikes

My sister got accepted to some hoity toity French cooking school in NYC. She'll be starting next september. She admits that the Giant MTB that she rides around East Lansing now would last about 15 minutes before someone else would be the new owner. So she's going to need a city bike and I get to put it together for her :) Problem is that she's 4 foot 11. Not real easy to find frame that will work. She had a hell of a time finding a MTN bike and she ended up with a 24 inch model.
So anybody got any ideas? I've got plenty of time to find just the right toy. It needs to be light enough for an 85lb girl to cary up a few flights of stairs if necessary. Time to hunt ebay me thinks.

I don't know if it is too small, but Sheldon Brown/Harris Cyclery have 43cm Fuji track bikes for like $300. I think that would fit the bill for being light weight and simple. You could put a freewheel on if she doesn't want to ride fixed gear.

Maybe a cheapo BMX bike? Single speed and lots would probably fit her well. Used and beat up might even be better. If you don't like the BMX look, you could probably swap the stem and handlbars for a high rise stem and a flat/moustache/northroad bar. Plus it'll be compact, easier to store, and simple. And cheap to replace in case of theft.

i think jamis also makes a small frame. i would agree with the bmx bikes and getting a used one. although looks matter to some people, i would try to build it up as boring/plain as you can. overall though, make sure she gets a good lock.

Don't worry, it'll be ugly and come with a big bad ass lock. That's what big brothers are for after all. :)
For some reason my brain wants to think that BMX bikes are heavy. Is my brain wrong? I'd love to build her a tiny 15lb bike.

SOME bmx bikes are heavy. freestyle type bikes are. but they make some (actually most) of the racing bikes out of aluminum now. some companies (like HH actually use reynolds sometimes). i think the smaller fuji sounds really great. i'd actually like to get one of the smaller fujis to thrash around on, but that'd be a little silly. terry makes a 24" road bike. i've even seen custom marinoni road frames that take 20" wheels and smaller. one of my friends said he saw a 20" merlin road bike at some guy's shop down in the cape once...he had it built for his daughter. some people just have too much money to burn.

The fuji does sound great, but this is the sister that lost not one, but TWO sets of $100 mittens snowboarding. And I bought her both of them because I had a great hookup at a shop. It took her two winters to do it, but it still pains me to think about it. Besides, I want to actually build a bike up with brotherly love and all that jazz. :)

43 cm will be alright, ebay has some iron horse and some other brand for like 300-400 for geared bikes, as far as a fixed frame, i doubt you will find anything for cheap, my girlfriend is 4'11'' also and i am am looking for a decent geared bike and cant. is it the French Culinary Institute? I will be attending there in late 04.

Yup, it's FCI, she starts next september. She's pretty darn excited.

24" BMX bike, you can probably get a reasonably priced race machine that isn't too heavy.

Check http://www.danscomp.com/

Terry?

Check out this frame: http://www.chucksbikes.com/store/indexfr054.htm

Oh yeah! :)