Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Help!...Fixed gear for shorter riders

So my girlfriend has seen how much fun I'm having with my steamroller and wants to get into it, but we're having trouble finding options for her because she's around 5'0-5'1 which puts her at about a 46-47 cm frame. I know mercier and iro offer smaller frames, and there's always the option of a conversion. My question is: does a frame that small look kind of awkward with 700's? I know iro addresses the problem by putting 650's. Also, pictures of fixies around that size would be great. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks a lot everyone in advance!

What is her inseam? I'm 5'2'' with about a 30in inseam and I just barely clear the top tube. This is my 48cm with 700s.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v661/SpaceFace525/bike-1.jpg?t=1231465715

Thanks sqaureface! I'm not sure on her inseam but I'll find out. What frame is that?

yeah i dont know about mercier they hae a 47cm but thats measured center to center not center to top so really that 47cm is like a 50 cm. so she might end up cheating on you lol.

On bikes direct they have some 44 cm's which would come out to about 47 c-t

On bikes direct they have some 44 cm's which would come out to about 47 c-t

i see... then maybe. you could also try ebay or craigslist and look for an old Schwinn those come in like small medium and large and i think mediums have 26 inch wheels and smalls idk. actually i think the new Schwinns come like that to you should check its worth a look

Yea thanks leo, I saw a small Madison on craiglist but couldn't find an actual frame size. Does anyone know what size the small schwinn Madison is?

yeah heres the link i was looking into getting one myself

madison (http://www.schwinnbike.com/usa/eng/Products/Road/Road-Specialty/Details/1251-S9MAD-Madison)

jus click geometry

what they even have an extra small like for little people

thanks Leo, yea the small is a 52. Still too big. They have an xs but that's a 50. I guess schwinn's out of the picture

Thanks sqaureface! I'm not sure on her inseam but I'll find out. What frame is that?

Sqaureface? That is my lovely Sparton.
From BikesDirect: 44cm (c-c) is 47cm(c-t) with TT of 503mm* and standover of 28.5 inches*
(*estimated measurements of new size)

haha! Sorry, I'm on my phone and just glanced at the small font. I'm sorry about that. Anyways, where is that frame from? I've never heard of it before. Also, how much was it if you don't mind?

I got it for just over $200 with a headset and drilled for a front brake in October. I believe they are now over $300. http://www.spartonframeusa.com/ I exchanged something like 20 e-mails and a phone call to Jorge, who gets them from Chile and sells them over ebay, website, and in his South Carolina store. He worked with me on price, which was cool.

I heard a lot of bad things about them when I was looking them up. Problems with spacing not being 120mm, weak forks, maybe being a little heavy, blah, blah. You can search here and you'll find the threads. Also youtube for a kid attempting a 360 bunnyhop and destroying his fork. I decided to go with it and I love it. I know a few people who bought a frameset and they love theirs. So i guess they got their act together.

does anyone have any experience or pictures of the 44 cm kilo?

A 650c bike might be the best way, the fuji track also does smaller sizes i think by special order. The only setback i see is the availability of tires tubes because their not as common.

A 650c bike might be the best way, the fuji track also does smaller sizes i think by special order. The only setback i see is the availability of tires tubes because their not as common.

Perhaps you haven't heard of the internet.

What is this 'internet' of which you speak? Does it come with a spellchecker?

does anyone have any pictures of a smaller frame with 650's?

do 650c road frames look a little more stretched out to anyone else? i know its because of the space given for cranks, but i wonder if its just me.

The Kilo TT comes in 47cm.


do 650c road frames look a little more stretched out to anyone else? i know its because of the space given for cranks, but i wonder if its just me.

+1 (Also, that bike in the pic has 700s on it, so naturally the bike will look disproportionate given the smaller frame and regularly sized wheels.).

What is this 'internet' of which you speak? Does it come with a spellchecker?

Oh they have the internet on computers now?

Way to be a dick...Spaceface stay on the net, just saying that you can go into most shops and get a 700 tire or tube. Try that with a 650....for those of us who ride everyday and everywhere.

"Oh snap i got a blow out, i gotta put my bike back in my car and drive home to order my tire.... no more keo spins today =(....

Way to be a dick...Spaceface stay on the net, just saying that you can go into most shops and get a 700 tire or tube. Try that with a 650....for those of us who ride everyday and everywhere.

"Oh snap i got a blow out, i gotta put my bike back in my car and drive home to order my tire.... no more keo spins today =(....

that gentleman and those tricks are foolish.

Yeah, foolish but they look fun as hell. But for real, I've destroyed tires rolling around the city and from what i have seen 650's are not always on the shelf.

For example at Pmart, they have Pro3's and Fusion 2...not really city tires. I have met a few people who ride 650 due to their height and thought i would share. The Fuji track, Iro, and Kilo are all better choices than the Sparton, no fork horror stories i know of....

Kranica, Good luck finding a bike for your girl.

Please do your girlfriend a favor and DON'T do what I see a million FG riders doing - riding an ill-fitted bike. Put all that 650 vs. 700 wheel size/frame size aside for a second and consider ALL things to get a bike fitted correctly - seat, stem length and height, seatpost height, crank length, handlebar width/drop, etc. A good place to start, so at least you're not shooting into the wind, would be to get her measurements and start inputting the numbers here: http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO

That should help you get started.