E_merlin

Howdy all,

I am helping a buddy get a touring bike for his wife. I am not sure we can find any off the shelf solution for her size. She is 5'0 her PBH is is about 23" Does anyone have any thoughts? We are LHT and Volpe riders so we are trying to find something similar in class. 700C wheels would be nice because they are efficient, but I doubt that will work. We are consider taking a steel mountain bike like a trek and converting it over.

Let us know your thoughts!

Cheers

E_merlin

After a quick scan - it would seem that the trek 930, 920, 830, etc... may be good choices if we can find one in a 13" frame size...

late

She wants 26" wheels or 650b.

My wife is 5'2 and rides 650b. A lot of 650b tires
are new versions of classic designs and have a wonderful ride.

https://www.kogswell.com/siteORDERS.php

You could also look into a 650b conversion. Another choice is if you can find a used hardtail
in her size, put on drop bars and touring tires and call it a tourer.

Jtgyk

Not a touring bike, but I was looking for a bike for my wife (same height) and found she was comfortable on a 15" after she tried the 13".
She tried the Both a Globe and the Trek 7.2 FX. I was kinda pushing for the Trek, but she found she liked the Globe better.
Both bikes have braze-ons both front and back. Both have straight bars and 700c wheels.
The Globe has a more upright position than the FX.

Doug64

My wife, 5'3", rides a Cannondale T-800 (T-2 now), and we think it is their second to smallest frame. The good thing about it is the compact geometry which makes the standover height less of an issue. After looking at their specs, it seems like the smallest is a 17" or about a 43 cm frame size. That might still be a little large, but maybe not. At 5'3" my wife rides a 50cm road bike.
It might be worth checking out, because it is a great little touring bike.

https://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...9TR2-Touring-2

E_merlin

any other feedback from people who short riders?

10 Wheels

Here is short rider talking about her LHT on a 4500 miles tour:

https://www.youtube.com/user/lurksmar...08/YXcj03dd-r4

BigBlueToe

I remember the Sayers looking for a bike for their son who was pretty small at the time. I think they got a Novara - the one with disc brakes. I don't remember the model. Check REI's site.

Beelzebutt

My girlfriend is 5 even. Bike geometry
starts to get weird when you shrink a frame
that much and try to run 700c wheels.
I have her on a road bike with 650c wheels
right now but I'm building her a touring bike
out of an old specialized 15 inch stumpjumper
mountian bike. It has long chain stays and rack/fender mounts.
It also has relaxed geometry which helps for stability
under load. You can find a wide range of tires for
mountian bikes. Even as small as 26.1. However
if you go that small it will lower the bottom bracket
and slightly affect stability. Be sure to run 165
cranks if you do this.

valygrl

I'm 5'2" and ride the smallest Trek 520 with an aftermarket 80mm stem. It just barely is small enough for me. The Effective Top Tube is a little longer than the 46 cm LHT, so I would guess the 42 cm LHT might be in the ballpark. (Eff. TT is the most important dimension for fit, I think)

She could get a bike fit from a professional, and armed with the dimensions make a better selection.

etherhuffer 

I am doing a build right now for 5foot 3 inch wife. The above posts are correct, geometry is weird on small frames. There was no off the shelf bike that worked for my spouse. I got a great deal on a Riv Atlantis, 47cm frame. As noted by another person, an 80mm stem reach will barely be short enough. Also, Shimano ST-r600 brifters for small hands are in low supply.

We looked at the LHT and it would have worked with a custom build, but not off the shelf.

DVC45

I'd look at Bike Friday offerings, although, it won't have a 700c wheel.

LeeG

that was cute, Sofa Tank, good description.

LeeG

https://www.terrybicycles.com/cycling_savvy/valtour only $3000! XS looks just about right

I fixed up my daughters cheap old mtn bike as a touring bike albeit with straght bars and bar ends. BB was a little high but it worked. Go for some light 26" wheels.

https://www.myra-simon.com/bike/womens-fit.html

this looks worthwhile

xilios

My wife has been turing with a Trek 7.2FX since 2006 without any problems. Pics and details on our site.

HardyWeinberg

From Surly, a 42cm LHT has a shorter effective top tube than a 14" 1x1 (which could be geared with an alfine hub or a bolt-on derailer).

eofelis 

I am 5'2" also. I used to have a 17" Trek 520 (the smallest size). It was barely small enough for me also. I went to the 42cm LHT a few years ago and I'm very happy with it. I think the eTT is the most important measurement also. (But with shirt legs, standover is important too!) The 42cm LHT has a 2cm shorter eTT length than the 17" 520. eTT length of the 42cm LHT is 50cm, standover is 70cm with 1.75 Conti TT2000 tires.

A friend of mine is a few inches taller than I am. She tried out my 42cm Surly Pacer (50cm eTT) and she really liked the fit. She just got 42cm LHT and a 42cm CC (bike buying binge). She shows more seatpost on her bikes than mine, but her reach is the same as mine.

wrk101

If you look hard enough, you can find some nice used ones. I picked up a 1997 Novara Randonee for my wife off Craigs List. It has 26 inch wheels. This was their womens extra small model.

It ended up moving on to another home, as my wife never got used to riding a brifter bike.

eofelis 

Oh Wow!
I have a Novara Randonee frame just like that! I was going to mention that frame because it's pretty nice and mine (13.5inch size) has a low standover height. But they seem to be hard to find. I've only seen three frames like it: mine, one on ebay a couple of years ago, and yours. All the same color.

I got mine as a NOS frame (no fork) in the box at an REI garage sale for $15!!! Mine is built to be my commuter bike with flat bars. The fork is from a Novara Safari I used to have.

wrk101

Another option is one of the Terry bikes. I picked one up off Craigs List recently. Rear wheel is 700c, front wheel is 24 inch.

New Terrys sell for a serious price, and used ones get a good price as well. But they are the answer for fitting really small riders.

I got a deal on the bike, it sat on Charlotte's Craigs List for over a week. I don't know why.

This one is a 1987 model with a high end Tange 1 frame. I need to take a better pic, this one is way over exposed.

LeeG

those old Randonee look perfect