Originally Posted by
froze
5' 3" tall? Her inseam would have to be at least 34" which would make her mostly legs and a very short upper body. I'm 6' even with a 32" inseam thus I ride a 55 or 56 depending on frame, but a 58 would be too large for me.
In order to get this bike to fit though there is a way...first get a band saw, cut the seat tube, down tube, top and the head tube removing about 8cm of material from each tube, then reweld the frame back together. Maybe it's a project you and your daughter can do together...at least in the process of doing it, you both can share in a good laugh together and have a moment you will treasure for a lifetime; that alone may be worth it.
Or on the practical side...darn, I hate that side, anyway you could fix the bike up and either dad can ride it or sell it.
If you're really 6'2" and you ride a 55 or a 56, and you're a serious cyclist I strongly suggest you throw down a little coin to meet with a bike fit specialist. I'm not talking about the average $9/hr fool at the LBS that's never even attended any kind of training (mechanics or otherwise) but a real fit specialist, be it Serotta or otherwise that has a professional 'sizercycle'.
First of all I really doubt your cycling inseam is really only 32" at 6'2", but we all do come in all shapes and sizes, but either way a 55/56cm bike is the wrong size for a 6'2" man be it long torso and short legs or what have you.
The least relevant thing to bicycle fit is standover clearance. I mean the least...
I think the Nitto Albatross trick on a bike with too long a top tube results in a better fitting bike, and a more comfortable one, for most women than actually getting them on a "properly" fitted road bike with drop bars. I think the OP's girlie in this case is on the extreme edge of the range in which I'd pull the trigger on retrofitting the bike, but it might just work. The fact of the matter is that most people aren't more comfortable on road bars on a bike with racing geometry, and even of those that are, 99% of 'em are on bikes that don't fit properly anyway (too small, they can only ride on the hoods).
Obviously, the OP wouldn't have posted for help if the woman couldn't safely straddle the bike and have her feet touch the ground.