Originally Posted by
408mopar
I have a friend who is about 4' 10". She doesn't need an expensive bike, she rides maybe 20-30 miles a week. Her problem has been finding one small enough to fit her, without being a child's bike.
She's upgrading from the department store bike she has now. I wish I knew what it is she rides now, I could find out if it's relevant.
What should she look for?
Your friend rides too few miles for a custom bike but in general bikes with 650c wheels on them are pretty readily available from Specialized and Trek. This means that the geometry of the bike doesn't have to be stretched out of shape and the ride is fairly decent. As someone else said, they are normally special order but they aren't generally more expensive because of that.