Originally Posted by
MiddleGrounder
This year i wanted to start biking to school to start having healthy habits and such. The thing is i play violin and i have a text book for every class and 3 binders so bike panniers are pretty much a must. I went to a local bike store and asked about getting bike panniers and setting them up but the clerk told me, after looking at my bike, that its to small for panniers. Basically what would end up happening is that because the chain is to short or something my feet would end up kicking the panniers while i am peddeling. I then inquired about possibly getting a different bike. Would i still have the same problem? He told me yes which was rather depressing really.
I stand about 5'1" which i know is short but not unheard of. I really don't know much about bikes but i find it hard to believe that there are no bikes that would fit my needs. I can't be the only short person that has a desire to bike am I?
My wife's townie has a really long wheelbase and a forward pedaling position that's kind of halfway between a recumbent and a mountain bike. I could have my panniers on her bike and probably have a foot and a half of room between my heel and the panniers.
Townies come in various configurations. Hers is a 3-speed nexus (internal gear), not too ideal for commuting more than 5 miles or so on relatively flat land. They have others with a singlespeed, 7 speeds (nexus or derailleur), 8 speed (internal), or 21 and 24-speed derailleur setups. The frames are all the same (a normal frame and the low-step female frame which is shown above). Some come with suspension on the fork.
Granted, none of them are built for performance and they're not light bikes, but they will accomodate you at 5'1" or someone much bigger as well. I do most of my riding on a road bike but the townie is an absolute blast to ride. I couldn't say enough good things about it.