goldfinch

In mid-May I am going to be in Minneapolis for a week. When I am there I am going to try out some bikes that may work for a very short person like me. For example, I will try a 13 inch frame Trek FX 7.x. I also want to try out a Cannondale Quick 3 or 4. It turns out that there is one bike shop in the cities with an extra small ( this is smaller than the petite) Quick 4. They are holding it for me to try. I had to put money down but they agreed to refund it if I do not like the bike. Nice guys. Plus, they will put on any accessories I want on it for free if I buy it, even accessories I bring from elsewhere.

There are a few other very small bikes I'd like to try. One shop that carries some brands like Jamis, Salsa and Marin said they have several bikes that I could try. One bike, kind of a long shot, is a Surly LHT in a 42cm frame. I called around and one shop is willing to get one and put it together just for me to try.

My issue is whether I should even ask them to put such an effort in to set up a bike for me to try. The Surly is much more expensive than the Quick or the Trek. It is larger than the Quick, which is the smallest bike I have found to try. My riding is ratty city streets, country roads ( some paved, some not) and a crushed gravel MUP. Lots of hills. Given my poor level of fitness I need nice low gears. My goal is to be riding a couple hundred miles a month and to do some long rides, but my current goal is 100 miles for this month.

I may have more money than sense. I may be enamoured of the Surly for no good reason. Thoughts, anyone?

perspiration

I bet there'll be plenty good reason to be enamored with that Surly

wiredfoxterror

You won't know until you try it! I hate when I go shopping around with a general idea of what I want and nobody has most of the models I'm interested in in stock. And then if you try too many you really only remember a few anyway.

goldfinch

I must say that I am happy at all the bike places willing to work with me to find something that fits. The recession must still be here.

iqbal624

If the surly is within your budget, and you like the look/thought of it... You should try it. But, if it's way out of your budget, I would not trouble the shop...

goldfinch

It is in my budget but I am not sure that it needs to be.

skilsaw

Three reasons to check out the Surly:

1) The Surly will have 26 inch wheels, while the other bikes will have 700c wheels. I think the extra small Surly will look "better proportioned" than the other bikes.

2) the Surly has the fittings necessary to install carriers (racks) and fenders.

3) The Surly will have very strong wheels, suitable for anywhere you want to ride it, short of real Mtb trails.

Enjoy the process of shopping. Try not to become stressed... decisions, decisions, decisions.
Whatever bike you end up with will be the right bike.

goldfinch

I like the idea of 26 inch wheels, that is why I am trying the Quick extra small. I do like the idea of being able to take the Surly about anywhere.

I have one bike shop that thinks I need a road bike, despite the fact I made it clear that I ride ratty potholed roads, including gravel.

SeaDawg

I say go ahead and try the Surly. It's not a waste of the shop's time if you're really considering it (and it sounds like you are). Plus, why not try a high end bike to compare to the others? It gives you a good range of experiences to decide from, whether you go with it or not.

P.S. Now I'm gonna want to see pics of each option, and details about how they ride!

ecovelo

I am vicariously excited for you...about your upcoming bike shopping trip!

First off, you have every right as a consumer to request to ride a bike in your size. You can't possibly know which bike to choose without riding them. I used to be in the "I don't want to bother them if there is even the slightest chance I won't purchase anything" - crowd. No more. The fact that you are conscientious about it to begin with is reason enough to believe you have integrity about your intentions.

Us short riders already have limitations with product choices - take advantage of the fact that all these bikes do offer models that should fit you and take your time riding them all.

A savvy shopper will take the time to consider what each bike has to offer - what your riding needs are (some you've already stated) - and the icing on the cake will be the ride. You will know it when you feel it while riding!

Have a blast and let us know about your experiences!

Surrealdeal

Goldfinch,

My thought (for what it's worth) is that if you primarily run on ratty (not necessarily paved) roads & gravel trails, then a touring bike may be overkill and your money better spent on some kind of a hybrid bike.

You said WHERE & approximately HOW MUCH you ride, but your very accommodating (From the sound of it) BS owner will need to know a little bit about HOW you ride. Do you like to ride upright and look around while meandering along at a leisurely pace? Do you like to keep your head down and book? Some bikes are more suitable for certain riding postures than others.

If you have goals of ramping up your monthly mileage beyond a couple hundred a month and maybe trying your hand in some light or eventually fully loaded touring, then the touring bike would make more sense.

There's lots of good bike shops here in the Twin Cities. There's more than one Surly dealer in town if you are interested in shopping around.

In any event, have fun and good luck!

goldfinch

I do not like to ride really upright. It is too windy here! I want to go fast but I can't.

I am liking the tiny Cannondale Quick 4. It is pretty cheap, geared relatively low for an out of shape person like me on the hills, and in the and if I end up doing 200 plus mile months I can buy another bike.

I also will try the Trek 7.3 which is somewhat comparable. And I am waiting to hear from a bikeshop on a Jamis and a Marin.

I think I probably will wait on the Surly and see how I do over the coming year.

iqbal624

Seems like youve really thought it through...

Just make sure you're not settling on a bike just because it is a little cheaper especially with plans already to upgrade. I say this from experience.

I bought a bike for the same reasons and it was a little cheaper than the one I really wanted, 3 months later, I took a loss selling my bike and buying the one I really wanted...

Lastly, you need to make sure you love the bike. If you dont love it, it will not call to you every time you walk by it in the garage...

Every Time I walk by my bikes in my garage, I think about how I want to go riding.....

Just something to think about.

goldfinch

Thanks iq, I will think about it. I need to call and set up my bike shop stops by the end of the week and will decide whether to have a Surly built up for me by then. I'd like to try a Salsa Vaya but I haven't found any place with any that are built out, much less than one is a very small frame.

BTW, anyone have any bike shops in the Twin Cities that they are in love with? I currently am stopping at PennCycle for the Trek 7.3/5, at Erik's for the Quick, at Now Bikes & Fitness for Jamis, and maybe Tonka Cycle and Ski for the Surly.

goldfinch

I tried a Trek 7.3 today in the 13 inch frame. It seems to fit and the reach is dramatically better than on my current hybrid. The handlebars needed to be lower--it was built up with a few spacers so it could go down an inch. I have found as I ride more that I find my neck and shoulder problems are eased somewhat when I bring my hands in to the middle of the bars. I have very narrow shoulders and that position lines me up better. The Trek dealer recommended bar ends, if that is what you call them when they are not at the end of the bars. That would be an inexpensive solution. The other option I suppose is putting drop bars on but that would require a huge amount of component change.

I don't like the click shifters but I guess that is pretty standard for this type of bike.

bradtx

goldfinch, Flat bars can be cut shorter, a common woods riding modification that can work with your narrow shoulders.

Brad

Rhodabike

Putting drop bars on a bike designed for flat ones usually results in a very long reach. You'd need a much shorter stem if you did that.
Touring bikes aren't just for people who tour. They have a nice smooth comfortable-all-day sort of ride, are good on rough roads, and have plenty of rack and fender eyelets. Cyclocross bikes are similar, although it may be tough to find one in a very small size and they rarely have triple cranks. Many people like 'cross bikes for all-purpose riding over rough and gravel roads, so it's another kind of bike you could look into.
The Kona Sutra is kind of heavy, but it has 26" mountain bike wheels, so you might find a good fit in that model if the Surly doesn't suit.

ecovelo

1+ I put some purple anodized aluminum Spank Tweet Tweet riser bars on my short commuter (92' C'dale M1000) and I had to cut them a bit.

ecovelo

1+
The Kona Sutra is a cool bike - but the smallest model is quite a bit bigger than the 42cm LHT. I've just completed several years of research trying to find small models of cyclocross, light tourer & full touring rigs.

I am just under 5'3 - and although height is not the only factor to consider in bike fit, I found the selection of bikes in "my size" to be quite limited - especially in the area of cyclocross and tourers. (There are a plethora of WSD road bikes from all the major brands). My first obstacle was stand over height and my second, top tube length. In my research I found the following models fit my size needs:

Surly LHT
SOMA SAGA
SALSA VAYA
SALSA CASSEROLL
BIANCHI VOLPE (same frame as the San Jose and Castro Valley)
Specialized Tri-Cross (aluminum frame - all others listed are steel)
JAMIS AURORA & AURORA ELITE
JAMIS BOSSANOVA

The SOMA DOUBLE CROSS and the SURLY CROSS CHECK almost made my list of possibilities but the top tubes were slightly long for me.

SURLY, SOMA & SALSA - I believe for all three you can buy the frame only and put whatever components and bars on that you prefer. So if the frame fits and feels good you can always "customize" your shifters, gearing, bars,... according to your needs and fit.

I just sold my Castro Valley as I found a small Vaya in January - and the fit was much better for me. It was a simple as 1/2 degree difference in the seat tube angle and a 1 degree difference in the head tube angle - and it made all the difference in accommodating an injured SI joint! I also prefer the 26" wheels, but didn't realize that until I rode the Castro Valley for a couple of years (700c wheels).

The point being.... test ride as many as you can and try to be patient.

goldfinch

Yesterday I road the Trek FX7.3 and pretty much liked it. They also had a 7.5, which has the carbon fork and slightly higher gearing. I need low. As I mentioned, one thing I did not like was the width of the handlebars. Too wide for me so some modification would have to be made. I actually wish it had smaller wheels too. Tomorrow I am trying the Surly LHT 42cm and the Cannondale Quick4 xs, a very small bike. Both of these bikes have 26 inch wheels. One dealer wants me to try the Jamis Endura Femme, which is a road bike that will take larger tires. It is the priciest of the bunch, at about $1800. Seems like overkill to me (carbon? Moi?) but heck, might as well try and ride it.

I need to carry things on the bike. I am a birder and photographer and would carry camera equipment, a pretty large scope, and tripod. The Surly gets props for attachment places. The Cannondale is questionable for getting a rack system set up. But the Cannondale is the smallest.

I am having a hard time tracking down any small Salsa's or the Jamis Aurora and Aurora Elite.

bradtx

"I need to carry things on the bike. I am a birder and photographer and would carry camera equipment, a pretty large scope, and tripod. The Surly gets props for attachment places. The Cannondale is questionable for getting a rack system set up. But the Cannondale is the smallest."

That just ratchets the LHT up a notch or two.

Brad

PS With your birder remark I thought you might like this fledgling Mockingbird awaiting it's mother

shot just outside one of my windows... the shrub is in distress from the drought.

goldfinch

Sweet baby!

I bought a bike. The extra small Quick 4. I took aTrek FX7.5 (13inch), a Surly LHT (42cm) and the Quick for extended rides. I rejected the Trek. Close but not quite. It was a difficult choice between the Surly and the Quick. The Surly was pricier, sexier, and I loved the bar end shifters. The Quick felt like it fit me perfect. It was just right. Smallest bike of all that I tried. I bought it. They put a rack on for me and I got a set of fairly large waterproof paniers. So, I should be able to haul my equipment if I want to.

Today I was out on a birding event and didn't ride. Looking forward to riding it on dirt on Monday when I am in one place for more than a few minutes. Pictures will follow.

SeaDawg

Yay! Congrats on your new purchase! I'm looking forward to seeing the pics. Glad you found something that fits you. I'll be curious to hear about how it rides.

engstrom

Congrats! I look forward to the pictures of the new bike.

goldfinch

No bike pictures yet, but I'll give you a palm warbler: