Armand Paul

1nterceptor

Did you try all of the possible adjustments?
Raise/lowers handle bar, seat forward/backward, etc.?

linberl

I can only share my experience as someone who is 5'4" and has longer legs and shorter reach. I tried Brompton, many Dahons and Terns, and a couple others before I decided I needed a custom fit. I love my Bike Friday and would be happy to answer any ? you have about it. If you don't want to spend that much $, then you need to find a folding bike that takes a (short) standard ahead stem, not one that has the handlebar directly connected to the stem or use an Aber Hallo. Failing that, you can try and see if some albatross/north roads swept back bars make her more comfortable. Also make sure the saddle fore/aft is set in correct relationship to the pedals and not being used to compensate for a too long reach. I now have a Dahon Mu Uno as my backup bike, but to be honest, the reach is too far for me (and not adjustable) so I don't ride it more than a few miles at a time; I can ride my Bike Friday all day (most I've done is 45 miles so far).

Armand Paul

Pahana

I'm also 5ft 4in and find the Brompton M bar fits great. The Tern I had never quite felt right but it wasn't a bad fit. Some of the 16 inch wheels that Dahon makes are really suitable for short people. My question is do you really want to build a custom bike just for weekend riding? If you live in a city or near one then look on Craigslist for something used. There are so many used bikes out there on Craigslist or ebay, why pay for new . There are so many unloved bikes out there that need a good home. If you need expert advice call Thor from Thorusa.com and he'll set you up with something that will fit your needs.

fietsbob

If you order Bike Fridays they build in various sizes , reach (length) and the handle bar & seat masts .. length choice is unique ..
Even Brompton only makes 1 frame length.. (though the early Mk2 was shorter, they were all that way, then.)

BiFri has a Pre Loved used, refurbished section , check it occasionally, to see if you get something a bit less, that happens to fit well..

Usually production tooling is fixed, so makes the same piece over and over again, getting its fold alignment right, and cutting costs..







...

Pinigis 

I would suggest that you make sure that the seat is adjusted forward for a start. We have had success using a riser bar and tilting it back toward the rider to decrease the reach; its an inexpensive and simple solution.

Armand Paul

dahoneezz

linberl

If you go with Bike Friday, check out the pre-loved bikes. Your wife would take a small frame (50cm) most likely. Also check the Bike Friday Community page on Facebook and the Bike Friday Yak (google groups) - bikes often for sale there. You can fine tune by switching from standard to setback seat posts to get correct fore/aft knee position, and can use different size ahead stems to adjust reach. There's also the swept back bar option. Otoh, if she falls in love with something less adjustable, there is this: Aber Hallo Stem You can get a fair rise and shorter reach even on the fixed stem handlebars on some folders.

12boy

Linberl is on the money with the Aber Hallo and the different bars in terms of adjusting reach. Of course try the saddle as far forward as the rails permit. Your info doesn't state where you are, but if in the US. Velo Orange has nice bars for 28-35 or so. I put a set of Milans on a Xootr Swift and they work fine. Couple of things to consider....
Flat bars are usually 22mm and road bars are larger. Using roadbars such as moustache mean your brake levers won't fit on the bar and you will need larger diameter clamps. Here again VO sells many of their bars in the 22 mm size so you can possibly use the brake levers you have. North Road bars are usually 22mm but the shape of the bar may not work with flat bar brakes. If you have V-brakes you will need brake levers that work with them specifically.
As you bring the handle bars towards you it reduces the reach, as does raising the bars. Lower bars closer in work similarly to farther out bars raised higher. Farther in and higher will reduce the reach the most.
Lastly, you might get a shorter stem ans one that has an angle which raises the bar more than the stock one does. If you have a good LBS nearby, take the bike in and see what they have in stock for these options. Most folders have just one frame size and mosidying bars, stems and seatpost height is how they are made to fit a range of riders.

fietsbob

Recently Discontinued from Brompton, was a Saddle adapter pin (So would only be in Current shop inventories )

it clamped on the top of the seat post, and provided a horizontal tube to clamp your saddle mounting clip onto..

offering more forward saddle position , to bring seat and bars closer together, (or saddle set back greater)..

those with seat posts telescoping behind the BB to fold are already set back that far, so saddle clip mounted facing forward

compensated for that by having saddle closer to what it might be, if seat tube were coming up from BB inline to its axis.. Like regular bikes..




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Pahana

My comment to you is that the best bike is the one that fits the first time. I've own many bikes over the last 20 years and the best ones were the ones that felt great on the first ride. I can say from experience that when you have to change too much around to feel comfortable it's not the right bike. The most important thing is fit. Forget about anything else when purchasing a bike. As soon as you start moving yourself around on the frame your in trouble. If you get to far forward or back over the bottom bracket your changing the angle that your knees and hips rotate around possibly causing damage and pain. Remember when you change one thing on a bike most of the time you have to change something else. If you change to a more upright position your going to need a wider saddle and that changes something else and so on and so on. So when looking for a bike the advice I can give you is try and then buy.

linberl

I generally agree with this, but IF you take into account all the appropriate measurements and the bike was a close fit to begin with, making those changes is okay. I think it is a bad idea to try to make a too big or too small frame fit, but folders often come in one size frame (except for Bike Friday) so there really isn't a lot of choice. But the big thing is to NOT sacrifice the fore/aft saddle position (and your knees and hips) to change an incorrect reach, Get the fore/aft correct and THEN lock it in, and change the stem or bars to make you comfortable without changing that fore/aft position. You're absolutely correct about that - the problem if you just slide the saddle forward will come back to bite you physically later on for sure!!!

Armand Paul

tds101 

The riders of these bikes are 5'-6' tall,...myself included. Not all bikes are shown,...(sorry about the "water" issue)

Bikes hanging in basement, awaiting Spring & the recession of the flood,...

linberl

I don't know where you are located but these could work for you.....easy to change out seatpost, saddle and stem and bars. I used an NWT with swept back bars for several years and the medium frame was fine with the reach due to the elongated return on the bars. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik...809688158.html

Armand Paul

linberl

I'd get whatever is most comfortable, but do compare warranties as that is part of what you pay for. Also, one is steel and one is aluminum. Depends on what you prefer to ride. I have a steel folder and an aluminum one. For long distances I always prefer the steel frame, but that's just my personal preference for a frame that absorbs shocks and bumps without having to add thudbusters or other shock reducing accessories. Do note that you can customize the componentry on a Bike Friday to anything you want, literally anything. You can spec 1x10 or 11, SRAM or Dura Ace, whatever you're willing to pay is the only limitation. There was a big issue a while back with Tern frames (thread here on bikeforums) but I am guessing they sorted that out.

1nterceptor

Where are you located OP? Were you folks able to test any Bike Friday?

If there's no Bike Friday test ride available; and you folks are already happy with your Tern test ride -
I'd suggest to go for the Tern. Or wait and see if you folks can test other bikes. Tern had recalls; but
so did Bike Friday.

Armand Paul

linberl

Call BF - there are plenty of folks here (Berkeley) with NWT bikes, I see them all the time. I sold my NWT and have a Pakit, which you would be welcome to try (I'm in Albany), but it's a completely different experience. BF can hook you up with some peeps here that will let you try their bikes. That's how I got my first ride on a BF!!! Just call them, give them your location, and a few days later, you'll have some contacts =). Alternately, you can call Warm Planet Bikes on Market in S.F. and see if he has any BF demos you can try at the moment. Great shop, and a BF dealer, 2 blocks from the Bart exit.

Armand Paul

linberl

[/QUOTE]
Also, Santa Rosa is only a little over a hour away. You can stop in a Russian River Brewing for lunch and some Pliny, and test ride these guys. If you like them, they are a good deal with the suitcases (and they've been listed a while so you can probably get them for less). https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik...809688158.html

Armand Paul