I'm looking to get my wife a bike but the options for very small adult riders (~5ft) are pretty limited. Ideally, I want to get her something a smaller than normal wheel size, so 650C/B, which is making it tough to find anything, especially in the used market. Does anyone have any suggestions on specific models or companies I should be looking for? Pretty flexible on most of the other options for the bike. It would just be for general use - occasional city commutes, trips to parks. I think she would be more comfortable with flat handlebars, but says she is willing to try out drops. Worst case, I could do a drops to flat bar conversion, so either is fine imo. Weight is one issue - there are plenty of clunky mountain bikes out there that are sized more appropriately for her, but given her size, heavy frames are not ideal. I'd love to find something used from the 80s/90s in the couple hundred dollar range, but haven't had much luck trolling craigslist.

I know these requirements are fairly specific, but I figure there have to other short riders out there willing to give some advice.

Thanks in advance.

Look for a Georgena Terry Symmetry that has a smaller front wheel and low standover. Similar bikes were made by Shogun, Bridgestone, and Fuji?
Trek among others made small frame road bikes down to about 48 cm. Might also check out mixte frames.
I recently picked up a similar St. Tropez 28" standover height.
St Tropez Terry knockoff

Terry Symmetry or Trey?

Show us your mixte (mhendricks' new happy place)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Classic-Geo...-/273834189036

Thanks for the quick response. Checking out those links now and all are pretty neat. I never considered (or really knew about) mixtes, but that might provide the sizing I think she needs.

Any thoughts on this bike? newyork dot craigslist dot org/brk/bik/d/brooklyn-beautiful-vintage-centurion-44/7121752044.html (Can't post links yet)

You might try building one that would suit her. I picked up a new 47cm frame on clearance from Trek and use 650b wheels. It wasn't hard and let me learn how

Oooh man that looks nice. Although I have plenty of time with quarantine for a project like that, work space is unfortunately limited in the city. That build looks pretty expensive though. The frame wasn't designed for 650B though, was it? Disc brakes let you avoid that incompatibility I guess?

Domane SL with Zipps is a sweet ride.

It wasn't cheap. I've gathered up the parts over Ebay and sales over the last year. Correct, the frame wasn't built for 650b, however, I compensated some with shorter cranks (160mm) and Speedplay pedals. Yes, disc brakes allowed the change in wheel size. A Shimano 105 hydraulic groupset is relatively inexpensive, and comes in shorter crank lengths. Good questions

Surly LHT. My ex is 5’. 26” wheels. Good commuter and good for unpaved trails. They offer a disc version.

It’s not the cheapest way to go, as you have noted. Additionally, a 47cm frame is about 4 cm too large for a 5’ tall woman. Realistically, she needs a 43cm bike. Using a 650C wheel (571mm) would also gain a little standover height over the 650B (581mm). A 26” wheel (559mm) would be even better.

It’s tough finding bikes in small sizes whether new or old. There just weren’t (and aren’t) many made and women tend to hold on to bikes longer than men do. The Terry Symmetry that others have referenced is a good choice for small riders. My wife had one before her current bike which is also a Terry Symmetry but a different design

_IMG4975 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

Terry had a limited run of made in 2012. I happened to pick one up on clearance. It’s a 43cm bike with 650C wheels. I’ve gotten the weight down to 20 lbs and she loves this bike. I also found a Specialized Vita which I had powder coated. She doesn’t like this one quite as much but it does have wider tires for riding on dirt as well as a wider selection of tires because the wheels are 700C. It weighs about 2 lb more than the Terry.

DSCN1059 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

She also has a 12” mountain bike which she doesn’t ride much because she doesn’t like the crashing aspects of mountain biking. It’s also significantly heavier than the other two bikes...25 to 27 lb. This would not be a bad frame to start with for a build as long as you stick with something about 2” shorter than what a road bike would be.


Finally, we have another 650C Trek that is at my daughter’s house in Tucson. It’s a nice bike like the Terry.



Finally, you might consider this bike. It’s a very small Cannondale for a pretty good price.

That's what I was going to suggest. Surly's Trucker models are available in a 42cm frame, intended for people of 5' height. It's a touring bicycle, which is the type that I prefer for all-around riding (commuting, etc) due to it's superior durability over the racing-oriented bicycles that most shops want people to buy.

https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/renegadeseries.html

Wide range in price and features with so many models. The steel and aluminum frames have 44cm frame sizes. All models have a 48cm frame size.
the 44 and 48cm frames use 650b wheels.
best of all, Jamis designs their bikes to have proportional geometry so that bikes on the small and large ends of the spectrum still ride relatively similar. This is different from many other options where geometry is drastically different along the sizing spectrum, so a bike in small size performs totally different from a bike in xl size.

So, my links I've got saved are for my 4'11" daughter, I didn't research them based on your spec list... They might help in pointing you in the right direction though. I had more links but I've somehow managed to lose them... I'm about to put some shimano 105 stuff on a dawes sheila that I've got in a 42 (I bought 2 of these for my daughters a few years ago, they are low end bikes but a good size in spite of being 700c). If she keeps up riding I'll probably buy her a complete, nice, bike like the trek or fuji below.

Trek domane comes in a 44:
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...rCode=bluedark

Fuji supreme comes in a 44:
https://www.fujibikes.com/usa/bikes/...me/supreme-2-5

Article on this topic from a few years ago:
https://momentummag.com/find-bike-short-people/

Bunch of small models with varying wheel sizes:
https://www.islabikes.co.uk/product/bikes/luath/

Over your budget, but have a look at KidsRacingUK.

They do self-build bundles which save a bit from a complete bike. Drop or flat bar.
You can play with components also.

1x builds using the Hupp Evo frameset (frame does take 2x also). 700c or 650b.

Frame fits a 700x38 or 650b x 42.

Really appreciate all the suggestions. Definitely more than what I found looking on my own.

I want to avoid a new purchase, since I would prefer to feel more comfortable leaving her bike locked up in NYC occasionally and also don't really know how much use she will get out of it. She hasn't had her own bike since she was a kid, so I don't think we really know what she likes or is comfortable yet. I would almost expect to sell and replace in a year or two.

Yeah, no kidding... :/ Pickings are very slim on craigslist and ebay from what I've seen.

Really like all the bikes you posted. You aren't looking to offload any of them, are you?


indyfabz what bike is that?

My only bike for years was a 2001 43cm Trek 1000. Started life as a roadie but it morphed over the years for commuting. Last year, I bought a real commuter and the Trek is now being housed by a friend as I live in a small apartment. It has a sloping compact frame so there's a plenty of clearance from the top tube. The plan was to sell it in the spring...but best laid plans and all that. Not yet comfortable meeting up with strangers for test rides.

And yes, really difficult to find bikes on CL when you're on either end of the size spectrum.

My 5'3" wife just got a 49cm Specialized Allez for Mother's Day. Her previous bike is a 1993 Bianchi Avenue that runs like a top, flat bar, but would fit much better if she was 5'. I'll be putting it up for sale. Anyway, just wanted to note that her old bike spec'd to 700c wheels, but actually has 26", with<!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->28-559/26x1.125 tires on it. Seems like it would be perfect in your situation as far as size and wheel diameter.

FWIW, there is a FB group for short folks https://www.facebook.com/groups/1961147757534794/

No, sorry. You might look at the Cannondale I linked to. You might also consider this Vita that’s kind of in your area. Vita’s and extra small and extra extra small Sirius are good choices for small riders as well. Given that your wife is a newish rider, you might also consider bikes with flat bars over drops.

Just a note that Surly has some smaller frames.

My friend is just under 5 feet. She just bought
https://shop.sportsbasement.com/prod...ster-gravel-10
https://www.scott-sports.com/us/en/p...gravel-10-bike


They come in small sizes.

I put on a shorter stem. I think in this photo it is the stock stem length. Which we might put back on.

She loves this bike.

I see you are in New York and this is on NY Craigslist. My friend has one which I put flat handlebars on and this is an easy conversion.

I'm only 5'1" myself and other than my custom 650c wheeled road bike, I ride 24" wheeled juvenile bikes when it comes to "off the shelf" bikes.

Try Giant, https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/bi...ears--24-inch-
I personally ride an ARX24 which I have modified a bit for better fit but the fundamentals are there. The Escape Jr 24 may work quite well for your wife right out of the box.

Some of the youth brands also spend a little marketing on short adults. Here's an example with a 26" wheel. https://www.frogbikes.com/Road-Bike-Frog-70

The selection in mountain bikes is better than road. https://us.yt-industries.com/detail/...Category/73655

If you are in the NYC area, we'd love to try it out and would be comfortable meeting in a park, wearing gloves, masks etc for safety.