Hello everyone,

I am not exactly new to the biking world, but I am brand new to commuting. I live in Atlanta, GA, and I have a daunting task ahead of me: to try to be "one less car" out there on the roads each day driving to and from work. Partly it's to save money on gas, and partly because I want to get in shape and stay that way. And I think part of me just loves a challenge and I dare to be different. If you live anywhere in the Southeastern U.S., you know that our cities are built around automobile transportation. You pretty much have to use a car if you want to get around. Well, I want to lessen my dependence on my car - they're expensive, and there's no joy for me in driving in loads of traffic.

That being said, I am presented with yet another challenge just trying to find a suitable commuter bicycle. I am a 5'3" female, and my inseam is 29". I have scoured the internet looking for a good quality relaxed geometry Chromoly steel single speed/fixed gear frameset that is sized in the range of 46 - 48 cm (I suppose that would be seat tube length?), that would accept cantilever brakes, and that would provide enough tire clearance for 32 - 35 mm tires. I have found some frames that fit this criteria, except for the size part - they usually start at around 49 - 50 cm.

Can anyone help me by suggesting a particular manufacturer or by pointing me in the right direction to look for smaller SS framesets?

Thanks!!

Hi astrammy! I'm new to bikeforums too, and I am also testing the possibilities of "one less car" here in Raleigh. I've started writing about it in my blog if you're interested: https://nickfrazier.com/category/project-park/.

I look forward to hearing more about your experiences.

Nick

PS Sorry, can't tell you much about a good bike to buy. My cycling budget is next to $0, so I'm sporting an old, slightly-modified 21-speed Specialized Rockhopper, and I haven't bought a bike in probably 15 years.

Welcome

Cheers astrammy, and welcome to Forums and commuting crowd!

Regarding bikes, I don't know much of what's available to you. You could try posting that question in our SSFG forum, or maybe Commuting.

--J

Thank you so much for the welcome, all! I have seen many questions answered on bikeforums.net that I myself had, so I'm glad there's such a great community of cyclists out there that are so knowledgeable.

Juha, you're right - I didn't know that there was such a beast, but I understand now. I will post my question again in that forum. Thanks!

Fallrun, I'll be happy to write in your blog just as soon as I actually start commuting! I'm glad you're successfully ditching your car, and good luck. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in my crazy quest.

Welcome to the streets of Atlanta! I just started commuting in town at the beginning of August and love it so far. Have you had a chance to try your route on a ss/fixed? This town is a lot hillier than it looks. I'm commuting on a mountain bike and use every single one of my gears. :-)

Hi abracapocus,
Unfortunately no I haven't gotten started. That's a good point - I'm basically just looking for something much simpler - I've done biking in the past and HATED changing gears - especially over mountainous terrain, even though I know I couldn't have not had multi gears. My route, which I've sort of laid out already, doesn't really have a lot of hills that I couldn't climb on one gear. I'm sort of a mountain goat anyway, so these little hills in Atlanta don't bother me.
I'm glad to know you're loving commuting in Atlanta. I'm concerned about safety issues more than I am about hilliness!

check bikesdirect.com? i've seen lots of good stuff in there.

Haha, understood. I'm the opposite; I prefer a car with a manual transmission and like to shift to try and keep the amount of work I'm doing sort of steady. My route takes me through East Atlanta Village, Reynoldstown, Old Fourth Ward, then through midtown to north midtown. If you ever have questions about those areas I'd be happy to try and help. As for personal safety, I really haven't had any problems.

Welcome to Bike Forums.

Ask the folks at the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition about Confident City Cycling classes. They'll teach you everything you need to know.

When you get a chance stop by the Southeast Regional subforum and say hello to the locals in the Atlanta/Decatur thread.

Welcome!!!