biria or bianchi
 

I'm trying to decide between getting a Biria ez board or Bianchi Milano. Does anyone have experience with either bikes?
I like the Biria because it looks to be very sturdy and comes with racks but I'm not sure if the it can accommodate mtb and Nokian tires. Also I'm only 5' tall so seat height is very important to me, I'd like to be able to put my feet down in case of emergency and not tip over if the saddle is too high off the ground. Right now I'm riding a 12" mtb which suits me well, the Milano comes in 16.5 and the Birea in 18". Are those frame sizes significantly larger? My Jamis fits neatly in the empty cube next to me, I'd like my next bike to also be equally inconspicuous.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Have you thought about the Electra Townies?
They allow you to have both feet on the ground while in the saddle.
http://www.electrabike.com/townie/home_new.html

I had my heart set on the Milano, shallow person that I am, it just looks prettier. But now I'm not so sure, swapping out wheels seem more complicated with the internal hubs.

My wife had a problem with her ability to safely stop and get off the Raleigh mountain bike she had. (Small size but men's style.) After looking at MANY bikes and having bought a Raleigh cruiser it was decided that she still had problems. No problems, though, with the Giant Revive. One heck of a nice bike with comfort and features in mind. It is heavy and fairly expensive but she loved the test drive (three separate times). I figure that although the Rivive is expensive, it is cheaper than hospital and doctor bills (she fell off the Raleigh mountain bike three times in one day-of course, I told her it works better if she stops the bike FULLY first and then gets off.) :cry:

Although the Townies are advertised as having flat footed technology, my wife who is 5' 4" still had problems touching the ground except with the very tip of her toes. Although the seat was all the way down she still had problems because she has short legs.

I own a Biria EZ Board, and while I do like many aspects of the bike it is a bit heavy, yet it is very sturdy also.

My wife owns an Electra Townie, and her bike is much more comfortable then mine. I have considered selling the Biria and buying an Electra Townie for myself.

This is going to sound strange... but it's not seat height that affects whether you can put a foot down or not. The bottom bracket height is a much bigger factor, because it dictates how high up you are, and how large a foot you need to have to touch the ground. Most bikes have a bottom bracket at least 26 cm above the ground. 30 cm is not unusual. They do this so that 170mm (aka 17cm) cranks won't touch the ground in turns. Having a pedal or crank arm hit the ground is a great way to have a fall, so the design makes sense.

Thing is, crank arms don't *have* to be 170mm long. And for a shorter person, shorter crank arms can be helpful. And *that* means the shorter person can have a lower bottom bracket, so they can stop safely.

So before you go replacing your Jamis, take a bit of time with it and a tape measure. Then you'll have a baseline of what works for you, so you can comparison shop easily. At your height, it may turn out that none of the "adult sized" bikes you look at are a good fit. There are some "youth" or "kids" bikes that have 26" wheels and smaller frame sizes... if you find one of those in your shopping, it might be well worth a look.

And just to give you a comparison point, my legs are about 29" long, with size 9 us women's feet (which makes my bare foot about 25cm long). My Breezer Villager has a 26cm high bottom bracket and 26" wheels, and I can touch the ground easily for a dismount. I ride the smallest frame size Breezer makes. I can't stay seated and have a foot flat on the ground, but I can't do that even on an Electra Townie.

Bet he has settled on a bike in the four years since the OP.