Cycling UK Forum

Hello all. Haven't been here before but I thought it might be a good place to ask this question...
I want to sort out a new bike for my 5' 1" wife, but a bit befuddled what to get. Basically it needs to:
- be the right size (currently 17" C-T, but 'ladies' frame - she likes that so maybe a 14" normal frame would do the job too?)
- be ok for road/towpath use
- have rack/mudguard braze ons etc.
- be fully rigid
- have 26" wheels
- as light as poss given such a small frame
And the killer budget - £200ish.
There are some good deals on hybrids around, but they tend to be 700c which is silly for such a small bike. Cheapish MTB might do, but hard to find one without sus forks. I reckon this EBC one http://preview.tinyurl.com/7drrn7 might do it, but 31lb still seems heavy for something this size - although I know at this price it's never going to be that lightweight.
Any other ideas?
Cheers
Ben

Does it have to be a step through frame?
If not, a secondhand mountain bike would be great. Ask on the wanteds section, £200 would find you something lovely.

Thanks - a very small frame would do as opposed to a stepthrough, just depends what's about. I usually buy things 2nd hand, but having difficulty finding the right thing. May well post a wanted...

My wfie is 5' and a 1/4" and rides a Ladies Dawes Discovery 201. The 700C wheels are fine on the bike and the frame is proportioned correctly for her. I had to ride it from the shop when she bought it and with the seat up for me the 12 miles home were a pleasure.

sqwheeler wrote: I reckon this EBC one http://preview.tinyurl.com/7drrn7 might do it...

That really is a Good Buy.
I bought one for my daughter last year for riding to college and some light off-road use. All it needed was a rack.
Tyres are sturdy but not knobbly, and it comes with guards.
I'd highly recommend it.

Unfortunately it was so good, a thieving scrote took it
I've just got the insurance back.

Looks like a fine bike for the price. The only lighter alternative of comparable quality I can think of is in the Islabikes range of children's bikes (don't worry, they won't look silly).
Willem

Second the suggestion of an Islabike - my wife has a Luath 26 which is very similar in dimensions to her 'designed for petite women' Orbit Gold Medal 18/26.

The Luath has all the fittings for upgrade to a triple if that is needed.

Light weight and a £200 budget are not really compatable with each other though!

I bought my 5' mum a Dawes Red Feather which fits the bill (I had the same requirements re. smaller wheels and a step through), but to be honest it doesn't look as well specced as that Edinburgh Bike Coop example!

http://www.dawescycles.com/dawes/red-feather.htm

I have used Tony Oliver's book on touring bikes as a source of frame sizing information, especially for small frames, my wife is 5'2". She had been very happy for many years with her 19 1/2" Dawes Galaxy Mixte, but living and working in a salt ladened environment meant it simply rusted away after many years of use. This model, from the early eighties does come up on eBay. Overlap not a problem.

Imagine my joy when an unused Tony Oliver custom tourer designed for a 5'2" lady came up on eBay. My wife really wanted a mixte but this had a semi sloping top tube. She was a bit concerned, but when she tried it, it fitted so well she is happy with it and mounts and dismounts the bike without trouble. This top tube ctc is 50cm (19 1/2" same as before) and the seat tube ctc is 42cm ( 16 1/2") with 650b wheels which I guess are very close to 26" mtb size.

Tony's book might be available at a library or it sometimes turns up on eBay.

Possibly keep your eye open for a 14" MTB frame and swap your components over? Keep an eye on top tube length though.

Brian

In fact this ladies 19 1/2" Galaxy might just do

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DAWES-GALAXY-LADI ... 1|240:1318

Brian

I much prefer smaller wheels for smaller people such as my own wife, to maintain a decent geometry.
Willem

Petite women aren't really catered for by non-custom builders. My wife has a 19" Cannondale with 155mm cranks and 700mm wheels and she loves it but she is 5' 3".

Your best bet would be to find a 12" or 13" MTB, preferably rigid for road riding and put some slicks on. That will be roughly equivalent to a 17" road frame which is approx what she'd be looking at. Islabikes do a 26" wheeled MTB style bike with slick tyres and downsized cranks and other components which would be perfect. My son has one but I believe Isla has since dropped the triple chainset that made it so versatile. It was about £250 last year.

There's little Kona on ebay at the moment you don't see them in such a small size very often.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KONA-BIKE_W0QQitemZ180320353318QQihZ008QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I would second glueman's reminder of the importance of shorter cranks. I got some 160 mm's for my wife, and it has improved her style. This, I think is another argument in favour of the Islabikes.
Willem

I currently have a Specialized HardrockX Country mountain bike that could do with a good home. It has mudguards, rack, front suspension. 26'' wheels, 17'' frame that is tool small for me at 5'4''. The bike has done approx 1000 miles and is two years old.