Cycling UK Forum

Any advice on small bikes gratefully received...

My GF is 5 foot 2 with a 27 inch inside leg length. I am looking for a new bike for her and to complicate matters further she has some persistent lower back pain. She finds leaning forwards on a bike (in what I would consider a relaxed and upright position) very painful and the jarring from rough surfaces equally so. She likes a very upright stance. In terms of where she would ride, this will be pretty much entirely on canal towpath (which can be pretty rough around here) and forest trails.

Anyone know of a decent mtb suitable for her height that has a reasonably comfortable frame? Any other tips? I am considering either a suspension type seatpost (but have no idea which is a good one) or a sprung brooks saddle for whatever bike we might find.

For reference most bikes we have looked at in size "small" have been too big. She has a step thru mtb style bike which has a 42cm seat tube and she needs the saddle set to it's lowest position. Despite this the bike is not particularly comfy and I would like to find her something lighter and more modern. We tried a small Dahon Cadenza XL (as I like hub gears) but despite the adjustable stem she found the size of it a little too much...

thx in advance for all responses.

Ant

Ant wrote:Any advice on small bikes gratefully received...

. She likes a very upright stance. In terms of where she would ride, this will be pretty much entirely on canal towpath (which can be pretty rough around here) and forest trails.

Anyone know of a decent mtb suitable for her height that has a reasonably comfortable frame?

Re the bike frame; anything that is the correct height will have a reach that is meant for people who do lean forwards.

I would say that this means that you need to think about custom frames or at least different handlebars. Handlebars that allow the hands to come behind the stem would be worth consideration. Your idea of using a sprung Brooks saddle and/or a suspension seatpost is a good one. Would she be comfortable on a Dutch-style bike? Is it worth trying one out just to see about the position and the saddle?

Also think about a Pedersen if you can't find a conventional bike that suits.

Re the back pain; is it beyond treatment? I've known people with moderate to severe back pain that is caused by muscle spasms. The spasms have their origins in bad posture or something else like odd leg lengths. Once the origin of the problem has been addressed the pain largely goes away. Sorry if this is old or irrelevant news to you BTW.

cheers

Hi Brucey

Thx for your response. The back pain is unfortunately fairly longstanding and likely to remain so as it it a confirmed disc problem.

I think you're right about the stance most bikes will put her in, I think I was just looking for someone else to say it too!

I will be looking at some Dutch style bikes rather than mtb and I'd love a Peterson, but finding one to try out might be a bit of an ordeal. Perhaps a weekend in Copenhagen might be on the cards...

Sorry to hear of the disc problem; 'tis hard, that.

A thought; another bike that has an upright/short riding position and is very off-road capable is the Cleland, made by Geoff Apps who frequents this very forum.



Might be worth thinking about trying one of those, too.

cheers

Except for the back pain, the description could equally apply to my wife. She thoroughly enjoys her Giant Sedona (women's version). Very upright sitting position, 26 inch mtb type tyres, rarely on anything more demanding than canal towpaths. It is a few years old now so no doubt the Sedona has been "improved" but well worth a look for a bike at the cheaper end of the market.

What about a recumbent, there are those who have posted on here who have back issues who use 'bents.

'bent was on my list of suggestions - but very sensitive to the actual back pain.

Definitely a try before you think about buying - where are you based - we can probably find someone local with a 'bent you can try.

Else I don't know if isla do any non road bikes?

Thx to all responses. We're still looking at various ideas...

Anyone have any knowledge of these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=74632

Seems an awesome bike for the price. Just not sure if 48cm will fit. CRC didn't really know either!