Looking for a road/touring bike for a shorter woman

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I will try to give a little background on what kind of bike I am looking for first. It should be something for the most part road based and should also hopefully have the ability to mount both racks and fenders on it at the same time and should have some clearance so I can run wider/touring/commuting/comfortable tires on it. It will initially serve for commuting a bit, excercise, and riding around. It will also hopefully be able to provide as a for the most part dependable rig for loaded touring on smaller (week or 2) tours. It will be a first nicer bike for and so doesn't have to be something extremely nice but it should be able to get the job done and provide for a comfortable and practical bike.

Now a little bit about me, I am a tad on the short side, 5 ft 1.5 inchs, and have a pubic bone hieght of 29 inches. I am excited about getting into bicycling and have been watching ebay with a friend and various boards but have not found my bike quite yet. I have seen a few of the smallest size trek 520's on ebay which ended up going up a good deal in last minute bidding frenzies and those were a bike that looked kind of nice and provided most of the things I wanted, though something that was even a little bit smaller would be good. To give an idea of what i have been searching for, I have been looking for used miyata's, mercians, bridgestones, old trek tourers, and any other steel tourers I might come upon. I'd like to learn some about setting up bicycles and so a frame with some parts on it (headset, bb, crank) which I could then build up would be an option, and my housemates and I have some spare parts lying around. I don't have that many tools so I have been shying away from just frames so far to save the money it would cost to have a shop put in the things that I don't have tools for, but I haven't completely thrown that notion aside. So basically a complete bike would be great as would a partially complete bike. Oh and 26inch wheels or 700 would be fine. As for price, I am hoping to spend about $400.00 total for the bike (which wouldn't be including bags or racks as those would be bought in a couple months).

So, if while reading this you said to yourself, "Wow, I have one of those sitting in my basement or garage that would be perferct for this lovely young lady!" or even if you have something that isn't quite perfect but is very good, please shoot me an email at mraceebb@hotmail.com with what you have and maybe even a pic or two if possible. Thx alot for reading and I look forward to hearing back from someone (crosses fingers).

Caitlyn

I will try to give a little background on what kind of bike I am looking for first. It should be something for the most part road based and should also hopefully have the ability to mount both racks and fenders on it at the same time and should have some clearance so I can run wider/touring/commuting/comfortable tires on it. It will initially serve for commuting a bit, excercise, and riding around. It will also hopefully be able to provide as a for the most part dependable rig for loaded touring on smaller (week or 2) tours. It will be a first nicer bike for and so doesn't have to be something extremely nice but it should be able to get the job done and provide for a comfortable and practical bike.

Now a little bit about me, I am a tad on the short side, 5 ft 1.5 inchs, and have a pubic bone hieght of 29 inches. I am excited about getting into bicycling and have been watching ebay with a friend and various boards but have not found my bike quite yet. I have seen a few of the smallest size trek 520's on ebay which ended up going up a good deal in last minute bidding frenzies and those were a bike that looked kind of nice and provided most of the things I wanted, though something that was even a little bit smaller would be good. To give an idea of what i have been searching for, I have been looking for used miyata's, mercians, bridgestones, old trek tourers, and any other steel tourers I might come upon. I'd like to learn some about setting up bicycles and so a frame with some parts on it (headset, bb, crank) which I could then build up would be an option, and my housemates and I have some spare parts lying around. I don't have that many tools so I have been shying away from just frames so far to save the money it would cost to have a shop put in the things that I don't have tools for, but I haven't completely thrown that notion aside. So basically a complete bike would be great as would a partially complete bike. Oh and 26inch wheels or 700 would be fine. As for price, I am hoping to spend about $400.00 total for the bike (which wouldn't be including bags or racks as those would be bought in a couple months).

So, if while reading this you said to yourself, "Wow, I have one of those sitting in my basement or garage that would be perferct for this lovely young lady!" or even if you have something that isn't quite perfect but is very good, please shoot me an email at mraceebb@hotmail.com with what you have and maybe even a pic or two if possible. Thx alot for reading and I look forward to hearing back from someone (crosses fingers).

Caitlyn

the mercier elle is great for shorter women.( made for small women)..I love mine...is is at a great selling price, but more than you mentioned wanting to pay. type in Mercier Elle to search web, and you should fing it. good luck!

You might look at the 2005 Trek 1000C WSD. It comes in very small frame sizes and the WSD geometry should make it an even better fit for you. I have the 04 Trek 1500 WSD 51cm 650C wheel. I'm 5'3", 30-inch inseam, and that bike fits me great. The 1000C WSD even comes in a 45cm frame. That may be too small for you. The "C" in 1000C stands for "comfort." The geometry is different than the other Trek road bikes. Price is slightly higher than what you wanted. (don't go by the retail price on the website. dealers sell for quite a bit less than that)

I also have a Trek 7200 FX. It could be a consideration for you also. It's in the price range you stipulated. It's got 700c x 35c tires - so it can handle commuting and loaded touring easily. It has a more aggressive stance (i.e. more aero riding position) than typical "hybrids." I am very happy with it. It's a joy to ride. Cost was $329.

Good luck,
Shannon