Small girl needs bike advice

fife

I'm stature-challenged and petite. I'm 5'1'' and am looking into entry level road bikes. I know they have x-small frames out there but I was wondering if anyone knows whether a 52cm frame (it's a Bianchi Volpe) would be too big for me? It's super cheap, which is why I'm asking.

Does anyone know if a 52cm frame would be too big for someone my height??

thanks!
fife

Velo Steve

A lot depends on your proportions. Women often find that frames which fit their legs are too long front to back - in other words their arms have to reach too far forward. If you can adjust the seat to the proper height without having the seat post way down or up to its limits, you are probably okay on height, but don't stop there. Sit on the bike in a riding position (preferably riding or on a trainer) and see if you are comfortable. If you are "crunched up" or need to lock your elbows straight to reach the drops, the bike doesn't fit. A different stem can solve small problems, but I'd stay away from extreme stems. I've seen too many people your size have trouble steering safely with really short (5cm or less) or really long (over 12cm) stems.

If you are buying this bike online or otherwise sight-unseen, get the frame measurements and try to compare them to some other bike you have access to.

Finally I said "proper height" above. If you are an experienced rider, great. If not, get help or do some careful reading. "What feels right" is not a good guide to seat height if you are a beginner.

Steve

pistole

- hi Ff,

- don't think that the frame would fit you.

- I am male , 5'8" , long-legged , and ride a compact 52 , and thats about the upper limit of frame sizing for me. My other 49 sized frames feel better.

.

mongooseboy

you could look into Trek or Specialized which both have women specific frames I have an online pen-pal who lives in Canada whos pretty short riding a 48cm frame Trek (dont know the model) womens bike, and she loves it. I dont think i could order a road frame without being able to try it out, or at least try a frame with the same exact geometry...im 5'8 riding a 54cm specialized allez... im not sure a 52cm frame will fit you. sounds like it might be a bit big!

Good luck, I like Bianchi bikes, but i want a steel frame someday

Camilo

Hey fife. I live in a house of stature challenged women: two daughters and a wife all between 5-1 and 5-3. I'm a giant among them at 5-8.

I'll bet a lot that a 52 is too big for you.

My 5-2 daughter has a Giant OCR size XS and it is about the upper limit of a bike that will fit her. That frame is compact/sloping top tube, so the standover and saddle height is not an issue, but the reach is just barely OK. I think she's using a 70mm stem. Her proportions are not typically "woman" in that she doesn't have the leggy proportions.

Anyway, I'm 5-8 and ride anywhere between a 52 cm (my old bianchi is 52) and 56, currently on a Cannondale 54.

I believe you'll be looking for the smallest size in whatever line you are looking at.

Take a look at the Giant website and look at the dimensions of the OCR frame in size XS and it will give you a starting point for what you're looking for in a top tube (virtual or horizontal type measurement) length. The seat tube - which is how they generally measure frame sizes - is secondary in importance. Find the correct range of top tube and then see what frame size fits you.

Also, go to www.competativecyclist.com or www.wrenchscience.com and carefully measure yourself for their frame sizing programs. That will also give you an idea where to begin.

D132

hey
i'm a new comer in cycling but from what i've learned from the net is that you need to measure ur inseam height then multiply it by .67 (for a road frame) to get the height of the frame you need.
but i'm quite sure that the 52 cm will be a too high for u.
got to the link Camilo gave u.. u just have to enter your measurements and they'll give you the size you need.

oldbobcat

My 13-year-old daughter, 5'5" and all arms and legs, sits on a 50cm Univega just right. Unless you are lanky (leg length>=1/2 body height) and your 52 is unusually short in the top tube (say, <54cm), I'm quite certain it's too large.

eugkimj

It may be worth looking at Giant. They make an XS in a compact frame in their OCR series. I'm considering one for my wife (along with Cannondale). The Giants seem to fit her well - she's petite 5'3" 105lbs. Giant also is very affordable; the OCR1W has a carbon/aluminum frame and Shimano 105 components and lists for $1499.

oldbobcat

Check out the thread on the Felt FW3--lots of good info being passed on women-proportioned bicycles from several manufacturers.

AdamVW

Hi Fife

I am a guy but only 5' 6" and have just purchased a new bike and had it properly fitted at a bike shop.

The size I ended up with is a 46.5cm (Apollo Ventoux) and was told that I would probably fit up to a 48cm in some makes.

cheers,

Adam

AdamVW

Hi Fife

I am a guy but only 5' 6" and have just purchased a new bike and had it properly fitted at a bike shop.

The size I ended up with is a 46.5cm (Apollo Ventoux) and was told that I would probably fit up to a 48cm in some makes.

cheers,

Adam

alfeng

FWIW. In addition to what everyone else has said, the odds are that you want a frame whose top tube is close to 50cm ... and, the Bianchi probably has a 54cm top tube ...

If the price is really, REALLY good (how much is it, how old is it, what condition is it in & what components are on the bike?), then you could probably subsitute a really short stem -- DOWNHILL stems are generally in the 60-70mm range (I'm not sure how short the shortest DH stem is) -- ~100mm seems to be the current norm for stem length, so you see that you can make a 40mm "adjustment" to the actual top tube measurement by installing a shorter stem. The shorter stem will affect the handling, to some extent ... but, not necessarily in a bad way.

Also, different handlebars have different forward shapes & reaches -- SALSA (?) used to have a "short & shallow" handlebar ... and, the handlebar is another place you can tweak the adjustment. TERRY had a short reach handlebar, but I'm not sure about actual dimensions. Obviously (?), you don't want to pile on a lot of additional costs to re-fit the bike to suit you UNLESS you will still be well ahead of the game, monetarily, after making small changes.

While you don't want the saddle mounted too close to the top tube, that is as much a fashion of the times as anything; and, 50 years ago, having the bottom of the saddle only a couple of inches above the top tube was more common than not. 30 years ago, more seatpost was visible than 50 years ago. And, now, a much greater amount of exposed seatpost is the fashion norm. A local bike shop that friends have bought bikes from still seems to size bikes as if it was 1980 unless YOU (the generic buyer) specify otherwise!

I'm 5'9" & my regular bike frames vary between 52cm (c-c) & 57 (c-c) with the stems being longer or shorter based on the top tube lengths.