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| *Vultures Knob>>>Road Bike |
What road bike frame size is suited for somebody 5ft tall? I'm getting one as a present.? |
Will a womens 44cm frame work? It seems like 44cm would be mighty close - depends on your inseam. But that's only part of the fit. A sloping top tube and 650c wheels are very good things to look at. Any given frame size has a shorter standover height with the smaller wheels. My girlfriend is 5' tall and uses a 48cm frame (no sloping top tube) with 700c wheels, it's a little too big on her but she likes it anyway. Anomaly 17 says she's 5' 6" and uses a very small frame. I'm not sure how her gear is set up but I'm 5' 8" and use a 52cm Cannondale frame. I consider it perfect, I have a 1" standover clearace. The manufacturer claims it OK for 5' 5" to 5' 8" I believe. Since you seem to be getting conflicting info here and because you're on the short side you REALLY need to check bikes out in person. It may be hard to find bikes with 650c wheels in stock though. I have the same problem, getting a correctly sized bike. If possible, if you live near a metropolitan area, try to research out a bike shop with an experienced person who can measure you up and fit you for a bike. I must warn you.....these guys are hard to find and there's nobody around where I live to do it. Even if you're 5 ft tall, there can be quite a bit of variation on your waist length, leg length, etc., and if you've got the money to spend getting a custom-fit bike is definitely worth the money if you're going to ride a lot. With a good-fitting bike you can do a century ride and still feel ready for more. A bad bike fit can give you all sorts of back, leg, knee problems, you name it. In short......nobody can really answer the question as you have it posted. You need to be measured up by someone that knows what they're doing. Good luck! And take care out there on the road... Nope, that's gonna be too big unless the bike has really teeny tires so that the cross-bar is much lower. 44cm is about 17.3", which is considered a small frame by most manufacturers. At 5'6" and a woman, I just fit a 17.5 frame. The next standard size down in adult bikes is a 15", but the cross-over height will vary by style of bike. If you are getting a bike as a present, you should really go to a local bike store and get "fitted" so you get something you are comfortable on and can ride safely. Many "women's" frames have sloping crossbar that makes it easier for a small-statured woman to get her leg over, but you must make sure the overall frame size is appropriate for you too. Too big and you won't be able to reach the handlebars without leaning way over and you'll be miserable and unsafe. Good luck! In response to what MR posted below, the standover height on my 17.5" (44.5 cm)Trek bike is 28.6", and my inseam is about 29.5", so I wouldn't consider that to be a really small frame. According to the Trek website, a Madone road bike in a 52cm size has a standover height of 29.7", so that's just an inch higher than my bike, despite the frame size difference of 3". This exemplifies why one should always try out the bike first! As everyone has stated, this is a really tough question. Nearly every brand of bike is going to be a bit different because of the geometry of the bike and how the manufacturor measures size of their bikes. Further, some makers have gone away from sizing their bikes in inches or centimeters and just sell them in XS, S, M, L, XL sizes. These companies expect their retailers to dial in the fit of the bike by swapping out hardware. The good news is your body will adapt to a frame that is close to the proper size. The bad news is that if you blow it, you are going to have a machine that is forever uncomfortable. In any case, the first thing to do to get a rough approximation of size, is figure out your standover height. Standing barefoot with your back to a wall, heels a few inches from the wall, and close together, put a book between your legs with one edge squarely against the wall. Then raise the book up until the spine of the book comes in contact with your bottom. Don't jam it up against yourself, just bring it up so it is in contact with you. Measure from the spine of the book to the floor. This is your standover height. Nearly all bicycle companies publish the standover height for their bicycles. Even machines with sloping top tubes will usually have a published "virtual" standover height. As a general rule, a bicycle about an inch less of standover should be close. General rules, of course, don't always work. If your body proportions are somewhat different from the average person's proportions the standover height may be OK, but the bicycle may not fit right. This is why it is always best to buy from a good bicycle shop, have the bike fitted to you, and test ride it for a half hour, or so. A good bicycle shop will measure your body geometry and adjust the position of the seat and handlebars accordingly. A good bicycle shop will also change out bar stems, seat post, and perhaps even handlebars to dial in the fit. Also, I like MR's advise to consider bikes with 650 wheels. This would be a very creative way to get a smaller machine. It is, however, nearly impossible to find stock road bicycles with 650 wheels these days. This means it will be special order and you are not likely to get to test ride it. Plus, my friends with 650 wheels on their time trial bikes tell me there is never more than a very limited selection of tires for their bikes. While you are small, I suspect you will be able to find something that works for you with typical 700 wheels. Hope this helps. Good luck to you. Hi. I'm also a small rider, 5 ft. tall (a 58-year old cyling enthusiast) and my favorite bicycle is the small sized Cinelli Proxima. It has a 46 cm. center of BB to Top of Seat Tube which is slooping. Unfortunately, this model is no longer produced by Cinelli. However, a recent visit to www.cinelli.it shows a new model which is Little Wing Woman which I guess is almost identical in geometry to the Proxima. Visit the mentioned website and try to figure what size is best for you as this model has a XXS frame, however, utilizing a 26-size wheelsets; mine has 700C wheelsets. Other bike manufacturers that produce smaller frames are Trek, that has the WSD (Womens Specific Design) model and Giants. You may also want to visit their website to check for their latest models as well as distributors. For me I still prefer the Cinelli; as I guess it is now one of the few frame manufacturers that still do their business in their country - Italy. Some online Cinelli distributor in the USA that I know of are: www.bikeparts.com and www.teamcyclist.com. Good luck! P.S. Sad to say that I forgot to add - it was with this bicycle that I was able to log in 2002 - more than 9000 kilometers; with 3 centuries (in kilometers) and my personal best was 3h17min. averaging 29 km/hr. My TT's best was 27.10 mins. in 15.98 kilometers also in 2002, which I considered as my best year. I just helped my ex-girlfriend buy a road bike.....she's 5' tall with even proportions and a 43cm frame fit her perfectly. She ended up with a screaming deal ($475) for an '06 Trek 1200 men's frame (check with a Trek dealer, they may be able to get some still). You may like the slightly different geometry and component sizing on a women's-specific frame. The most important thing for you is to make sure the top tube length is going to fit you well. Women's frames will have a shorter tube, stem, and cranks, so if you're built like the average long-legged-short-waisted woman, you may appreciate that a lot. Proper fit is crucial to comfort, and despite what most shops advertise, not many seem to really be hip on correct sizing (especially with out-of-the-norm ranges and with women's needs). For that size in a women's frame, you'll get 650c wheels instead of the normal 700c. Not a big deal, but sometimes harder to find tires and tubes. It can have advantages, though. She didn't have problems with toe overlap on 700c when cornering, but it's possible that you might, so check into that before you buy a men's frame in your size. Felt and Specialized have good women's and small-frame offerings, too. If you have a Scott dealer nearby, they have a really sexy looking women's bike called the Contessa, I think. Bikes make the best presents! :o) |
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