Bike for a shorter person.

A friend of mine, who is 4'8", has been looking for a city commuter (or road bike) and has not had any luck finding a bike the right size for her. She wants to avoid kids' bikes if possible. I know there are 650c road bikes, but I don't see many of them around, and don't know what frame sizes are available.

Does anyone have any suggestions? She is also on a college student budget.

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Permalink Reply by Leah on September 5, 2008 at 3:00pm
I'm 5'2", and while not as short as your friend, I run into this sometimes as well. I know that some bike manufacturers (Fuji comes to mind) make 43cm frames with 650 wheels. You may want to look into women's specific bikes. They say they're proportioned better for women, but even outside of that, they sometimes come in smaller sizes than the men's versions.

Your friend may want to contact someone involved in juniors' programs. I know that xXx has a juniors development program and the Track Cats are a juniors track team, so hopefully someone who's closer to these programs could weigh in.

xXx Racing Juniors Program
Track Cats
Permalink Reply by Homebuilt on September 8, 2008 at 10:55am
Unfortunately, bikes in that size are not cheap, since there just aren't that many made. She might try a nicer 24" wheel "kids" bike and add slicks to it as a commuter. If she's ready to spend some money, try www.TerryBicycles.com.
If she has time, she may be able to find something on ebay or Craigslist, but plan on 6mo. to a year of looking.
Permalink Reply by Homebuilt on September 17, 2008 at 10:35am
Permalink Reply by Abby on September 18, 2008 at 10:18am
I am tiny too...this spring I found a very tiny old Schwinn Junior road bike from the early 70s (brown)...its just a frame, fork and handlebars right now but it's sitting in the back hall of our house waiting for the right rider. If you want it for your friend, let me know. I paid like 10 bucks...so I'm sure we can work out a reasonable price!
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on September 18, 2008 at 10:27am
I am 4'9 (and a 1/2) and I have a bianci eros donna which fits me pretty well... she's welcome to call or email me and she can try out my bike if she'd like. it's not jody from CBF, right? I guess not since she's a student.
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on September 18, 2008 at 10:28am
abby, I'd love to come look at it!
e-mail me...
Abby said:
I am tiny too...this spring I found a very tiny old Schwinn Junior road bike from the early 70s (brown)...its just a frame, fork and handlebars right now but it's sitting in the back hall of our house waiting for the right rider. If you want it for your friend, let me know. I paid like 10 bucks...so I'm sure we can work out a reasonable price!

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