4'11'' sizing help
 

Hello, I need some help with the size of bike I should be riding. I'm about 4'11'' with a 66cm inseam. Somewhat new to riding. I'm wanting a road bike. I think I need 650c wheels, can anyone tell me which manufacturers stock bikes that come with that size? I've been looking at Trek, but their bikes don't fit smaller wheels. I'll probably have to extra order a smaller crank too, right? (150mm?) Feeling a little lost here. Any help is appreciated

Unfortunately there is a bit of a hole in the 650c offerings. You're probably looking at kid's bikes.

I saw a little Giant, in 24" (520 ISO), I think. They may have 650c. :foo: I don't see one listed.

There is a Fuji Ace 650c. It is one of the cheapest of the kid's bikes, but perhaps could be upgraded.

Felt apparently has a few too, a bit of a step up from the Fuji bikes.

Trek used to make a 650c Madone, but I think it has been out of production for a number of years.

There is also a 650c Trek 1000.

I'd keep an eye on E-Bay. There appear to be a few Trek 1000's that are showing up. Here are a few of the more interesting bikes I see a the moment. Or, wait to see what shows up over time.

This TiCycles bike looks like it would be a SWEET bike.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/42cm-Ti-Cyc...W/123400641736

Also this Trek 5000 (early 2000's)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Trek-5000-O...d/264030595759

Trek 5200, also early 2000's.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Trek-5200-W...3/132841730867

Giant OCR
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-Giant-...e/132827491161

Pretty old Cannondale. Missing a lot of stuff, but all the important stuff is there, and you could upgrade to your own specs.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CANNONDALE-...S/292814458740

Felt F95
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Felt-F95-Jr...W/113299038357

I'd avoid the TT/Triathlon bikes, or at least be very wary of them as they may well have a bit wonky of geometry, sized for large riders with low bars.

Any additional thoughts?

One thing I've noted is that 650c tire selection is quite limited. There is a continental gatorskin that isn't a bad tire, but most of the high-end tires in that size are specifically for either TT bikes or kid's bikes, without good general riding tires.

24" or 26" MTB sizes are good sizes for the rougher riding. I'm not sure about drop bar "cross" or "gravel" bikes. There are some 650B bikes, but you'd probably be best with a 26" conversion.

That last is another good point. My short wife has an old 26" MTB conversion, regular MTB drivetrain, drop bars, brifters, short cranks. MTBs had wide rims long before it was popular on road bikes. Tire selection is limited, but there are decent 26" road tires out there. Pairing the brifters with front and rear derailleurs takes some knowledge. I know some new components are designed not to work together anymore.

Surly has bikes with 26 inch wheels that would fit you. They also have other bikes, like the Straggler, in 650b. https://surlybikes.com/bikes

.. And If important , Bike Friday has made bikes for those who are even shorter

https://i2.wp.com/www.bikefriday.com...41%2C303&ssl=1

like some of the stars in the cast of the movie 'time bandits' https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081633/?ref_=ttmi_tt
might choose to buy, for a perfect fit...

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/...wMjM@._V1_.jpg

I'm 4'11 with a very close inseam, and finding a "stock" bike was a bit of a nightmare. My Liv Beliv has 700c tires and I do get toe overlap, but so far it hasn't been a problem as long as I'm mindful when re-orienting my bike at a stop or something. Granted, I changed quite a bit from what came stock on the bike and in hindsight, going custom from the start would have been a better option and I'd likely have a bike I'm happier with, but I was brand new to biking and thought going custom would be ridiculous. Still, while I'm happy with this semi-step through frame and it's easier for me to ride this bike than my first one, I wish my saddle could be higher so I'd have some more clearance for a bigger saddlebag. The step through frame eliminates frame bags and makes using the water bottle cage difficult.

Canyon makes road bikes with 650b wheels, but you'd have to order direct from them to try the bike.

Has the OP, @vesta left the building?

The Bantam is for shorter people, but I've done Bike Valet parking off and on, and will frequently see someone who is about 4'11 riding up on a regular 20" Bike Friday, and thoroughly enjoying it.

The company makes semi-custom bikes to your specs and color choice. They have a variety of models form their new PakIt quick fold to their Pocket Rocket "road" bike with drop bars.

names..
 

Georgina Terry?
[Waterford as, I recall, was her contract frame builder..
so maybe go direct to Waterford ?.. ]



...

I logged into their website, and didn't see a single bicycle...

Ahhh... never mind, there are two websites.

https://georgenaterry.com/ This is their bicycle branch... In particular their large rear/small front wheel bicycles.

http://www.terrybicycles.com/ Only accessories, no bicycles.

Odd that they don't seem to have links between the two sites.

Occasionally used Terry bicycles show up on the web, or various competitors that made similar large/small wheel bikes back in the 70's or 80's.