Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
Interesting how the solution for toe overlap has long been known (smaller front wheels), but so many bike makers refuse to learn.
Oh they know, they just don't care. It's much more profitable to stick with the broad middle section of riders than the few outliers, i.e. the tall and the short. Even Liv, which is supposed to be all about women, puts 700c wheels on all their bikes.
I'm 5'4" myself, and very happy to ride my converted classic mountain bike (the RockHopper). Shorter stem and swept bars = decent reach, and 26" wheels feel perfectly proportional. I do wish someone would make brakes for smaller hands, but I cope. And cranks. Great Ghu why does no one make 160 cranks for under $200? Okay,
SunTour makes short mtb cranks, but they're 9-speed, only available in black, and they may not be an easy swap for the original SunTour X1 7-speed. And what about road bike cranks? I have a Trek MultiTrack I want to build up as a rando/tourer, but my short legs (and knees, and hips) don't appreciate 175 cranks. /whine, sorry.