Originally Posted by rybowen
Anyone have experience with bikes for a very short woman? My wife wants to go riding with me but we can't find a bike small enough (she's 4'11"). When we were in college she rode a Raleigh twenty folder from the 1970s, but it eventually fell apart, and it had crappy brakes when it was working. The new Dahons are a bit too long in the reach. Any suggestions? I've thought of getting a kids' 24" road bike and putting flat bars on it, but that might stretch the budget too far (unless I can find a used one).
I'm just on 5" and have always had trouble looking for bikes.
Does your wife want to ride Road or MTB? If road, Alchemy bikes make women specific frames (tall, short, you name it. They also do custom frames but that gets a bit pricey)
www.alchemybikes.com
I rode an alchemy for a while and it was fantastic. Now I ride an XS (extra small) GT Avalanche 2.0 MTB, which I love to bits.
Keep checking your LBS and look out for 2nd hand bikes, you never know what gem you might end up with. Good luck!