MarieCSB

I am very new to cycling and just trying to get into it. I've found what I think is a good deal on a Specialized Dolce. The problem is, everything I am reading leads me to believe that at 5'4" I should be looking at a 50cm - 52cm. The bike I've found is 54cm Specialized Dolce. I know these bikes are made for women, but not sure if that means I could push it and make this bike work for me. I don't want to get myself off to a bad start when just trying to get into cycling. All thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

CliffordK

Does the bike have a sloping top tube?

You'll likely be able to make it fit, with a couple of potential issues.

1) You won't be able to get a tremendous amount of bar drop. More of casual styling than racing styling. That may or may not fit your riding.

2) The bars may seem stretched out a bit. Note that the torso heights vary somewhat by person. You can get some mighty short stems that may help, and a stem is extremely easy to replace. Again, it depends on your riding style.

In general the seat should be adjustable as long as you can get it low enough.

You might also ask about crank length. I'd probably choose 165 or 170mm cranks.

Or, just wait for your "perfect bike" to pop up.

Iride01 

I've ridden way oversize bikes and never had an issue. However perhaps it's been because I've ridden oversize bikes from a very young age. If you have a choice and can wait. I'd get one of the sizes Specialized says is correct for you. Making bikes in your size range fit is fairly inexpensive. Making oversize bikes fit can be expensive.