crystalkc

I’m a 5’1” young woman looking for a low-maintenance, nimble, do-it-all commuter. My regular commutes will be 10 km to school and 5 km to work, both paved and not too hilly. I want to make decent time and be comfortable. The bike has to take fenders and carry a moderate amount of stuff... and this is picky, but I prefer a classic minimalist look. I’m not an experienced rider, having nothing to compare with but my childhood mountain bike, but I’ve done my research. I’m enthusiastic and relatively fit so I think I can go for a serious bike. My budget is around $1500.

I had my heart set on a Surly Cross Check, but the 42cm has a standover that is too tall for my 27” inseam. This is a similar story for other bikes I’ve looked at. I haven’t been able to test ride one because the size isn’t kept in stock.

I’m going back to a few stores later this week, but before then I want to know: are there any other bikes that fit the bill for my requirements and come in tiny? Is it absolutely necessary to have a perfect standover?

DrPangloss

I'm in the same boat as you, in fact, I think we're the same height. I also recently did some test rides and could make some recommendations on a good commuter. These are some of the make/models I looked at:

44 cm. Bianchi Volpe
42 cm. Surly Long Haul Trucker (26" wheels)
Civia Prospect
Salsa Vaya (26" wheels)
Soma Saga (26" wheels)
Specialized Sirrus, Vita or Dolce
Jamis Aurora or Coda
Terry bicycles

Your inseam of 27" seems a tad short to me. Did you measure it while wearing bike shoes? Mine is 28.5".

The best advice I can give is to test ride and go with what feels best. OTOH, also be aware that you can adjust the reach somewhat by changing the stem.

fietsbob

Terry , now is using Waterford as her frame build source.. nice quality build.

I will suggest Bike Friday as another option, 20 " wheels are winning in the nimble category..
and fit problems in getting the frame top tube distance comfortably short go away
with a small wheel
as there is juggling steeper seat tube angles etc
to kludge a big wheel in the geometry

If there is a multimodal commute then a Folding bike is good,
+ you can take your nice bike inside with you, to prevent theft and vandalism.

Bike Friday's Tikit and Brompton share the same wheel and tire size, a high pressure 16 -1 3/8.
Bromptons are famous cult bikes , very adjustable for the fit. hand made in England.

Tikit is cool too , the bike friday folks offer many drive-train choices,
IG hubs and Derailleur types.

hand made in Eugene Oregon..

canyoneagle

If it is minimalist functionality you want, I'd recommend a bike with an internally geared hub. For your budget, you have many options, and your penchant for more fitness/sporty options lead me to think that a fast hybrid or sport tourer would be a good match- the primary difference being flat bar versus conventional drop bar.


Since you specified km rather than miles, are you in Canda? If so, check out the MEC offerings.
I bought my wife a Hold Steady last year, and she absolutely loves it. It is a phenominal bike for the money - fast, ridiculously reliable and low maintenance, and superb quality. The xxs frame would be the size to look for.
MEC has introduced a new bike utilizing the highly anticipated 11 speed variation of the "alfine" internally geared hub (IGH for short), and it looks to be quite nice.

Other Canadian options include Brodie Ocho (8 speed IGH) and Once (11 Speed IGH), which are equivalent to the MEC offerings.

Otherwise, I second the recommendations thus far. Small frames can be difficult to fit, so it is helpful to get face to face advice based on your specific shape and preferences.

Ride several bikes representing several different styles to see what style you feel most comfortable with.

clasher

If you scored a nice small "vintage" (vintage meaning no shocks) MTB on CL or kijiji some of my friends have converted them into fantastic commuters for some of our shorter friends. I also saw a nice touring bike made out of a 24" mtb that someone posted over in the touring forum last week. The nice thing about converting an MTB is how easy it is to get fenders and tires of any size onto most frames, especially if it already has a rigid front fork. I dressed up a nice orange Kona Hahanna with some 1.5" slicks and dropbars for a friend last year, she loves it. It wasn't terribly expensive either.

crystalkc

Thanks! I'll look into some of those. And indeed, it seems that my inseam is about an inch or so longer than I thought (I just measured the inseam of my best-fitting pants and forgot to account for shoes.. oops).

Stubby

If you want low maintenance an IGH goes a long ways, along with a full chain guard and fenders. 10 km is just a bit over 6 miles so the distant is not that great, but if you want to do it in all kinds of weather (rain) and perhaps snow then you also have to look at getting away from the skinny type tires and look for something more substantial. If you have your heart set on something nimble to shave off a few minutes from your commute that's fine, but you have to understand what your giving up, as in comfort, stability and durability. You may want to look at something like one of the Breezer uptown models as they make step through frames in very small sizes, or something else along that line. I believe REI makes some nice commuters (though not sure about the sizes). Step through frames may work out much nicer for you then diamond type frames.

sauerwald

I will second the suggestion for Terry. My daughter rides an older Terry Symmetry, which has a standard size (700c) rear wheel, and a smaller front wheel, which allows them to make smaller sizes for smaller riders. It has a more or less classic look, although the smaller front wheel does give it a rather unique look.
The frames are first quality, and designed from the start with women in mind.

martianone

Consider a Soma Buena Vista Mixte frame, the XS has about a 25" stand over.
An asian lady I know has one, she is just over 5 ft tall.
Also your inseam and leg length for cycling are not the same, usually your inseam is an inch or so less.
If your leg length is a little longer - consider a Surly Pacer road frame - build it up as a 1x9 will provide years of very comfortable cycling.

mtalinm

a Xootr Swift folding bike has a top tube so low you can treat it like a step-through. yet it rides like a standard road bike. and generally cheaper than the Bike Friday. check itout