408mopar

I have a friend who is about 4' 10". She doesn't need an expensive bike, she rides maybe 20-30 miles a week. Her problem has been finding one small enough to fit her, without being a child's bike.
She's upgrading from the department store bike she has now. I wish I knew what it is she rides now, I could find out if it's relevant.

What should she look for?

fietsbob

Folding bikes would be a good choice.. smaller wheels resolve one issue created in small frame big wheel bikes ..

toes and the front wheel overlapping..

Bike Friday's bantam series fits those with Dwarfism, too..



..

indyfabz

The smallest Surly LHT might fit her. My ex is 5' even and has one.

puma1552

Gconan

Norco youth bikes perhaps?
Valance

cyclintom

Your friend rides too few miles for a custom bike but in general bikes with 650c wheels on them are pretty readily available from Specialized and Trek. This means that the geometry of the bike doesn't have to be stretched out of shape and the ride is fairly decent. As someone else said, they are normally special order but they aren't generally more expensive because of that.

coupster

Georgena Terry (Terry Bicycles) used to offer a line of woman specific bikes. My SO is 5' and has 2 XS models. They have a 700c rear and a 24" front wheel so they look a little funny, but she says they ride great. There is one on EBAY now. Item 362290577308 I have no affiliation but am quite familiar with the trials of trying to fit a 'vertically challenged' adult.

fietsbob

Her Symmetry now use 2 26" road wheels, now that gearing went to 11.
27"/700c was because 13t was the high gear cog..

408mopar

Thanks for the info, folks. I'll pass it on.

jefnvk

BikeIsland.com - Bicycle Parts, Accessories and Clothing at Affordable Prices with Free Shipping

43cm touring bike here. Always been skeptical of how they sized that line, but may be worth a look, if she knows what she is looking for.

At worst, for $315, she isn't oing to lose any money if it is too big reselling it

CliffordK

For road bikes, I'd look at the 650c road bikes.

Not a lot of top of the line ones out there. But, several companies make at least mid quality chidren's road bikes.

Fuji Ace comes in 24" and 650c. When we had a Performance Bikes, they stocked both sizes. They are a pretty cheap bike, but could be upgraded with nice brifters if one wished.

I saw a 24" little Giant once. The bikes are out there, you just have to look.

Trek used to make a 650c Madone, but I believe it has been discontinued.

For MTBs, probably department store bikes with 24" wheels would be the most comfortable. Uprade as you need.

Abu Mahendra

Everyone defaults to big wheel bikes. An insidious bias here.

A traditional single tube (affording low leg step-through) bike with ISO406 wheels. The small wheels also make the bike shorter in length which makes handling the bike easier when pushing it around. Like this...

SkyDog75

If the friend of @408mopar is looking for a road bike... One of our fellow forum members, @fiataccompli , listed some bikes for sale a few months ago, including some really nice small ones:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...mixed-bag.html

The small Cannondale is a really nice little bike and I was considering it for my 5'2" daughter, but it turns out the bike's a little smaller than my daughter's current bike. With a 43.5 cm seat tube (c-t) and effective top tube of about 48 cm, it would probably work well for a 4'10" rider.

smarkinson

Liv bicycles are Giant's women specific brand. They have a wide range road, city and off-road bikes.

https://www.liv-cycling.com/global

CycleryNorth81

A bike from Bikesdirect.com would fit your friend. The "Mercier Elle Sport" has an extra small to accommodate someone her size. Here is the sizing chart for this particular bike:

Sizing Guide for details please consult the Geometry Chart
most riders 4'10" to 5'2" - choose the 42cm (XSmall) = standover 28"
most riders 5'3" to 5'5" - choose the 46cm (Small) = standover 30"
most riders 5'6" to 5'9" - choose the 50cm (Medium ) = standover 32"
Save Up to 60% Off Women Specific Road Bikes, Roadbikes - Mercier Elle Sport Womens Road bikes

The bike come in 5 different pretty colors. The drawback is you or someone will have to assemble the bike or pay a shop to do it.

79pmooney

She is also very approachable. You would have nothing to lose contacting her and she might have some good tips/knowledge of what's out there. And even if not, she will answer and it will be fun.

Ben

veganbikes

Incorrect at least with my shop (and a few other spesh dealers I have talked with), we stock XS and XL not always for everything but we tend to have options in stock.

gettingold

My daughter is under 5' and she has a Trek Lexa that fits her well. Not sure of the size.

Hiro11

This is a notorious problem if you're under 5'. Options are thin on the ground.

My wife is 4'11" with a 23" cycling inseam (!). We were able to find a size 43 Cannondale Synapse. Even though it came with the smallest drop and reach bars I've ever seen, I had to swap the stem for a 60mm MTB stem to get the reach correct. The rest of the bike fits her well, albeit with only a few inches of visible seatpost. It has normal 700c wheels as well. Admittedly, this bike is perhaps overkill for your friend...

It might be humiliating to resort to a kid's bike, but it might work. Performance sells a 24" version of the Diamondback Hannjo with Claris for about $500. Not a bad option, maybe even a bit too small.

cyccommute 

My wife...who really is a statuesque 5' tall...gave up on drop bars long ago. I've used flat bars on her bike for ages because of the fit problems. In addition to needing a shorter reach, small hands and STI just don't work all that well together. The first bike she has owned that actually fit was a Terry Symmetry that we bought second hand


DSCN0573 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

Yes, the wheels are a bit goofy and the small wheel makes the handling a bit different but it does work and it fit her.

A few years ago, I found a 650C Terry Symmetry on Bikes Direct which works even better...or, at least, it has the same sized wheels


IMG_1443 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

I've done extensive modifications to the bike...I kept the frame and fork but nothing else...to get it down to a 20 lb bike. Unfortunately, the aluminum Terry isn't made anymore and most of the old stock is gone.

Someone on other post was talking about smaller bikes and suggested Islabikes. Yes, they are kids bikes and, again, I'd probably only keep the frame (probably not even the fork as you can find 650C carbon forks out there) but it's a place to start. There are some other "youth" bikes out there that use 650C wheels as well. KHS has the Flite 650 which looks like a 'serious' bike. The Felt F95 Jr looks serious as well. Trek makes the Edmonda 650 and they have made 650C bikes in the past. My wife has an older 650C Trek at our daughter's house. And, while it's fairly expensive, Georgena Terry can make a new custom bike that will fit properly.

Bikes for small people are out there but you do have to hunt for them more than you do for us "normal" people.

Skipjacks

Specialized makes 24" wheel bikes. They are marketed as a kids bike but I've seen them. It's a decent bike. It's not Wal Mart level. And they aren't expensive so you could start with that frame and swap out some better components and still be at a decent price.

My 4'2" daughter was a little too small for that bike.

The down side is it's a 24" wheel bike. No matter what your friend does it's still going to be 24" wheels that aren't going to go as fast per revolution as a 26" or 29" wheel.

I don't think this is the best option for your friend. But it's worth knowing it exists and may be at least worth looking at. My LBS stocks at least 2 of the 24" bikes at all times. (They are apparently a solid seller for impulse buyers) so she might be able to walk in and at least sit on it for sizing.

fietsbob

Bike Friday in their Bantam versions can even build bikes fit for Munchkins in the Lollipop Guild ..
dwarfism.

making bikes for normally proportioned people is easier, by having 20" wheels

and unlike any folding bikes, makes a variety of frame lengths ,
in proportion to the riders size ..
in an order build queue, rather than one size, mass produced.

Ms G. Terry's bikes are another option, they go with a little smaller wheels
to be proportioned better..





....

Abu Mahendra

forget it, Bob. It's like talking to a wall around here. Tunnel vision prevents the experts here from seeing the wide range of wheel sizes available on bikes.

minerva79

Rocker mini BMX.

Okay, not serious. But it's a nifty little thing. Still wondering what's the saddle for...

Abu Mahendra

Enter exhibit 17. Someone says small wheel, all people.can think about is BMX. Symptomatic of the malaise.