Vegelovin

Hello,

I am interested in buying a new bike and am new to the idea of touring (most previous experience is with mountain biking). I would like to tour across the United States so I am looking for a good touring bike that will last a long time and is built for a relatively short woman. I do plan to have it customized but I would like a good starting point so I can start riding it right away and maximize the time I have to prepare for the trip. I am just under 5' and I find that most large bikes are too big for me. Does anyone have recommendations for a decent bike?

NormanF

Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bike from 42 cm upwards.

My advice is go to your LBS and see what bike would fit you best.

At your height, its either going to be 26" or 650B.

MichaelW

LHT is over-built for small riders but seems to be the only stock touring bike using 26" MTB wheels. For continental, self-supported touring it is a good, dependable choice.
650b is a nice size wheel but road tyres are still a niche product.

indyfabz

Overbuilt for small riders? Don't tell that to this 5' tall rider:




OP: This is the smallest LHT Surly makes. The GF loves it.

CliffordK

Browse the Terry Website a bit as they specialize in smaller women's bikes.
Terry - Women's Cycling Clothing, Women's Bikes, Saddles, Bicycling Apparel, Jerseys, Shorts & Skorts

As far as touring, you have to define your goals a bit.

• Paved, Gravel, Dirt?
• Loaded?
• Fully Supported Tours (no need to carry anything on your bike).

If you're planning on travelling light on the roads, then that would open up a wide variety of road bikes. Some major manufactures used to make 650b or 650c road bikes, although apparently the selection from the last couple of years is more restricted.

Something like this would make a wonderful moderate road "touring" bike.
Seven Cycles TI Axiom Bike 43 cm 650c | eBay (ends Friday at Noon)

rhm

650b is not really an option; the whole point of 650b is that you get a wheel about the same size as 700c but with a much fatter tire.

650c is a significantly smaller wheel size, and well suited to a smaller person. But most 650c tires are very thin and not well suited to touring (though Terry sells a 28mm tire that should be okay).

26", the common mountain bike size (559 mm), would be the best bet for a small person's touring bike. You can get tires of almost any thickness (but I'd recommend 32 mm). Finding a suitable touring bike that size might still be a challenge, though.

I also suggest you look at bikes with 20" wheels, including folding bikes. Bike Friday, in particular, specializes in folding touring bikes. According to their website, "No matter what your size, we can build a bike that will fit your body as well as your needs. We offer the New World Tourist Lite for smaller riders who want a lighter bike..."

https://www.bikefriday.com/bicycles/touring

Full disclosure, I do ride folding bikes a lot but have never ridden a Bike Friday. All the Bike Friday owners I've ever met were immensely pleased with their bikes.

indyfabz

Pleased to make your acquaintance. I have a Friday NWT. Bought it when I had to commute to NJ for work 3 days/week. The idea was that I could fold it and get a ride partially home if the weather turned really ugly. While I know people do, I cannot imagine touring on the thing. The 20" wheel makes for a rough ride. The lack of a top tube is annoying. The long "head tube"/mast never felt stiff enough, but I am tall (6'2"), so that might not be an issue on smaller bikes. And I never felt that stable on it. The bike sits in my basement and serves as my backup commuting bike. Not sure how weight you could or would want to hang on it. More likely you end up using a trailer like the three people I saw touring on BFs. One was riding a WNT. The other two were on a tandem (Pocket Rocket, perhaps) and pulling their gear in a BF trailer.

djb

my wife is about 5'1" and an xs frame of her road bike (Giant Avail) fits her fairly well, we did swap out the stock stem to a shorter one.
Being a good 1 1/2 inches shorter than her, xs frames might still be long for you, but it depends on the bike, and your body proportions/flexibility etc etc.
A point to look out for when looking at bikes is how diff bikes have the bars at very diff heights in relation to the seat, some are higher up and so that will help. That said, the main issue for you at your height is the usual issue with small frames with 700 wheels that your toes can hit the front wheel, toe overlap, at extreme steering angles. My wifes xs frame does this a little, but isnt really an issue, but then also she has 25mm tires and no fenders, so this would be much more of a problem with larger tires and fenders, you wouldnt want that.--this gets back to the suggestions of a bike like the LHT that will have 26in wheels, smaller diameter.
One factor to take into consideration is that a LHT is not a light zippy bike, so unloaded its not really fast feeling ("truck" in the name) but as you mention the importance of wnatinng to do a long tour, its a good choice--especially because of the smaller wheels and eliminating the issues of smaller frames with larger 700c wheels.

good luck visiting stores and trying out bikes.

sleepyhead

My wife is going through this now. She's under 5ft and it seems nothing is right for her because of standover height.
Anyway here is a list of small bikes that I found helpfull.

https://cyclingabout.com/list-of-tou...ller-cyclists/

Trevtassie

If you don't necessarily want to go for a new new bike, what about a 90's steel MTB. Find a top end one in small or even a ladies and go crazy with the parts! 26" wheels and with a sloping down tube easy to step over.

mstateglfr 

A couple of frame options that take 26" wheels.

you can then customize the components to make it exactly what you are looking for(through talking and working with a bike shop)


VO Campeur Frameset - Frames
Saga Frame Set | SOMA Fabrications

The frames are basically the same cost as a Surly LHT frame.


Both are very well designed and made frames. Quality all around, from what ive read.

Tourist in MSN

Or maybe an older steel mixte hybrid? I picked up one that a neighbor put in the trash a couple years ago. I think the bike would have easily been converted into a touring bike for a smaller woman.

I fixed it up to put on my trainer - I am over 6', it took a long time for me to find a tall enough seatpost for me to use it.

fietsbob

Georgina Terry has long made bicycles for women .. TRek has WSD models in many types ..

Bike Fridays bikes can also be sized to fit perfectly, and are made to pack down to suitcase size

and so as to save money on every Fee grasping Flight you take, by being exempt from those fees .
(Because it's just another suitcase. )