Help me get my girlfriend to stop complaining and pedal
08-26-20, 01:06 PM
#26
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Cross reference on sizes turns out ok. The 91 catalog shows the SM400 & 800 in small and it's clearly not that one. Cannondale sizes, at least in this era, go to the tube, not the seat collar, which explains the difference between your measurement and the frame size. I was forgetting this was a pre-suspension bike so the stack will be a lot lower. That (and the seat height, in case no one else has mentioned it) explains the reaching-down look.
It's not a slam dunk but 80s-2000s mountain bike sizes usually go small to XL with frame sizes in 2in increments. The line between M and L is around the size of the average American man (5ft9). So at 5ft6 the medium/18 should be the right starting point. There might be more sizes if it's a high sales model or they expect teenagers (XS, 2XL, "ML"). A women's version might or might not be listed a size off (mens M = women's L) and might have an extra small size not available in the men's version.
Thanks for hearing me and responding about the attitude. Just trying to smooth your path... even though it's a mountain bike.
It's not a slam dunk but 80s-2000s mountain bike sizes usually go small to XL with frame sizes in 2in increments. The line between M and L is around the size of the average American man (5ft9). So at 5ft6 the medium/18 should be the right starting point. There might be more sizes if it's a high sales model or they expect teenagers (XS, 2XL, "ML"). A women's version might or might not be listed a size off (mens M = women's L) and might have an extra small size not available in the men's version.
Thanks for hearing me and responding about the attitude. Just trying to smooth your path... even though it's a mountain bike.
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08-26-20, 01:13 PM
#27
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Swept back bars? I built a bike with the Velo Orange Crazy bars for my wife. She never was a cyclist and building a new bike didn't make her one. She does find it more comfortable to ride with the kids than her old too small BSO from Target though even if I doubt I'll ever get her to go on a long ride with me somewhere.
08-26-20, 01:32 PM
#28
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Some of these statement about letting the girl pick her own bike are spot on.
When I was shopping for mine recently, my wife was totally balking on the $1300 price even though I told her that that is what a decent entry point is these days. Of course, buying one for me meant buying her a bike as well. After I more or less decided on the Sirrus 4.0 (despite her complaints about spending so much money), I showed her a picture of the bike in Lilac that was available locally. Her immediate response was, "I love it - buy it." I did. She does. We are still fine tuning the fit to alleviate some discomfort issues, and upgrading some parts though. We now ride together at least 2 or 3 days per week.
When I was shopping for mine recently, my wife was totally balking on the $1300 price even though I told her that that is what a decent entry point is these days. Of course, buying one for me meant buying her a bike as well. After I more or less decided on the Sirrus 4.0 (despite her complaints about spending so much money), I showed her a picture of the bike in Lilac that was available locally. Her immediate response was, "I love it - buy it." I did. She does. We are still fine tuning the fit to alleviate some discomfort issues, and upgrading some parts though. We now ride together at least 2 or 3 days per week.
08-26-20, 01:58 PM
#29
Jedi Master
The only way she'll ever keep up with you is on the back of a tandem. Otherwise, just let her get whatever bike she wants, ride at what ever speed she wants, wherever she wants to go, for however long she wants, with as many stops as she wants. Anything else will just end in frustration. You can either trust me on this or learn the hard way like I did.
08-26-20, 05:20 PM
#30
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Thread Starter
That being said, we have fun riding together. We just ride our own ride.Cross reference on sizes turns out ok. The 91 catalog shows the SM400 & 800 in small and it's clearly not that one. Cannondale sizes, at least in this era, go to the tube, not the seat collar, which explains the difference between your measurement and the frame size. I was forgetting this was a pre-suspension bike so the stack will be a lot lower. That (and the seat height, in case no one else has mentioned it) explains the reaching-down look.
It's not a slam dunk but 80s-2000s mountain bike sizes usually go small to XL with frame sizes in 2in increments. The line between M and L is around the size of the average American man (5ft9). So at 5ft6 the medium/18 should be the right starting point. There might be more sizes if it's a high sales model or they expect teenagers (XS, 2XL, "ML"). A women's version might or might not be listed a size off (mens M = women's L) and might have an extra small size not available in the men's version.
Thanks for hearing me and responding about the attitude. Just trying to smooth your path... even though it's a mountain bike.
It's not a slam dunk but 80s-2000s mountain bike sizes usually go small to XL with frame sizes in 2in increments. The line between M and L is around the size of the average American man (5ft9). So at 5ft6 the medium/18 should be the right starting point. There might be more sizes if it's a high sales model or they expect teenagers (XS, 2XL, "ML"). A women's version might or might not be listed a size off (mens M = women's L) and might have an extra small size not available in the men's version.
Thanks for hearing me and responding about the attitude. Just trying to smooth your path... even though it's a mountain bike.
And thanks for your help smoothing the path! Reminding me to double check Vintage Cannondale was helpful.
Swept back bars? I built a bike with the Velo Orange Crazy bars for my wife. She never was a cyclist and building a new bike didn't make her one. She does find it more comfortable to ride with the kids than her old too small BSO from Target though even if I doubt I'll ever get her to go on a long ride with me somewhere.
Some of these statement about letting the girl pick her own bike are spot on.
When I was shopping for mine recently, my wife was totally balking on the $1300 price even though I told her that that is what a decent entry point is these days. Of course, buying one for me meant buying her a bike as well. After I more or less decided on the Sirrus 4.0 (despite her complaints about spending so much money), I showed her a picture of the bike in Lilac that was available locally. Her immediate response was, "I love it - buy it." I did. She does. We are still fine tuning the fit to alleviate some discomfort issues, and upgrading some parts though. We now ride together at least 2 or 3 days per week.
When I was shopping for mine recently, my wife was totally balking on the $1300 price even though I told her that that is what a decent entry point is these days. Of course, buying one for me meant buying her a bike as well. After I more or less decided on the Sirrus 4.0 (despite her complaints about spending so much money), I showed her a picture of the bike in Lilac that was available locally. Her immediate response was, "I love it - buy it." I did. She does. We are still fine tuning the fit to alleviate some discomfort issues, and upgrading some parts though. We now ride together at least 2 or 3 days per week.
Part of me agrees on letting her pick her bike. Part of me disagrees.
Admittedly, the lilac Sirrus does look great but should paint color be the deciding feature?
These are city bikes that sometimes get locked outside. For that use I like beat up (cosmetically, not mechanically) bikes. Increases character. Decreases theft risk.
I plastidiped my city bike frame and fork black to hide the logos. Now the plastidip is getting scuffed and worn in places and the more beat up it looks the more I like it.
The only way she'll ever keep up with you is on the back of a tandem. Otherwise, just let her get whatever bike she wants, ride at what ever speed she wants, wherever she wants to go, for however long she wants, with as many stops as she wants. Anything else will just end in frustration. You can either trust me on this or learn the hard way like I did.
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08-26-20, 07:06 PM
#31
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If paint color rocks her boat, then yes it can be the deciding factor. My wife could care a less about tech, build, or components, but if she thinks she’ll look cute on it and that gets her out pedaling, then color can be the most important thing in the world.
I get everything else you say. Just remember, their brains are different than ours. Sometimes. 😉
I get everything else you say. Just remember, their brains are different than ours. Sometimes. 😉
08-26-20, 07:54 PM
#32
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If her neck is hurting, that tells me she wants to sit more upright so that she can look forward without tilting her head up. Gotta get that stem higher than the saddle. Also, try a sprung saddle to add some cushion to the upright position (because it's harder to use the legs for suspension in that position.
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08-26-20, 10:19 PM
#33
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She's not racing. I don't race either. But she does the majority of her riding with me and it'd be nice if we could maintain our current speeds or more closely align or speeds rather than move them further apart.
She's already made progress. She's faster now than when we started riding. I just pull over if I lose sight of her and let her catch up.
She's already made progress. She's faster now than when we started riding. I just pull over if I lose sight of her and let her catch up.
You got a GF who's willing to ride with you, its like fishing, don't try to land her as fast as possible but play things out and let her get reeled in over a longer time with less resistance. My wife went from thinking that her 250.00 Nishiki from 95 that she got when she was 12 was all the bike she'd ever need. Last year she got 2nd in a couple of cat 4/5 women's crits, 2nd in a duathlon, has over the last couple of years done a number of cross races where she finished respectably, and this year she bought her first real MTB, a c-dale women's Habit and has been going weekly to Kissena Velodrome to do the individual time trials on a fixed gear, she placed 1st in the second round of races and I think she got 2nd in this latest round of races. She has 5 different bikes and understand why she needs all of them and uses all of them, it took time and encouraging but never pushing and always making sure that she got the best we could afford, which wasn't always that much, to have the best fitting, most pleasurable ride possible.
08-27-20, 12:40 AM
#34
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Thread Starter
If her neck is hurting, that tells me she wants to sit more upright so that she can look forward without tilting her head up. Gotta get that stem higher than the saddle. Also, try a sprung saddle to add some cushion to the upright position (because it's harder to use the legs for suspension in that position.
If she appreciates people helping her pick things out then take her to the LBS and help her pick something out. IMHO everything about the fit of that bike looks awful, like you're trying to make something fit that just doesn't. That generation of bike was never meant to have that level of post showing and many people wouldn't be comfortable with it. The size and position of the stem and the length of post scream trying to make a poorly picked bike fit. Better to just get one that does.
Last edited by tjc4golf; 08-27-20 at 12:44 AM.
08-27-20, 07:58 AM
#36
Jedi Master
I've tried ebikes too, and they fall short on both speed and range unfortunately.
Here are a bunch of MTB to upright conversion examples. I have one in there somewhere.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ersions-2.html
Most feature super tall stems or extenders and some kind of riser townie bar. You can come close to a townie, but it will still be "uggers" as my wife calls it, and you can't reproduce the crank-forward geometry that a lot of women seem to love. I have had a lot of nice bikes in my house over the years of all different shapes and sizes, and my wife and three daughters all like the townie the best.
Here are a bunch of MTB to upright conversion examples. I have one in there somewhere.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ersions-2.html
Most feature super tall stems or extenders and some kind of riser townie bar. You can come close to a townie, but it will still be "uggers" as my wife calls it, and you can't reproduce the crank-forward geometry that a lot of women seem to love. I have had a lot of nice bikes in my house over the years of all different shapes and sizes, and my wife and three daughters all like the townie the best.
08-27-20, 11:39 AM
#37
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I've tried ebikes too, and they fall short on both speed and range unfortunately.
Here are a bunch of MTB to upright conversion examples. I have one in there somewhere.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ersions-2.html
Most feature super tall stems or extenders and some kind of riser townie bar. You can come close to a townie, but it will still be "uggers" as my wife calls it, and you can't reproduce the crank-forward geometry that a lot of women seem to love. I have had a lot of nice bikes in my house over the years of all different shapes and sizes, and my wife and three daughters all like the townie the best.
Here are a bunch of MTB to upright conversion examples. I have one in there somewhere.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ersions-2.html
Most feature super tall stems or extenders and some kind of riser townie bar. You can come close to a townie, but it will still be "uggers" as my wife calls it, and you can't reproduce the crank-forward geometry that a lot of women seem to love. I have had a lot of nice bikes in my house over the years of all different shapes and sizes, and my wife and three daughters all like the townie the best.
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think townie style bikes are ugly and many of the bike in the thread you linked are sweet. IDK how anyone could call this or this ugly. Lots of other pretty ones in that thread too.
Those bike mostly seem to use cruiser style handlebars with a big back sweep. To emulate that look I'd need to get a long stem to offset the back sweep (or else her hands would be in her lap) and the new bars.
So for now I think I might just keep the short stem and add 5" riser bars to produce something akin to a 26' BMX cruiser aesthetic unless you can make a strong argument for going the other direction. The bars I'm looking at have 10-15 degrees of back sweep depending on who you ask. Maybe the additional back sweep of a cruiser style is a little more ergonomic? Other reasons go to for a cruiser style bar?
This is the first I've ever heard of "crank forward geometry". Wikipedia says:
The main functional difference of a crank forward bicycle is that the seat can be set closer to the ground while maintaining the correct leg extension to the pedals. This allows the rider to place their feet on the ground without getting off the seat.
Getting on / off isn't a problem for the gf currently... are there other benefits? Also, I know that saddle fore / aft is supposed to place the kneecap over the pedal with the cranks horizontal. I'm not 100% sure why but I'm sure there's good reason for this (I think it's to prevent knee discomfort) and wouldn't you then lose those benefits as knee would be behind pedal?
08-27-20, 11:56 AM
#38
Jedi Master
This is the first I've ever heard of "crank forward geometry". Wikipedia says:
The main functional difference of a crank forward bicycle is that the seat can be set closer to the ground while maintaining the correct leg extension to the pedals. This allows the rider to place their feet on the ground without getting off the seat.
Getting on / off isn't a problem for the gf currently... are there other benefits? Also, I know that saddle fore / aft is supposed to place the kneecap over the pedal with the cranks horizontal. I'm not 100% sure why but I'm sure there's good reason for this (I think it's to prevent knee discomfort) and wouldn't you then lose those benefits as knee would be behind pedal?
The main functional difference of a crank forward bicycle is that the seat can be set closer to the ground while maintaining the correct leg extension to the pedals. This allows the rider to place their feet on the ground without getting off the seat.
Getting on / off isn't a problem for the gf currently... are there other benefits? Also, I know that saddle fore / aft is supposed to place the kneecap over the pedal with the cranks horizontal. I'm not 100% sure why but I'm sure there's good reason for this (I think it's to prevent knee discomfort) and wouldn't you then lose those benefits as knee would be behind pedal?
08-27-20, 02:34 PM
#39
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Definitely recommend renting one before you buy. That's what we did, and it was a 100% fail. Apparently they work for some people because they're selling a lot of them.
You and I agree on this point, but you should ask your GF. All the women in my life value looking cute over pretty much anything else, and they think the townie is infinitely cuter than an old eighties mountain bike with a tall stem and cruiser bars.
It's just super comfortable for cruising around. Sort of the opposite of performance. The last ride I did with my wife was just short of 9 miles over 90 minutes not including our lunch stop.
You and I agree on this point, but you should ask your GF. All the women in my life value looking cute over pretty much anything else, and they think the townie is infinitely cuter than an old eighties mountain bike with a tall stem and cruiser bars.
It's just super comfortable for cruising around. Sort of the opposite of performance. The last ride I did with my wife was just short of 9 miles over 90 minutes not including our lunch stop.
08-28-20, 07:06 AM
#40
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I agree that general alterations of the saddle height, stem and bars are probably a good place to begin.
Saddle height -- looks like it's high; knees too darned straight. I agree with the others, on this.
Stem/bars -- looks too low, from the photos; could go to a Ritchey (or similar) adjustable stem that's not too long (ie, their 90mm version), along with some moderate riser bars of the "Northroad" sort. Perhaps a Soma Clarence, on the mild-rise end of the spectrum. Perhaps something like a Jones H-Bar Bend or H-Bar Loop. Too low, for me, puts a kink in the shoulders and neck. Tall enough for the basic riding position I prefer, and I'm good; those aches disappear.
In my experience, fiddling with the "right" combination of saddle position, stem and bars yields the most benefits, assuming that the basic fit and geometry are in the ballpark. But it's very subjective, as everyone has a slightly different preferred riding position, a different level of fitness and flexibility, etc etc.
By the way, I've never stuck with the as-delivered saddle, stem or bars. Never. A bike's geometry has gotten me close, but the fine-tuning required has always resulted in fiddling with those three things in order to get the feel right. Can often be relatively minor adjustments in angle, rise, sweep, etc, to nail it.
08-30-20, 03:15 PM
#41
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Definitely recommend renting one before you buy. That's what we did, and it was a 100% fail. Apparently they work for some people because they're selling a lot of them.
You and I agree on this point, but you should ask your GF. All the women in my life value looking cute over pretty much anything else, and they think the townie is infinitely cuter than an old eighties mountain bike with a tall stem and cruiser bars.
It's just super comfortable for cruising around. Sort of the opposite of performance. The last ride I did with my wife was just short of 9 miles over 90 minutes not including our lunch stop.
You and I agree on this point, but you should ask your GF. All the women in my life value looking cute over pretty much anything else, and they think the townie is infinitely cuter than an old eighties mountain bike with a tall stem and cruiser bars.
It's just super comfortable for cruising around. Sort of the opposite of performance. The last ride I did with my wife was just short of 9 miles over 90 minutes not including our lunch stop.
This week we're going for the anti-bike thing: a 10-day backpack in our local mountains. I think most women are susceptible to the lure of the open road and the high trail. These days, it's suddenly OK to be macha. On the trails these days, I see more women then men. I have a niece in her mid-40s who can plank for 5 minutes and she's not a small woman. A couple weeks ago, we met two women who were trail running Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass, 75 miles and 16,000' of gain. When we met them on a descent at ~60 miles, they were talking and laughing., Things have changed and are still in motion.
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08-30-20, 03:41 PM
#42
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This is what I do when riding with slower riders. If we come to a hill where I want to challenge myself, I them I'll wait at the top so they feel comfortable climbing at their own pace.
08-31-20, 10:58 AM
#43
Jedi Master
Really? The women I know like a nice bike: a perfect steel Colnago, something well done in Ti, a blacked out carbon ride, something like that, or for casual uses, a road bike set up a bit like a tourer, wider tires, full fenders, rear rack and bag, nice lights, SPDs. The last ride I did with my wife was on our tandem, 61 miles and 2000'. I have a thing about fast women..
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08-31-20, 04:24 PM
#45
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Consider a mirror to keep an eye on your riding partner. If you see her dropping back, you can slow down before she (might) get frustrated about keeping up.
This is what I do when riding with slower riders. If we come to a hill where I want to challenge myself, I them I'll wait at the top so they feel comfortable climbing at their own pace.
This is what I do when riding with slower riders. If we come to a hill where I want to challenge myself, I them I'll wait at the top so they feel comfortable climbing at their own pace.
Our experience is that stokers get stronger, faster, than they do on their single bikes. This is also the experience of the teams we know. I believe the reason is that the tandem team will go a lot further, harder, and steeper than the stoker would have on their single.
All that said, some people are not mentally built to be stokers. The issue is invariably control and thus, trust.
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09-12-20, 07:50 AM
#46
Junior Member
The seat is defiantly too high. I would drop it an inch or so by looking at the picture. You may also want to consider bringing the bars up a little bit as that may help the neck issue. From the picture she looks tall enough that she would not necessarily need a woman's specific bike but just have the bike set up properly and ride enough to get use to riding.
09-13-20, 04:18 AM
#47
Full Member
Saddle looks too high going by the leg extension on the first two pics.
Saddle looks too far back also, as best I can tell by her position without being able to see the saddle.
Fix those two and perhaps you might also somewhat correct the things that make her shoulders hurt. Which are the fully extended straight arms.
I'm not a flat bar fan. They only give you one position. Unless you count riding with elbow very bent and elbows slightly bent as two positions.
I found that when the spouse don't like a bike, even if they aren't valid reasons, they won't like the bike ever. Maybe you'll have better luck. Mine still thinks she has to have a step through.
She knows you put her pic up...... right? Otherwise you are in deep s#*t if she ever finds out. <grin>
Saddle looks too far back also, as best I can tell by her position without being able to see the saddle.
Fix those two and perhaps you might also somewhat correct the things that make her shoulders hurt. Which are the fully extended straight arms.
I'm not a flat bar fan. They only give you one position. Unless you count riding with elbow very bent and elbows slightly bent as two positions.
I found that when the spouse don't like a bike, even if they aren't valid reasons, they won't like the bike ever. Maybe you'll have better luck. Mine still thinks she has to have a step through.
She knows you put her pic up...... right? Otherwise you are in deep s#*t if she ever finds out. <grin>
09-13-20, 09:06 PM
#48
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TLDR:
The details...
My sister moved overseas and couldn't take her bike with her so my girlfriend got it. Bike was an entry level Giant hybrid with a sticker that identified it as a "women's" bike.
Saw a old Cannondale SM500 on Craigslist. Looked like good bones for an upgrade and I like old 26" MTB to gravel conversions (though I kept flat bars on this one) so I bought it.
We had both bikes for a week or two. Made sure she rode the new bike 2x before selling the old one. She told me she liked the new bike better - especially how the wider tires on the 26" smoothed out bumps.
So I sold the Giant and upgraded the Cannondale. 1x10 drivetrain with Deore shifter and SLX clutch derailleur. Carbon bars, saddle, and seatpost. Nice Schwalbe rubber, etc.
Below are some pics of her riding the Cannondale after I fixed it up (sorry they're huge - couldn't find a thumbnail option). I tried to get a couple with her leg extended and a couple with her pedals parallel.
Now she complains it "hurts my neck" and the "old one never made my neck hurt". She thinks the new bike hurts because it's not a "women's bike". I tell her there's no such thing as a women's bike (outside of marketing dept) and if the geometry works then the geometry works.
As far as I can tell the geometry works. I made a spreadsheet with (1) her measurements, (2) the Cannondale measurements, and (3) the outputs of a bunch of online bike fit calculators.
Here's a link to the spreadsheet (note: don't miss the second tab). Each website gives slightly different recommendations but overall I'd say they validate the fact that the frame fits her. Seat tube and top tube measurements are pretty spot on.
So I'm thinking any fit issues don't require a new bike - just need to dial in the cockpit (stem, handlebars, seatpost setback, etc).
Unfortunately the online fit calculators seem to focus mostly on getting the frame right. To the extent that they suggest more detailed fits it's for a road bike or a mountain bike. With a flat bar hybrid / gravel bike I'm not sure trying to copy them makes sense.
Questions:
- My girlfriend complains her bike "hurts my neck" and claims she needs a new "women's" bike.
- I think the frame fits her and if anything we just need to tweak things like stem, bars, seatpost, etc. Also maybe work on her fitness.
- Pics of her on the bike are at bottom.
- Her measurements, the bike's measurements, and output measurements from online fit calculators can be found in this spreadsheet (look at both tabs).
- Please let me know if you have any suggestions as far as what I can do to make her rides pain free.
The details...
My sister moved overseas and couldn't take her bike with her so my girlfriend got it. Bike was an entry level Giant hybrid with a sticker that identified it as a "women's" bike.
Saw a old Cannondale SM500 on Craigslist. Looked like good bones for an upgrade and I like old 26" MTB to gravel conversions (though I kept flat bars on this one) so I bought it.
We had both bikes for a week or two. Made sure she rode the new bike 2x before selling the old one. She told me she liked the new bike better - especially how the wider tires on the 26" smoothed out bumps.
So I sold the Giant and upgraded the Cannondale. 1x10 drivetrain with Deore shifter and SLX clutch derailleur. Carbon bars, saddle, and seatpost. Nice Schwalbe rubber, etc.
Below are some pics of her riding the Cannondale after I fixed it up (sorry they're huge - couldn't find a thumbnail option). I tried to get a couple with her leg extended and a couple with her pedals parallel.
Now she complains it "hurts my neck" and the "old one never made my neck hurt". She thinks the new bike hurts because it's not a "women's bike". I tell her there's no such thing as a women's bike (outside of marketing dept) and if the geometry works then the geometry works.
As far as I can tell the geometry works. I made a spreadsheet with (1) her measurements, (2) the Cannondale measurements, and (3) the outputs of a bunch of online bike fit calculators.
Here's a link to the spreadsheet (note: don't miss the second tab). Each website gives slightly different recommendations but overall I'd say they validate the fact that the frame fits her. Seat tube and top tube measurements are pretty spot on.
So I'm thinking any fit issues don't require a new bike - just need to dial in the cockpit (stem, handlebars, seatpost setback, etc).
Unfortunately the online fit calculators seem to focus mostly on getting the frame right. To the extent that they suggest more detailed fits it's for a road bike or a mountain bike. With a flat bar hybrid / gravel bike I'm not sure trying to copy them makes sense.
Questions:
- Can anyone recommend specific handlebar reach and handlebar stack targets based on her measurements?
- If not specific measurements then some directional advice? I'm thinking she might like 3" or 5" riser bars (bars are currently a few inches below the saddle) but that's just a hunch. I'd rather approach this scientifically than just guessing, buying parts, installing parts, and checking. That's expensive and time consuming.
- Could this be a form / fitness issue? It's been awhile but when I first started cycling I didn't use my core to hold me up so I had a lot of weight on my handlebars which bothered my back and neck. I think she might have too much weight in her hands.
Then I got her a picture or two of Terry bicycles, which are designed by women for women, and some Trek WSGs. This got her aware. We found her a used 1997 Terry road bike 24 speeds, and we won the bidding on it. Then I said you’ll need me to set the saddle. Measured her PBH, set the saddle to the calculated spot, bought her a wider Specialized road saddle, and we did the cutback based on her balance.
This simple fitting stuff works (check out the site on Fitting referenced by Carbonfiberboy). She is now happy on her bike!
I’m pretty sure her saddle needs to come down, several inches relative to your first pictures. With a straight leg like that, her foot should be level with her heel on the pedal and is flat shoes or sneakers. Thes you can move the saddle fore or back to find the point where she can lift up gently without any added hand pressure , and even lift her hands a little. After that you should look at different bar heights and types.
As a road bike that frame isn’t right for her. But as a casual and a light cruiser I think it can be fit to her pretty well. That super tall stem in the later pics does not look like a good fit for her.
Last edited by Road Fan; 09-13-20 at 09:20 PM.
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