Needing help with bike sizes for a short friend
 

I'll just start with, I am a Clyde. and trying to help a a fellow Veteran find a bike. She is quite short, 4'9", she had 13" framed MTB stolen last year. Has never been on a road bike that fit. She would prefer another MTB, and I'm unable to help her find one locally. But she is willing to consider a road bike. She HATES the bike stores and all the pressure. So no idea what size to even look for.

Conversely, I'm also beginning to look for a road bike for my nearly 11 year old granddaughter. She is 5'3" already...

One option is to start with another MTB. You can still get decent, narrow slicks in 26”.
Older, good quality rigid MTBs tend to be quite nice for road use.
Build up from there.

Hey Clyde, when I was shopping for a new to me road bike, I came across a lot of nice bikes for decent prices in the 48cm range. It upset me because they were usually everything I was looking for except being way too small. You need to find a nice one on CL that you can go look at and test ride. You'll know right away if it's the one or even worth pursuing a road bike. MTB's always seem cheap and plentiful when you're not looking for one and the size range is much more forgiving due to design. Like Dabac stated, a solid frame MTB can make a somewhat usable road bike with the right tires and upgrades. Good luck,


I should clarify, I meant for your friend to test ride.

Good luck. My wife is 5'-2" and never found a road bike she would ride. Maybe if I could have found one with smaller wheels, but they just don't make road bikes with smaller wheels.

Are you certain she really wants a road bike? If this is just for comfortable riding for an hour or so, then there are many other bike types beside road bikes that are made for the road. Easier to find bikes with smaller wheels in the other categories of bike which is generally good for shorter folks. Or at least my wife will try out a bike with smaller wheels and won't touch a 700c or bigger.

If I wasn't trying to ride long and hard, I'd go for a cruiser with swept back handlebars and 7, 8 or 9 speeds on the rear. Next up would be a real mountain bike without the suspension on front or rear, though I'd put slicks on it.

If you are going to build a bike, might turn into more cost than you think unless you have a bunch of usable components on the shelf already. A good cruiser can be had for less than $400 with 7 speeds on the rear.

You need to look for junior road bikes. They come with, 24”, 26”, and 650 wheel sizes. I’m not talking cheap kids bikes, but good bikes that will fit younger/shorter riders.

John

Added: As an example, Specialized makes an Allez Jr that comes in 44cm with 650 wheels. Supposed to fit 4’8” to 5’0”.

I'm 5'1" with a 29" inseam. I ride a road bike sized 42-47cm comfortably. My current road bikes are a 42cm with 650c wheels, a 47cm Trek WSD also with 650c wheels, and a 46cm with 650b wheels.
I also have a 49cm with the standard 700c but it is a tad big for me. Like 70sSanO said, anything with 650b/c wheels will probably fit best. I'm not familiar with mountain bike sizing but the 26" wheels should help.

For the lady that's 4'9" the best starting place would be to look at 24" wheel juvenile Mtn bikes. I ride a Giant ARX 24 with some modifications (longer seatpost and a stem riser) and I'm 5'1".
Since your grand daughter is still growing and already 5'3" she would likely be fine starting on a small 700c wheeled bike.

Thanks all! Last year I was looking at used junior sized road bikes for my granddaughter, just before Covid, there were plenty but I waited a little too long. Those sizes just aren't available this year.

My friend would prefer a MTB, her previous bike was a Performance Bike branded 13" with 26" wheels. But, she wouldn't say no to a road bike at the right price...