I've got a new project that I'm really excited about, but also kind of nervous. My wife's best friend texted me yesterday and said she's looking for a bike for her daughter, Merry. Merry is 13 years old and 5'1". They've got a small budget, but of course Merry wanted something nice. After checking out Craigslist, I recommended this Shogun Katana. The asking price was $85, and I said I'd supply whatever additional parts were needed to make it the kind of bike they want.
Right now we're talking about some kind of Shimano STI build, maybe 3x10, but I think once she tries it out she may prefer flat bars or possibly even something like north roads bars. This could be a really cool bike. My biggest concern is whether it's too big for her. At 13, she may or may not be done growing. The bike was listed as a 51 cm, but now that I have it in the garage, I measure it as 52 cm center-to-center with a 54 cm top tube. I'm going to have her come over next week for a fit evaluation. I'm hoping I can make it work.