Polaris OBark

Santa Cruz has Caletti, Rock Lobster and Calfee. Unless the $3K is just for the frame and fork, this might be out of the price range, but you will get a superb bike.

guy153

You might want to:

1. Reduce the chainstay length by about 19mm
2. Reduce the BB drop by about 19mm to have the same ground clearance
3. Reduce the head angle by a bit (about 1 degree) to keep the trail the same

sdodd

Ah, yes! Starting a new frame build from an existing bike design is great! 'I like this, I don't like this'

I have enjoyed using the 'bike insights' website for comparisons. ( https://bikeinsights.com/ ) No, I don't design using this website. But, when doing things like comparing an old 26" MTB ride with a 29er it can be handy to understand where the BB/ground points, stem, and saddle all land even though the geometry may be totally different. Or, for instance, when comparing my 650c stretch bike with a frame in 700c wheels. It is sort of a sanity check for me. (while there is a library of bikes, I'm usually comparing custom to custom so I just input data for both bikes) To be specific, I like the 'overlay' feature of the bikes for my sanity check. Below is a picture of a 2006 specialized that fit me well and a Ti MTB frame I was building for myself. The front end height was significantly different due to the 30mm travel front for from 2006 and the 120mm travel fork from 2021. The 2006 was 26" and the 2021 was 29".

simon

sdodd

You are completely right in watching out for this in small frames! In the late 80's I was racing a cannondale (52cm?) with 700c wheels. There was just enough front wheel overlap to catch me off-guard sometimes. Nothing like doing a track stand at a stop light to realize your toe and wheel are locked together as you slowly fall to the ground. The advent of clipless pedals helped this a little bit - toe clips stuck out just a little further and caused even more problems.

I did admire the old Terry frames with the 700c rear wheel and 24" front wheel. Nice way to keep the steerer 'long', the handlebars at a reasonable/dropped height, and avoid front wheel overlap with short top tube bikes. Having to manage two different size wheels/tires/tubes/etc was the price.

Front wheel overlap is one of those 'things' that normal people don't think about until you have a bike that has it, and then you never forget. So be aware!

Doug Fattic 

It is preferable to base your new frame design on your position after a fitting than on your present bike. I've taught hundreds how to build frames in my classes and it is common that they needed more adjustment than their present frame could provide.

With those credentials, you deserve and need a better bike! 3" of drop between your saddle and handlebars is a lot more than normal - especially for a short lady. Even is average (for women) unless one is riding competitively or in performance oriented circumstances. I can understand not wanting a stem to look goofy in order to position the bars correctly. This is where a good frame builder can make a difference. He can lower your bottom bracket height so you can straddle a bigger frame - especially if you are going to use shorter 165 (or less) cranks. This results in a longer head tube so the stem and stackers don't have to make up so much ugly distance. He can slope the top tube for straddle clearance and at the same time make the head tube longer above the top tube (like the Mikkelson).

Raising your handlebars will most likely balance your weight better over the pedals taking the weight off of your arms holding up your upper body. As they are raised, you probably will be more comfortable with your saddle going back. The 2 go together. I'd be willing to bet the seat angle on your present frame won't allow enough of that. Production frames use steep seat angles to avoid the liability of toes hitting the 700c front wheel. Their motive is to stay out of court instead of positioning you right. A custom builder can put your saddle where it is best.

A bike with smaller 26" wheels looks more proportional and balanced for shorter people. Here is a picture of a bicycle I made and painted for my 5' 4" daughter. Her handlebars are level with her seat. I prefer the looks of lugs. You can see I extended the top tube lug so her stem doesn't have to be angled drastically up, She is a go-fast rider (it is all I can do to stay on her wheel) so I made it with 650c X 28 wheels. However I carefully positioned the length of the fork and the brake bridge so by changing her 39/49mm brakes to 47/57 brakes I can use MTB size wheels (559 ERD). The difference in rim radius is 5mm. That allows me to put on a 26" MTB size of wheels so a fatter tire can be used. It is possible you might be able to do this on your present bike. If you want to explore that possibility you will have to take some measurements which I can describe.

If you are going to have your frame made out of steel, you will want your builder to use light thin-walled tubing. This isn't for weight saving so much as light tubing provides a better feeling bike. Production companies have to assume someone that weighs a billion pounds might ride and break it. Therefore they need to use heavier-than-what-you-need tubing.

The two tone gray is to compliment the color on her Dura Ace components.

bt_bp

I’m not familiar with designing bike geometry but I’ll play with the site and see. It’s great to have a way to really visualize different frames.

Doug Fattic thats a gorgeous bike you built for your daughter. It’s awesome to see taller head tube on a small frame. I’ve yet to find a smaller frame that can also fit a frame bag and/or two bottles in the main triangle.

Also, the 3” drop is with 40mm of spacers so I’d definitely like a taller head tube.

I greatly appreciate all the advice and recommendations you all have given me! I’m getting excited to start putting together what I might want for my custom bike.

Trakhak

Another vote for Franklin Frames. Met him in the mid-'80s, early in his framebuilding career---very down-to-earth, no-nonsense guy. Impeccable craftsmanship.