esther-L

I'm not short (5' 5.5"). But I have a short torso, and a short reach.
My spouse got a Birdy folder, which he loves. But the reach on that bike is just too long for me! My typical reach is 58cm from saddle center to the stem on handlebars.
I am pricing a Bike Friday because they build the frame to your size. Just wanted to ask if there is some brand of folder that I should consider.

I am so jealous of my spouse with the suspension on the Birdy!

tdonline

I had a Dahon d8 that was slightly too long for me. I also belong in the short reach club. I swapped out the handle bar with a curved one and the handful inches toward me was enough to make it comfortable. So just adjustment of parts may be enough if your short reach is slight to moderate.

linberl

I am 5'5" with what I call "t rex" arms, lol. Brompton reach was too long for me no matter which handlebar or seat position. I had a Dahon Mu Uno and it was too long so I used a swept back bar and that worked okay. My best fit was my Bike Friday pakiT which was sized perfectly for me. BF uses standard ahead stems so you can go as short as you need and you can use any standard handlebar as well. With my pakiT, I used the included straight bar for fast exercise rides but for touring and city commuting I used Soma Sparrow narrow bars to be more upright. Easy to swap. If you have specific BF questions, feel free to DM me - I've owned a couple different ones.

jfouellette

Bike Friday is a good choice because the frame is made by considering your anatomy.

Waiitwi

a Kwiggle Bike would be possible

Jipe

The Birdy exist with two stems, the 21 degree sport stem and the comfort 10 degree stem that has a shorter reach.

If your spouse has a Birdy with sport stem, a Birdy with comfort stem should fit for you.

The Birdy stem has two positions, one with a longer reach, another with a shorter reach, see :
Riese & Müller Birdy come ex factory with the stem on the longer reach position, you might try the shorter reach.

Another excellent folding bike with a short reach is the Tyrell Ive

esther-L

[QUOTE=Jipe;22932944]The Birdy exist with two stems, the 21 degree sport stem and the comfort 10 degree stem that has a shorter reach.
If your spouse has a Birdy with sport stem, a Birdy with comfort stem should fit for you.
QUOTE]
I should have stated that spouse has the Birdy stem with the comfort 10 degree angle.
I read in this forum that I could buy the 21 degree stem and mount it backwards, but the risks in doing that did not appeal to me.

I think I measured my reach incorrectly. From center of seatpost to center of headset it's 50cm on my best-fitting bike. The bike fit I had done years ago says my reach measurement is 52cm.

I live in Portugal. I prefer 20" wheels. Portugal has a LOT of cobblestone-like pavement.
My road bike size is typically 51cm frame with some risers for handlebars, and attention paid to the max seat post height.
I will checkout Tyrell Ive and the other recommendations, thanks.

Jipe

As said, the Birdy stem has two positions, one with a longer reach which is the one that is chosen by Riese & Müller, and a shorter one by turning the upper part of the stem by 180 degree.