Bianchi makes a women's bike with a smaller frame - I suspect that most of the other major bike makers do as well.

"Gail,

It's hard to make a specific recommendation based on the information provided. I suggest you find a good shop that will LISTEN to you and help you find a bike that's right for what you want to do.

As someone new to road bikes and not interested in racing, you may want the handlebars to be at or just slightly below the level of the saddle. Since most bikes now come with ""threadless"" headsets, make sure the steerer tube (part of the fork) is not cut too short. Spacers on the steerer (above and below the handlebar stem) can be repositioned to adjust handlebar height.

A ""compact"" frame may be a good choice for someone your size. These are basically small frames with a sloping top tube that give you plenty of standover room.

Sometimes a bike with slightly smaller wheels (650c vs the standard 700c) allows a more ""normal"" geometry in a small frame. The downside of 650c wheels is that tire choices are limited.

Don't let a shop use a ""formula"" designed for racers to set up your position. Make sure you're comfortable before buying a bike.

""Chainwheel""

"

might be beating a dead horse, but i second the recommendation to consider women-specific designs if you are going to buy a stock frame. (one caveat is that i am about an inch shorter than you are, and there are few options in 44 cm-sized frames other than wsd).

i also purchased a cannondale feminine given that i liked how it rode the best (and, ironically enough, bought it at larry and jeffs -- but the 3rd and 80th street location. i went for that bike specifically, so i can't speak to the rest of their stock. the service has been excellent, regardless).

several other manufacturers have a smaller, women-specific frame series -- specialized, terry, lemond, trek and bianchi (i am not sure if bianchi are wsd--but they definitely come in smaller sizes). as with any bike purchase, the next burning question is frame type (steel, aluminum, titanium, etc.) -- which will also steer you to one manufacturer/frame over another.

as for wheels, i believe that the specialized series tends to have 700 wheels, while the others have 650s in sizes below 47 cm. the terry has a 650/700 combo. this seemed somewhat odd to me, but i honestly don't know enough to say how much of an issue that is.

in terms of tire limitations, it appears that the major tire manufacturers have good tires in 650s, which should be more than adequate for recreational riding... if you want nifty colored tires, you may be out of luck (i have searched high and low for cool blue michelins to no avail).

the other nice thing about the women-specific designs is that certain parts -- such as the brake levers -- are frequently sized down.

in terms of quality, the high end wsd cannondale (r1000 for 2004; r2000 for 2003) and specialized (allez dolce or comp? can't remember which one of the two it is) appear fairly comparable in terms of price, components and weight, carrying a MSP of around $1700. they both have a second, lower end bike in the low $1,000s. in lower price points, i believe your options in terms of wsd might be more limited (i recall that specialized has a bike around $699 and bianchi may have several steel frames in this range).

regardless, you might be able to get a good deal on price, as my sense is that the smaller bikes don't turn over very quickly and a shop may be trying to move one out in order to free up the floor space.

"As you can see from the wonderful posts below, there is a lot to consider. It turns out anyone of any size has to keep geometry, materials and riding style in mind when going for fit and we are no different.
I'm 5'1 and I did the same thing 2 years ago.
I got a Lemond Tourmalet, WSD, 45"".
It has 700 wheels, 49.9 top tube. Perhaps the geometry is ""strange"" but it has a great ride (weighs 23,5 lbs).

I would really recommend picking a store you trust first. Once you pick a store and you make clear to them that you will buy a bike from them (mean it, of course) ask to try a few bikes that fit you.
Sid's Bike did that for me and as a novice then I was grateful. Once I picked my bike, they installed narrower handlebars (at no extra charge), played with stem, etc to suit me.
See in other posts for other excellent Bike Shop recommendations.
It's a great learning experience, have fun with it.

Lynn"

"A word of caution - the top tube on a XS and S size Giant OCR/TCR is 52cm and 53cm, respectively. This is unlikely to fit a 5'3"" woman without an excessively short stem.

My wife is 5'3"" and rides a bike with a 50cm top tube and a 7cm stem, which is the shortest stem I would recommend.
The bike is Bianchi Eros Donna with a 47cm seat tube and 50cm top tube. She's happy with it, but I personally think any bike smaller than 52cm with a 622mm (700c) wheel becomes a jumble of mediocre compromises (slack head angle, steep seattube, high bb), based on the necessity of the downtube not hitting the front wheel.

For someone 5'3"", the Eros Donna might be ok, but for anyone shorter, I'd seriously recommend looking at a bike built around 571mm (650c) or 559mm (26 inch) wheels. If you do go that route, be aware of the limitations in tire choices in 571mm. It might be worthwhile to see if a a given compact bike with 571mm wheels would fit a 559mm wheel with either the brake pads at the ends of the slots, or with standard (long) reach brakes.

I think Toga has a '03 Eros Donna in 47cm in stock. It's powder blue and has a carbon fork. It's on the rack behind the gloves.

Cheers,
- Christian"

"Yes, you do have to turn the wheels over more often for the same distance. But you get to do so with 7.6% less effort. If you use the same sprockets as everyone else, each combination is 7.6% lower with 650c wheels [*]. In effect, the smaller wheels give you one more low gear (which heaven knows I can certainly use!) at the price of of one gear at the very top.

Not that this really matters -- you should have sprockets that work for you. But, with more to lug uphill than you ever will, I remain,

Enviously yours at 6'3"",

Peter Storey

[*] Assuming ""normal"" 23mm tires in both cases."

"""...have to pump out more rotations..""

This is irrelevant, just drop the chain down a cog and ride a bigger gear. It's all about gear inches, not wheel size. If the wheel is significantly smaller, e.g. 16"" or 20"", then getting a sufficient gear range setup may be an issue; not so for 650.

Smaller wheels should be a tad bit lighter and of more significance have less wind drag. They are also of benefit if you like to drag race or do a stop-light-century bike tour like the 5 BBC. ;-)


"