bike recommendation

[anomad]

5’3 is the same height as my gal and my sister, which puts them on a 50cm road frame. Nothing awkward geometry-wise about 700c wheel in that size.

So, the questions are road bars or flat bars and type of riding? If she’ll lean more towards sporty multi surface riding I would suggest an all road bike with road handlebars. If its more neighborhood riding or if she’s just starting out, a ubiquitous 26 inch wheel mountain bike is very versatile. You can get a darn good hardtail mountain bike under 700 bucks. There’s a brazillion options. I would have her test ride as many as possible and pick one that catches her fancy. Do get disc brakes whatever you decide.

@EasyRider 155437 wrote:

I’m trying to get 2 or 3 bike recommendations to give my wife as she goes bike shopping this spring.

My guidelines:

1. Under $700.
2. Don’t want a super upright “comfort bike”, just something comfortable.
3. Clearance for wide tires 40mm+. We’d take it on the towpath.
4. 26″ wheels a plus. She’s 5’3″, so I’d like to avoid 700c wheels.
5. I’m nuts about bikes and would love to build her a cruiser from an old mountain bike, but that’d be fun for me, not for her.

Fire away

[EasyRider]

Thanks anomad, I generally agree (well, not about 700c for shorter riders or the necessity of disc brakes, but I digress). Any particular model recs based on my guidelines? I see Trek still makes a 26″ wheel bike (the 820) but the sus fork looked like a dud.

[kwarkentien]

I am “of modest height” (probably 5’4″ these days) and I definitely recommend 700c wheels. I bought a 650c Cannondale road bike a decade ago and it was way way way too small and the toe overlap issues are huge. Don’t believe for a minute that a more petite rider can’t ride a 700c bike. Not saying a 650c isn’t a good fit in some instances but 5’3″ would fit a 49-51cm with 700c wheels easily. And it’s far easier to find compatible tires and tubes (especially among your cycling partners) when riding 700c.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tania]

Agree with everyone who said 700 wheels will be fine.

See if you can find a deal on an aluminum Kona Rove. List is $899 but you might get lucky.

[anomad]

I’m farther out of touch with reality than I thought! haha I could only find a handful of 26 inch wheeled mountain bikes. Everyone has gone to 27.5.

Why didn’t anyone send me a memo on this?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@anomad 155498 wrote:

I’m farther out of touch with reality than I thought! haha I could only find a handful of 26 inch wheeled mountain bikes. Everyone has gone to 27.5.

Why didn’t anyone send me a memo on this?

I think the market is pretty evenly split between 27.5 (aka 650b) and 29er these days, which seems likely to persist.

[Tania]

@TwoWheelsDC 155501 wrote:

I think the market is pretty evenly split between 27.5 (aka 650b) and 29er these days, which seems likely to persist.

I just got a new 27.5 mountain bike and it feels HUGE (tall) compared my 26″ mtb.

[vvill]

I’d build in this case – can probably find a used 26″ frameset for a few hundred, and a decent 26″ wheelset+tires for cheap too. Pretty sure places like bikesdirect still have cheap 26″ MTBs as well.

Surly is an option for a nicer frameset if you want to keep it for ages, want a ton of braze-ons and don’t mind some weight. The 1×1 and Troll are designed around 26″ wheels.

FWIW my wife (who admittedly, rarely rides) has no problems on my 26″ MTB but finds the 29er too unwieldy.

[EasyRider]

I’m just looking for comfortable bikes with easy standover for my 5’3″ wife when using 40mm tire and fenders. Wider tires would be better. If there’s a 700c bike like that for under $700, I’m all ears, but we’re not in the market for a “adventure” or “gravel” bike. I’m a bit surprised that Linus, Breezer, etc., don’t make a 650b or 26″ bike. Did I overlook something?

I’d like to avoid a 27.5 hardtail but if that’s all that fits the bill, it’d be good to know.

[LhasaCM]

@EasyRider 155512 wrote:

I’m just looking for comfortable bikes with easy standover for my 5’3″ wife when using 40mm tire and fenders. Wider tires would be better. If there’s a 700c bike like that for under $700, I’m all ears, but we’re not in the market for a “adventure” or “gravel” bike. I’m a bit surprised that Linus, Breezer, etc., don’t make a 650b or 26″ bike. Did I overlook something?

I’d like to avoid a 27.5 hardtail but if that’s all that fits the bill, it’d be good to know.

A few of the Linus bikes (e.g., the Scout or the Dutchi 3 or 8 speeds) have 26″ wheels on the small sizes (though not quite 40mm).

The Breezer Uptown series come with 26″ x 1.75″ tires.

[EasyRider]

I overlooked the Uptown. Thanks!

[EasyRider]

Added the Giant ATX Lite to the list of possibilities. Anyone have one of these?

Rigid fork, 27.5 x 1.95″ tires, a normal seat tube angle in smallest sizes, a practical 3×8 drivetrain, and my wife likes the look. The stock disc brakes on a sub-$500 bike probably leave something to be desired, but it looks promising.

[BobCochran]

In my mind, there is simply no substitute for going to a bike shop that has a professional bike fitter on the staff and a good selection of bikes that you can test ride. Test rides are so very important, and discussing your needs with the shop staff is even more important. My suggestion: go straight to Proteus Bicycles in College Park.

Bob

[EasyRider]

Thanks Bob. It’s a bit out of the way for us, but I’ve heard good things about them. Added the Liv Bliss Lite to my list. It’s basically the same as the Giant ATX Lite, but with a curved top tube for better standover for shorter riders. That way the don’t have to ride a too-small bike just to clear the top tube.

Here’s some relevant questions as to selection at local bike shops. Not many shops nearby have either of the Giant or the Liv available for a test ride (which tells me I’m on the right track). How common is it for a shop to order a frame that she could test ride, with no guarantee of her buying it? I would suppose not very common. And, if we were to order an out-of-stock bike through a manufacturer’s website and have it delivered to our local shop of choice for pickup, do they get any part of that business? Or are they just required to receive it and pass it on because they are an authorized dealer of that brand?

@BobCochran 155661 wrote:

In my mind, there is simply no substitute for going to a bike shop that has a professional bike fitter on the staff and a good selection of bikes that you can test ride. Test rides are so very important, and discussing your needs with the shop staff is even more important. My suggestion: go straight to Proteus Bicycles in College Park.

Bob

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