custom bike for small female any suggestions?
Arleen Tarantino
from 100 to 300 miles a week. I like to ride all terrains, but am
especially fond of hills and mountains. I like short fast rides, as
well as longer, easier rides, so I need a bike that's versital. I'm
having neck and shoulder pain on my 10 year old trek 2300, so I'm
thinking about getting a custom bike--maybe a titanium not sure. I
looked at the new "female design" bikes, but the options seems too
limited. Any recommendations? Looking under $4000.
Mark Hickey
A lot of "female specific" geometries really aren't. And of course,
not all females need anything different from the average male the same
height (while there are a higher number of females with proportionally
longer legs, the average is actually quite similar between males and
females at a given height).
And a lot of it depends on how "small small is". If you're capable of
standing over an average 50cm (center to top of top tube) frame (about
75cm), finding a bike that fits should be pretty easy. If you can't
handle that much top tube height, the choices are considerably fewer.
Custom is always an option, though it's one that should be considered
a last resort (assuming you can't find a suitable "stock" frame that
fits).
One thing you might consider is riding with an adjustable stem for a
month or two. You should be able to find a position that allows you
to ride comfortably, and then it's an easy matter to interpolate your
existing position onto another frame / bike (and you KNOW it will be
right).
Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame
Mike Jacoubowsky
pointed down at the nose. A saddle tilted down will shove you forward, and
you spend the entire ride pushing back from the bars to maintain position
(typically without even realizing it's happening). Result? Sore neck &
shoulders. If this is happening, the way to deal with it is with a
different saddle (one that allows you to be comfortable when level) and/or a
change in handlebar positioning so you can be a bit less bent over.
Of course that's not the only thing that causes neck & shoulder pains. A
"custom" bike may or may not be the answer, depending upon the skill of the
person taking your measurements and paying attention to your needs. In most
cases, people can fit a stock bike with a few alterations... maybe not a
specific stock bike that they might have had their heart set on, but stock
bikes come in many flavors (differing seat angles and top tube lengths for a
given frame size).
--Mike--
Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReaction.com
"Arleen Tarantino" <im.ar...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:43c68999.02040...@posting.google.com...
Michael Ignosci
Have you looked at "Terry" frames. I know that she has a lot of WS
bikes. Actually only WS bikes of all materials. I have been told that
that the most important thing is to find a shop that is willing to let
you "try it first." I did see in another listing that Torelli is sending
one of their builders around to dealerships and he was "custom" fitting
potential buyers. They even had a schedule of cities. That kinda
sounded cool. Maybe that could be a start.
Michael
Arleen Tarantino
> Regarding neck & shoulder pain, make sure your saddle's level and not
> pointed down at the nose. A saddle tilted down will shove you forward, and
> you spend the entire ride pushing back from the bars to maintain position
> (typically without even realizing it's happening). Result? Sore neck &
> shoulders. If this is happening, the way to deal with it is with a
> different saddle (one that allows you to be comfortable when level) and/or a
> change in handlebar positioning so you can be a bit less bent over.
>
> Of course that's not the only thing that causes neck & shoulder pains. A
> "custom" bike may or may not be the answer, depending upon the skill of the
> person taking your measurements and paying attention to your needs. In most
> cases, people can fit a stock bike with a few alterations... maybe not a
> specific stock bike that they might have had their heart set on, but stock
> bikes come in many flavors (differing seat angles and top tube lengths for a
> given frame size).
>
> --Mike--
> Chain Reaction Bicycles
Thhanks for the advice. I will try adjusting the stem. I'm fairly
certain the seat is not my problem. I ride it completely level. Even
if I adjust the stem, I still may plan on getting a custom. (My bike's
an older 7 speed, and I ride a lot--it just feels like time to
upgrade) The stock bikes in my size don't have the options I
want(47cm). The trek 2300WSD is aluminum now( I just can't get into
aluminum). My trek is carbon fiber. I have found a bike shop that
does very detailed sizing. They ask you question about your riding
and have you ride an adjustable bike for a long time,. They even
adjust for your hands, which is important because I found it difficult
to reach the brakes and gears of the STS on the small women's stock
bikes. This shop sells both Seven and Serotta. I'm leaning toward a
Serotta, because Seven seems a little expensive. Do any of you have
advise on a particular frame that might work well for a small,
versital rider?
Jon Isaacs
>Serotta, because Seven seems a little expensive. Do any of you have
>advise on a particular frame that might work well for a small,
>versital rider?
My suggestion would be to find a custom builder that is local so that you can
address your fit issues in person and get a true custom bike.
For example in San Diego, there is Bill Holland who builds something like 50
bicycles a year on a strictly custom, "you come to my shop" basis. At that
point, you will discuss your needs and together you will decide on the bike.
He has built a wide variety of frames, ranging from the 10.65 lb Speedplay
special, super stiff track frames for Kenny Carpenter, Softride beam frames for
triathletes, and a variety in between. He often builds 650C frames. He most
always uses titanium though I hear rumours that he still does steel (fillet
brazed) at times.
If San Diego is not close, then I would suggest looking for someone similar in
your area who can build you a true custom bike.
jon isaacs
Phil Brown
be happy to make you a frame. Your biggest question is what wheel size you want
to use.
Phil Brown
Bill Holicky
My wife traded in her Trek 2300 Carbon pro for a custom Serrotta. She is
5'-2" and ended up with a 48-49cm (somewhere in their) custom 853 frame. In
this size steel is plenty light and plenty stiff - really little need to
change to Ti unless you just love the material. Her bike with Dura Ace,
custom wheels and Tri bars weighs in around 17.5lbs.
She loves the bike - fits great. 650c wheels are a must.
Another thing to keep in mind is that at her 110lbs, even though she is a
very powerful rider, (and you say you are light as well) there just isn't
the need to use the beefier stuff. As an example, she rides 28 hole rear,
24 hole front Hugi hubs laced to velocity aerohead rims with rev spokes,
radial in front. She's had them for 2 years and they've barely needed to be
trued. Another thing to keep in mind is relative component sizes. You
should look for or special order things like 165mm cranks (which are still
relatively much longer for you than 175mm cranks are for a 5'-10" person),
Salsa Poco handlebars (very short reach, very short drop and still pretty
light), nice light Ritchey WCS or other stem, etc. If you are strong and
you use 650c wheels you will need big front chainrings in order to hit the
right gear ratios - my wife runs 55/42 front combo, which is similar to a
53/40 on a 700c bike.
Good luck, and feel free to ask any other questions, since we've been down
your road before.
BC
Steve Palincsar
You can keep even a titanium custom under 4K. You mention you are
"small" and "versatile", but some important details are lacking. For
instance, does "versatility" include both on and off-road riding? And
just how small is "small"?
Serotta has many nice frames (although AFAIK they don't have one really
suitable for both on and off-road). However, I think you may find their
Rapid Tour to be closer to your stated requirements than most if not all
their others. You can get the Rapid Tour in 650C, which means you can
get a significantly smaller frame without resorting to weird geometry and
bad compromises; there's clearance for 28-33mm tires, which is definitely
a significant component in versatility (you can go on lots worse roads
with a cushy fat 28 or 32 mm tire than you can with 23's), it's designed
for a higher handlebar position (important for both neck and shoulder
pain issues as well as for longer randonneur and audax-style riding), it
has fender clearance (again, versatility vis a vis weather) and room for
a triple.
If you have found a good shop locally that can do a good job fitting you
and you like what you see with Serottas, it's hard to see how you can
lose with the Rapid Tour. You can even get it in titanium, should you
desire.
Frank Miles
Lots of good ideas already. One more source: though they are more
interested in road bikes, a recent Rivendell Reader (#25?) had an
article on different approaches in designing frames for smaller people.
Good luck!
-frank
--
Arleen Tarantino
Sorry for not being specific. I'm 5'3" 105lbs. I ride a 47cm. I'm
looking for a new road bike, because I'd like to upgrade(my Trek 2300
is older so it's 7 speed and doesn't have STS; plus since I'm doing
very long, hilly rides, I'm toying with the idea of getting a triple.)
and I'm getting neck and shoulder pain( I'm getting the stem shortened
to see if that helps). For off road, I already have two mountain
bikes that serve me well. I actually have considered a touring bike,
except that I do want something that can move when I do short fast
rides. Also, I thought that I may not need the extra strength a
touring bike has, because, even loaded, a bike I rode would come in at
less than 170 lbs of total weight. Thanks for all the input. Arleen
love2ride
Sport 22?
Read the reviews. It's a great bike and they can make one to fit your
measurements.
"Arleen Tarantino" <im.ar...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:43c68999.02040...@posting.google.com...
mark
--
mark
Robin Hubert
32/32 set or even 36/36? The wheel should never need trued if built
right, or unless a damaging incident (whack!)....
"Bill Holicky" <bhol...@coburndev.com> wrote in message news:<uamadfj...@corp.supernews.com>...
Robin Hubert
32/32 set or even 36/36? The wheel should never need trued if built
right, or unless a damaging incident (whack!)....
"Bill Holicky" <bhol...@coburndev.com> wrote in message news:<uamadfj...@corp.supernews.com>...
Steve Palincsar
So it sounds as though the Serotta Rapid Tour is almost exactly what you
want. Check it out on their web site and see if you don't agree.
Although "tour" is in the name, the kind of touring they have in mind is
"fast touring," and in terms of specs I'd say the bike is basically an
Audax bike (a randonneuse), not a heavy loaded tourer. And according to
their claims (which I have no reason to disbelieve, having spoken at
length to an owner of a RT) the bike is fast and handles like a race bike.
Incidentally, simply shortening the stem may not serve: neck and shoulder
pain may be that the bars are too far away, but often it is also that the
bars are too low -- and raising the bars also has the affect of bringing
them closer.
Now one nice thing about shops that sell Serottas is that fitting thingie
that looks kind of like an adjustable bicycle frame without wheels.
Every Serotta shop I've ever seen has had one. Go get fitted, and see
how you feel with the bars level with the saddle. What can you lose?
Incidentally, I don't own a Serotta, am not a Serotta fan, and have no
personal bias here other than that I think that basic Audax designs are
about ideal for fast bike club riders, and that I think virtually
everybody should have a bike with clearance for >28 mm tires and fenders.
I know Serotta is a quality manufacturer, and only better quality bike
shops sell them.
Bill Holicky
4 grams per spoke/nipple (which obviously varies per spoke type, length,
etc.). 24/28 = 52. 36/36 = 72. 20 spokes at 4 grams each is 80 grams, or
right around 1/5 of a pound.
That is not insignifigant, especially on wheels. Folks pay hundreds of
dollars for this weigh savings on wheels, and in this case, it is realized
for free by correctly matching the rider to the equipment.
Your statement that a wheel should never have to be trues if built right and
not whacked is not in keeping with you assertion that the wheels above are
underspoked. If a 200lb rider road them they would be knocked out of true
by smaller "whacks" as you call them, because the added weight of the rider
would cause them to be bigger hits.
This is why a lighter rider can ride lighter wheels.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, in the bike industry is designed to work with a
110lb, 5'-2" rider. I weigh 50% more than her, but you are telling me she
should lug around the same amount of weight, when she causes proportionally
less stress on the equipment? A 165 crank for her is the same as a 195 for
a 6'-0" person. Stems are sized to support about a 250 lb rider load - why
does she need the extra weight? 700c wheels - don't get me started.
Another thing to remember is that 650c wheels need fewer spokes to maintain
the same rim spacing as 700c spokes due to the smaller rim diameter. Why
not take advantage of it?
The ideal bike for a 5' rider would be darn close to realized by taking a
57cm regular bike and shrinking it as if it were on a copier 83%. Weight,
tube diamters, lengths, everything. It would work just fine, and weight 83%
what the other bike weighs.
That's the point.
"Robin Hubert" <cv2...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:7b5cbda8.02040...@posting.google.com...
Michel Gagnon
"Bill Holicky" <bhol...@coburndev.com> a écrit dans le message news:
uamadfj...@corp.supernews.com...
> Hey Arleen.
>
> ..... 650c wheels are a must. .....
I'd say "smaller wheels than 700c are a must", especially with a short
torso, unless one wants lots of toeclip overlap.
However, 650c tires are relatively hard to find and don't exist in wide
profile. They would be OK for fast rides (only), but for touring, even light
touring, I would prefer 26" tires. Narrow-profile 26" tires are hard to
find, but not harder than 650 tires (at least around here), but there is a
decent choice at 1.25 to 1.5" and wider.
Michel
Jon Isaacs
>57cm regular bike and shrinking it as if it were on a copier 83%. Weight,
>tube diamters, lengths, everything. It would work just fine, and weight 83%
>what the other bike weighs.
If you scale everything linearly by 0.83, the weight should be reduced by the
cube of 0.83 which would mean the bike would weigh about 57% of the larger
bike. Unfortunately tubing stiffnesses do not scale so nicely. It does not
require much of a reduction is diameter to make a significant change in
stiffness.
>That is not insignifigant, especially on wheels. Folks pay hundreds of
>dollars for this weigh savings on wheels, and in this case, it is realized
>for free by correctly matching the rider to the equipment.
And as has been pointed out many times, that is a foolish waste of money. Mass
on the wheels is just like more water in the water bottle, doesn't matter where
it is put.
You might realize that what Robin is refering to is that you mentioned the
wheels only need truing a couple of times.
His point was that they shouldn't have ever needed truing.
jon isaacs
Pete Hausner
...snip...
>650c wheels are a must<
...more snips...
>I'd say "smaller wheels than 700c are a must", especially with a short
torso, unless one wants lots of toeclip overlap.<
Unless doing poor trackstands or lots of not too well executed slow sharp
turns, not a major issue, IMHO
However, 650c tires are relatively hard to find and don't exist in wide
profile. They would be OK for fast rides (only)<
...snip...
650c (571 mm) x 20 mm and 23 mm Axial Pros and Conti Gran Prix are pretty easy
to locate...by mail if all else fails. And there are a few other brands around.
You can also get 571 mm x 19 mm, 20 mm, 21(!)mm tubies.
That are about it...with the exception of the 571 mm x 28 mm Terry tire Sheldon
announced the availability of earlier in the week/late last week. I guess that
that's good news..except that for those of us who ride 650c road bikes with
carbon forks, the 28 mm tire won't clear the fork...
>(Snip'd from above) but for touring, even light touring, I would prefer 26"
tires. Narrow-profile 26" tires are hard to find, but not harder than 650 tires
(at least around here), but there is a decent choice at 1.25 to 1.5" and
wider.<
Yup...There are a few "fast" 26 x1" (559 mm x 23mm-25mm) such as the Conti Gran
Prix and the Tom Slicks, and lots of 26" x1.25" (559 mm X 32mm+/-) available.
I've been riding 23 mm Axial Pros on my 650c wheeled road bike for the last
3,000 miles. Delighted with them. Have run Conti's and liked them, too.
I ride 25 mm Conti Gran Prix (summers) and 32 mm Conti Avenues (mud month and
winters) on my newish 26" wheeled "tourer" and have been very happy with both
tire choices so far, though I've less than a thousand miles on each set, to
date.
Bottom line...If you're looking for a "race bike" feel, go with the 650 wheeled
bike and geometry to match. If you're looking for a more laid back ride, do the
26" sport tourer thing. If you've got a hankering to do both, eat out less,
forgo the new summer clothes and buy two bikes with the money not spent on fine
dining and new duds. Tuna melts and last years fashions do have a place in our
society...
PH
Bill Holicky
still see the point I was trying to get across.
As for the truing, this would be correct given nice smooth road surfaces
with no potholes, irregularities, frogs (yes, for some reason frogs have
been showing up on the sides of the colorado roads), etc. When you are
racing often you don't have the wherewithall to miss stuff, which will often
knock a wheel just a bit out of true. Nothing abnormal, and nothing a
couple of quick 1/4 twists won't fix. Such is the case with these wheels.
I don't think it is a valid statement to say that if a wheel EVER goes a
little out of true, it was poorly constructed.
Finally, wheel weight - exactly my point. Folks drop $1,000s on Nimbles,
Zipps, etc for percieved advantage. This spoke configuration, combined with
a lightweight rim suchs as an aerohead etc, yeilds a 50c front wheel weight
of 560 grams. That's pretty darn light, for no greater cost than a dura ace
or record hub with standard rim and rev spokes. In my book, a much better
choice than the boutique wheels.
Thanks for the scaling correction.
"Jon Isaacs" <joni...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020404170748...@mb-dh.aol.com...
Bill Holicky
she was a strong rider who did fast rides and rode 100-300 miles a week.
Occasional tours were all she mentioned. Most of these tours in Colorado
that I've found folks doing are not self-supported tours, ie, no panniers.
Arleen is riding a 2300 carbon frame now, which has no rack mounts, so I
surmise she is not often self-supporting her rides. This turns these
infrequent tours into multi day long rides without loads - more like long
traing rides. Even if she is doing 3 or 4 days of loaded riding per year,
this is the small minority of her riding.
So, I think 650c wheels are better. QBP (through your local bike shop)
carries a large variety of 650c wheels in the US, and I've seen them, I
believe, up to 25c, which would be fine for infrequent 170lb touring (she
said this was as heavy as her bike would get even if she were to load it.)
This way, she is covered for the infrequent tour, and has a bike more suited
for the 5 unloaded training rides per week she seems to be doing.
Just depends on the individual rider, I guess.
"Michel Gagnon" <Michel...@mlink.net> wrote in message
news:bS3r8.15934$iU6.2...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Pete Hausner
>Zipps, etc for percieved advantage. This spoke configuration, combined
>with
>a lightweight rim suchs as an aerohead etc, yeilds a 50c front wheel weight
>of 560 grams. That's pretty darn light, for no greater cost than a dura
>ace
>or record hub with standard rim and rev spokes. In my book, a much better
>choice than the boutique wheels.
Absolutely...us fly-weight little folk get away with murder. My Heliums (650c)
and the 26" tourer's OP/D/A, hub'd 32/32, 14/15DB, wheels are light,
comfortable, fast and seemingly bomb-proof...
Trust me, it's nice to know that my stand and spoke wrenches are slowly
gathering dust while I keep the understressed/ever true wheels spinning
outside...
And with all you big folks out there by the side of the road fixing pinch
flats, we little people always have a place in the shade to stop and chat...
PH
Jon Isaacs
>and the 26" tourer's OP/D/A, hub'd 32/32, 14/15DB, wheels are light,
>comfortable, fast and seemingly bomb-proof...
>
1. Heliums are not particularly light.
2. I am a big guy (235 lbs) and 32/32 14/15 DB work fine for me.
jon isaacs
Steve Palincsar
> However, 650c tires are relatively hard to find and don't exist in wide
> profile. They would be OK for fast rides (only), but for touring, even
> light touring, I would prefer 26" tires. Narrow-profile 26" tires are
> hard to find, but not harder than 650 tires (at least around here), but
> there is a decent choice at 1.25 to 1.5" and wider.
Not to argue about the greater commonality of 26" - goes without saying -
but sheldon brown just posted a notice about a new line of wider 650c
tires (from Terry) that he's gotten in that should go a long way towards
solving the 650c tire availability problem. (I trust no URL req'd to
locate his shop...)
Arleen Tarantino
always change wheels out depending on the terrian. I have two
mountain bikes, so I don't need an off-road bike anyway. I wonder if
before too long more options in tire size for 650 wheels will be
coming out, because it does seem that more bikes are coming in 650
wheels now.
Bill's point about light people being able to get away with
lighter less tough equipment is true. I almost never wear my bikes
like other people do. I've never busted anything on my mountain bike,
and I've riden it on some pretty tough terrain in Colorado and
Utah--eg White Ranch in Golden and Porcipine Ridge in Moab. And yes I
crashed many times. I've never blown out a tire and I rode 20x700 for
thousands of miles before I had to change them. Never had a wheel go
out of true. I recently replaced my chain and rear cassette out of
boredom more than anything else. This is basically why I'm wondering
if I can have it both ways (a bike that can go fast, yet tour--I'm not
racing seriously anymore, so I don't need a superfast bike--besides
I've often questioned how important a decked out titanium is over a
decent bike and training. I remember blowing past many guys on
titaniums and soft rides and 5200's etc with my TreK 2300, when I used
to race in Triathlons.
I can't thank ALL of you enough for all of your ideas. This is
helping me tremendously. I haven't looked to buy a bike in a while so
I felt a little out of the loop. It seems as though there are many
more options now.
Matt Temple
>
> Do you really think those wheels saved a lot of weight compared to a
> 32/32 set or even 36/36? The wheel should never need trued if built
> right, or unless a damaging incident (whack!)....
>
I must live in a different universe. I ride about 3000 mi / year
and find that touch-up truing is a regular part of bike maintenance.
Changing the wheels, doesn't matter, Note, I'm not speaking
to the merits/demerits of 28-spoke wheels, which i've never owned.
Matt Temple
--
=============================================================
Matthew Temple Tel: 617/632-2597
Director, Research Computing Fax: 617/632-4012
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute m...@research.dfci.harvard.edu
44 Binney Street, JF 314 http://research.dfci.harvard.edu
Boston, MA 02115 Choice is the Choice!
R. Himm
im.ar...@verizon.net (Arleen Tarantino) wrote:
> boredom more than anything else. This is basically why I'm wondering
> if I can have it both ways (a bike that can go fast, yet tour--I'm not
> racing seriously anymore, so I don't need a superfast bike--besides
The difference between a racing bike and a touring bike can boil down to
the following:
1. Touring bike heavier built. Not needed in your case because you are
light. Therefore, if you get a custom touring bike, not a problem, the
builder can make it in an appropriate gauge tubing.
In other words, this is not a fundamental difference between the two. You
can get them either way.
2. Touring bike will be set up to allow for a different riding position,
namely handlebars closer to the level of the seat. This is the way road
racing bikes were often set up in the old days... and it may very well cure
your problem of neck and shoulder pain.
3. Touring bike will have clearances for bigger tires and mudguards,
stronger wheels, and a less harsh ride (longer chainstays). You may not
need the bigger tires or stronger wheels (?), but mudguards and long
chainstays are nice to have.
4. Touring bike will generally have extra braze-ons for more water bottles,
racks, interesting custom equipment, whatever. You may or may not need.
5. Touring bike will have geometry which gives more stable handling- a nice
feature for long rides.
That's about it. There isn't really anything about a touring bike that
makes it slower except the higher riding position (and you can still ride
on the drops) and the mudguards (front especially catches air). A custom
builder can get you whatever compromise you want, exactly, and often for
less money than stock. Custom prices, depending on where you get the frame,
range from about US$750 to $2300+ for the frame and fork. Plus, you can get
whatever components you like. $4000 for a complete bike, completely done to
your specs, is easy.
One more thing: you mentioned feeling like "upgrading" from 2x7 speeds.
Why? Most of the extra gears will end up being duplicates anyway. You can
get a lot of range from 2x7. I ride 2x5. I had a bike with 3x7 and never
used the vast majority of gears, riding on all sorts of terrain.