650c wheels bicycle (for 5'3 and under)

If you've got someone who can help measure you, this online bike fit calculator is really useful. Will give you a few different fits plus ranges so you can get an idea of how long a toptube would work for you (and stem size).
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO

The Fuji track in 43cm might be ok but you'd have a huge bar/saddle drop possibly, it has a pretty low headtube made even lower with the 650c wheels.

Follow-up to my roadbike purchase back in August.

I finally took my Trek 1.2 43cm for its Whispering session today. Over the course of the adjustments, the seatpost was changed to a longer one and the handlebars will eventually be changed for a more compact one. I didn't need to have shims inserted as the Whispering meant I could reach the break levers more easily - result!

The bike felt much better on the short ride back to the station as I'd decided not to brave the streets til I could look back one-handed with ease on this bike. Mind you, I'll be using the bike, initially, once a week to build up saddle time and hand signalling with ease, I apologise in advance to all drivers on the CS7 route, especially the bit at Kennington Park Road for my lack of hand signals for the next week or so.

As much as I love my flatbar bike, I do wish I'd known of my size/the importance of top tube length before it's purchase as I would have bought something more suitable.

Red Brompton next!

I'm not ashamed to say I ride an Islabike Luath 700 small bike for cyclocross (bought secondhand for 200 quid from a club member's son who had grown out of it). And I've seen quite a few ridden by other women as well.

This is my bike now! Only just seen this post, even though I picked up the bike pre-Christmas...

This is my bike now! Only just seen this post, even though I picked up the bike pre-Christmas...

Hope you're enjoying the bike! :)

Just when I'd decided on a Brompton, LH and Smaryka give me another option :-). LH could I have a look at yours (assuming you at the same place and have the time)?

Just when I'd decided on a Brompton, LH and Smaryka give me another option :-). LH could I have a look at yours (assuming you at the same place and have the time)?

Of course! No problem at all. I seem to recall you're pretty local to us. We're both tied up this weekend (wedding stuff!) but is one eve next week any good with you? Be good to see you again!

Hope you're enjoying the bike! :)

It's a beauty!

Jumps up and down with excitement (not really as sitting down). Great! How about Monday or Wednesday evening? I usually get home for 6pm so any time after is fine for me.

Monday is probably best as I'm up in Warrington visiting Cycling Projects on Weds and prob won't be home til later. I'm off on leave on Monday so anytime is fine with me. Can you remember where I live?

Gorgeous Duell 650c race bike for sale in NL

http://link.marktplaats.nl/435085401

im a newbie to bikes in general, need HELP! :-S im quite short (5'3) and finding it hard to find a small track bike under 50cm. 50cm bikes with 700cc wheels are uncomfortably high (tip-toeing when seated), is it possible to swap the wheels 650cc to make it smaller?

im a newbie to bikes in general, need HELP! :-S im quite short (5'3) and finding it hard to find a small track bike under 50cm. 50cm bikes with 700cc wheels are uncomfortably high (tip-toeing when seated), is it possible to swap the wheels 650cc to make it smaller?

No, the seat stays will be too long to fit a smaller wheel on the back and you'd need different forks on the front.

How about the Fuji Track SE? 650c wheels on that. I have one and use it to ride around town (it's got brake holes drilled) but I'm sure it would be fine on the track.
http://www.velodromeshop.org.uk/index.php?p=product&id=217

Islabikes also has a small track bike these days, http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/reis.html

Why are you concerned about being tiptoe when seated though? I'm shorter than you and do fine on 700c wheels (though I prefer 650c for racing). If you have your feet flat on the ground while seated on the bike, that would mean your saddle is too low...

Would like to find 650c wheelset for my daughters project

@smaryka, thanks for the reply. i wasn't too sure about sizing and comfortability when sitting or riding a track bike. havent got on a bike in donkeys years! do you think there is a "huge" difference between 50cm frame with 650c wheels and a 49cm framce with 700cm?

*700c

Monday is probably best as I'm up in Warrington visiting Cycling Projects on Weds and prob won't be home til later. I'm off on leave on Monday so anytime is fine with me. Can you remember where I live?

Hi LH. Just remembered to check back here. Can't remember exactly but I remember its off off Kings Avenue. I'll PM you.

Having seen LH's bike then checked out the price, it's on the list at number one with the Brompton down at number two.................. but this could change (again) :-)

@smaryka, thanks for the reply. i wasn't too sure about sizing and comfortability when sitting or riding a track bike. havent got on a bike in donkeys years! do you think there is a "huge" difference between 50cm frame with 650c wheels and a 49cm framce with 700cm?

Hard to tell, because it depends. Each brand is different.
With 650c you can make the top tube approx. 1" or a bit more shorter and keep more standard frame angles.
What frame builders tend to do with very small frames for 700c wheels is making the seat tube very steep and the head tube very shallow.
With 650c wheelss the geometry can be more moderate.

Frame height 49cm vs 50 cm doesn't say anything at all.

Would like to find 650c wheelset for my daughters project

Buy new rims, you can get them for not too much money.
Like this: http://www.mammoet.nl/store/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/9851
Hubs and spokes can be found everywhere.

When you lace them up new, you're assured that they're straight and well tensioned.

I've just read all this thread and I'm slightly confused. (newbie alert!)

So when you say '650c', you're referring to the wheel size rather than the whole bike?

Do women buy boys road bikes in order to get a small enough bike to fit them? (If they're poor and need to buy second hand!)

I ride downhill bikes so I'm not a complete idiot but I know pretty much nothing about road bikes!

What is this girl riding then?

Cheers!

Perhaps the thread should be retitled "650c wheeled bikes for short people" (me included). But then I like the scobled title.

The thread is about bikes suitable for shorter folk, ie. when you reduce the frame size to a certain point, with regular (700c) wheels, you will have to steepen the headtube, and deal with poorer steering response and increased toe overlap. To maintain the geometry of the smaller frame you can use slightly smaller diameter wheels.

I ride a 51cm (both top and seat tube), with 700c wheels, which works fine (albeit quite 'wheel heavy' to look at), but my ideal frame is slightly smaller and with 650c wheels to maintain geometry. I'm just about to embark on a custom frame choice (can't wait!!).

Ah right that clears some things up, thanks.

I'm basically wanting to buy a road bike to convert to a single speed, I don't have much money and don't want to put a lot of money in to it because it will probably just get stolen in the city. I'm 5'3 with short legs!

The girls bike in the above picture looks a lot smaller than the guys. So the wheels are 650c but the bike will be a small adults bike? (like 50cm or something?)

Finding an old working road bike for under £50 seems difficult right now.

Hard to tell, because it depends. Each brand is different.
With 650c you can make the top tube approx. 1" or a bit more shorter and keep more standard frame angles.
What frame builders tend to do with very small frames for 700c wheels is making the seat tube very steep and the head tube very shallow.
With 650c wheelss the geometry can be more moderate.

Frame height 49cm vs 50 cm doesn't say anything at all.

I did a blog post about my two race bikes -- same brand, similar model, same frame size, but one is 650c and the other 700c. It's been interesting to compare them.
http://smaryka.blogspot.com/2010/05/p2sl-project.html

In a nutshell, the 700c has toe overlap (which I don't mind as I'm used to it -- I have more a problem with that with slow cornering like in cyclocross), a taller front-end to accommodate the taller front wheel, less saddle-bar drop and a more relaxed seattube angle. I ride/race it when I need to share tires/tubes/wheels with other people, and on longer rides where I want to be a bit more relaxed and upright.

The 650c has no toe overlap, a taller seattube angle, and a lower front-end so more saddle-bar drop. It feels zippier to accelerate and climb because of the smaller wheels. I much prefer it for racing but only when I can have my own spare 650c wheels handy in the service car. It's also lighter and nimbler for crits and hill climbing than the "big bike". And more aero.

If I could only choose one bike to ride forever based on sheer joy and love, I would go with the 650c bike. I feel like it just fits me better and is an all-around better built bike geometry-wise, even though the 700c bike is the best frame I've ever ridden in that wheel size (most small racing bikes avoid toe overlap by having a shallow fork angle and seattube angles, which feels to me like I'm driving a bus around corners... ) But sadly 700c wheels are what everyone else rides so I need to be flexible! So I have a mix of both size bikes for different purposes.

By the way, neither of my race bikes are women-specific design, Cervelo doesn't believe in that hype so just tries to build bikes within the constraints of modern cycling (like wheel size) in a geometry that can both perform well and fit people. But I do think both the Fuji Track SE and the Paul Milnes CX frames are more or less marketed as kids' bikes. :)

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Ah right that clears some things up, thanks.

I'm basically wanting to buy a road bike to convert to a single speed, I don't have much money and don't want to put a lot of money in to it because it will probably just get stolen in the city. I'm 5'3 with short legs!

The girls bike in the above picture looks a lot smaller than the guys. So the wheels are 650c but the bike will be a small adults bike? (like 50cm or something?)

Finding an old working road bike for under £50 seems difficult right now.

That pic is a bit misleading as that's a pretty large 700c bike -- probably something like a 58cm or 60cm frame -- making hers look that much smaller.

In the early days of triathlon, 650c wheels were popular on bigger bikes as they believed you could get lower in front and more aero. But with the advent of better frame designs and more knowledge (lower in front isn't necessarily more aero) that went away and now 650c is mostly for smaller frames. Probably hard to find a frame over 50cm these days that's 650c.

Having seen LH's bike then checked out the price, it's on the list at number one with the Brompton down at number two.................. but this could change (again) :-)

Meant to say to you, that if you come to sell it on, they don't really lose their value either. I've spoken to a couple of people who have sold their's on and they've made their money back. Bonus!