Ladies Bikes - What are you riding?

I'm not quite up to riding a fixie or SS yet as I only started cycling a couple of months ago, but maybe one day I'll get to join the elite...
In the mean time, I'm riding 'Tiny Tim'. He's a custom Paul Hewitt frame (bought on ebay and fettled on by the boyf) with 650 wheels - I'm a shortie and have an inside leg of 27", so found it really difficult to get a good fit on the usual 700 wheels.
Love the bike and loving cycling!

Yay, another shortie! I only have a geared bike but am thinking of trying fg/ss in the future. Hopefully I'll make it to Souths on Monday before the money runs out. A very tight month sigh.

I ride a 49'' Orbit fixed conversion, called Purple George. I love it, he rides like a dream. I've also got a Brian Rouke track frame gathering dust, as I'm always preoccupied with non-bike related stuff. And I'm always skint. One day I'll do something with it.

Yay, another shortie! I only have a geared bike but am thinking of trying fg/ss in the future. Hopefully I'll make it to Souths on Monday before the money runs out. A very tight month sigh.

Actually, I'm 'Lardboy's' other half, so I'll see you later, I believe!

I ride a 49'' Orbit fixed conversion

49 inches! Whoah! That's huge. ;)

Where are you based Heather? There are quite a few of the ladies who frequent the various compass point beers. South's seems to be full of us at the moment!

I'm just round the corner from the Coach and Horses, which is a frequented drinking place of bikists, I believe. Be great to meet up - is it every monday?

Certainly is, every monday from around 6pm - two for one burgers too! Nhatt, VeeVee, myself and a few others are usually there, come say hello!

Certainly is, every monday from around 6pm - two for one burgers too! Nhatt, VeeVee, myself and a few others are usually there, come say hello!
Sweet. Hope to make it this week - see you there!

Two for one burger deal? Why didn't someone say so before? I'll be there on Monday - lol

If the ladies who are looking for a custom frame, Roberts is one good example to go for, he build a bicycle specifically for a 4'8 person;

This bike was created for a woman 4'8" tall. The seat tube, all of it, measures 13" and the wheels are 26" MTB wheels with road tyres. Note the very short stem and extra spacers underneath to raise the bars to the correct height without extending the reach too much. We don't make bikes much smaller than this very often....

If the ladies who are looking for a custom frame, Roberts is one good example to go for, he build a bicycle specifically for a 4'8 person.

As a general rule, any builder who specialises in fillet brazing (or even TIG) is likely to be a good bet. No lugs, ergo no restriction on geometry to match the available lugs.

Good thinking, hasn't though about the lugs restriction (and making one from scratch just to make it fit).

VeeVee has just got a custom Roberts and is very pleased with it

Oh, Roberts is all-round excellent.

I ride 2 bikes.
One is an enormous self converted fixie using my cousin's old falcon frame. The most fun I've ever had on a bike...
The second is my pride and joy - a team carbon boardman. Rides like an absolute dream and the Halfords guys in Norwich are cool too :-)
I'm 5ft5", (shortish torso and long arms and legs) and ride a 54cm (small) size which seems to fit absolutely perfectly. No pains or aches (apart from the saddle department!!) and I ride for 2 hours every day on the drops. :-)

I ride a beautiful 14 Bike Co custom-build, based on the 'Truman' frame; 52cm square, made to measure for my leg, height (5ft8) and arm length. Haz short bmx stem and risers, standard bb and crank arms in the chainset. Exceedingly comfortable, tis my main commuting bike.

My 'trick' bike is a 2008 (?) Charge Plug frame in xs size (as Charge's size their bikes BIG)...I believe it's 53cm, but not square...top tube length is a bit longer I think. Also haz short bmx stem and risers.

Somewhere in a shed in Nottingham I have a pretty heavy Diamondback BMX with a full set of pegs. This I bought as an adult! I miss it though...

I've just met a lass in Condor (where else?) with a 26" wheels (I think) Chas Roberts fillet braze touring bike, the handlebar are super narrow;

I asked her if she could pop round to the LFGSS' ladies section to have a butcher and the like.

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. This info is just BRILLIANT ;o) I'm 5ft 2in so will need a small frame too... I feel I am going to have to get someone to build me a lovely bike (and probably spray it pink).

i have a little white fuji track 43cm with 650c wheels - was a bit of a nightmare to get hold off but found a shop who ordered one in! before that i had the same in black before it got nicked :( but i love this one, added riser bars and some baby pink ourys and it pretty much looks like a mini milk lolly now.

that's an OTP by the way if it helps at all!

In general, it's that ladies' legs are proportionally longer than torso compared to men. Therefore bikes that are the "right size" (according to leg measurements) are gonna be too long in the top tube. The solution with my current bike is get a "too small" frame and jack the saddle up; other bikes I've owned have used the "use a tiny stem and get used to twitchy handling" method.

Cheers, has it always been like this? Do the ladies cycles of yesteryear have the same problems? Such as mixte frames and slopeing top tube bikes?

I would say yes. My 80s Peugeot mixte has quite a reach on it. It has similar proportions to my Peugeot with an horizontal tt.

It's also a lot bigger than it looks but that's by the by. Live and learn. (and get a new bike, yay!)

With my boardman I only sized myself against the top tube and pretty much ignored the height of the seat tube - did that thing of sitting on the saddle, putting my hands on the top of the brake hoods and checking I couldn't see the hub of the front wheel at all. The frame looks pretty tiny and seeing as my height is made up of nearly all leg I have my saddle ridiculously high.... But I feel really comfy, never had any arm or back pain at all despite riding for 2 hours a day entirely on the drops.... So I'd def go with buying a smaller frame and hitching the saddle right up. :-)

In general, it's that ladies' legs are proportionally longer than torso compared to men. Therefore bikes that are the "right size" (according to leg measurements) are gonna be too long in the top tube. The solution with my current bike is get a "too small" frame and jack the saddle up; other bikes I've owned have used the "use a tiny stem and get used to twitchy handling" method.

I knew there was something wrong with me! I'm proportioned like a man - disproportionately longer in the torso than in the leg. Explains why my bike fits me anyway - it's a blokes frame!

as you've all seen my bike on the stolen bikes thread, this is probably a good way to introduce myself! I ride the 'Stolen Dolan' (wish I'd chosen that as my username now!)

If you PM Velocio I'm sure he'd change it for you!

Glad you got it back btw.

I knew there was something wrong with me! I'm proportioned like a man - disproportionately longer in the torso than in the leg. Explains why my bike fits me anyway - it's a blokes frame!

think that's me too!

If you PM Velocio I'm sure he'd change it for you!

Glad you got it back btw.

thank you :D

Am also glad to hear you got it back. Persistence pays!
Welcome btw. Sure Velocio would change your username. "Stolen Dolan" does have a certain ring to it.