Ladies Bikes - What are you riding?

problem solve by using a slightly longer stem, same bar as Trip's bike above me.

noted that

^^ That bike is all kinds of win.
Another nice set of bars to help shorten a long top tube a bit would be some Belleri Porteurs(or the cheap, fugly VO copies), Liz's have a *very *slight drop to them but are nice, wide and stable. Not quite as chilled as sit up and beg jobbies but awesome generally with nuff basket room.

I agree about that bike, with the one drivetrain gripe that I think it should be freewheelin with a rear brake and a smaller gear.

i can see it's 650, but the gear still looks steep.

Shoosh, please don't take offence but it might be worth looking at Isla Bikes. They make kids bikes but their largest kids track bike will be about right for you (hard to say exactly as it depends on more than just your height).

Check this link and click on the Reis 700.
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/reis.html

The benefit of 700c wheels means you'll have a far bigger choice of tyres let alone rims if you ever need to replace them/upgrade them.
You'll need to also buy brake/s depending on if you want to run it single speed or fixed but it is still a bargain in my opinion and although they are made in the far east it is a small british company run by a very nice lady.

Kinda like this then;

This is lovely!

Shoosh, please don't take offence but it might be worth looking at Isla Bikes. They make kids bikes but their largest kids track bike will be about right for you (hard to say exactly as it depends on more than just your height).

Check this link and click on the Reis 700.
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/reis.html

The benefit of 700c wheels means you'll have a far bigger choice of tyres let alone rims if you ever need to replace them/upgrade them.
You'll need to also buy brake/s depending on if you want to run it single speed or fixed but it is still a bargain in my opinion and although they are made in the far east it is a small british company run by a very nice lady.

i agree with Tim's advice. Cisco's got one and it takes loads of abuse, even big boys riding his bike. The little bike is really though! I was eyeing an isla track bike at the track and they are sweet.

Lady Liz's pixiefixieskidder(pug mixte 50cmish)

And her Cilo racer with comedy handlebar position 48cm

for the love of all that is holy, please don't spray the bike pink like every other girl on the planet!! ;-)

awww are you trying to spoil my fun ;o) from memory the only reason why i chose my MTB is because it was orange.

I have pink blue and red bikes... (all chosen for their colour)

i love jaquie's pink bike, and clive's and pinky's their are awesome

Hey Shoosh, count yourself lucky you're not 4'11! Ed why didn't I know you existed when I first got into cycling? Between you and Corrine/Scheritt I'd have been sorted and happy already rather than looking and hoping.

Love that pic with the short/tall people and bikes :-)

i am 5ft 6

And the rest, Tika! :)

there seems to be pro & cons to 650 wheels - the advantage being that the proportions of the bike will be better if you're short, the disadvantage is in the limiting tyre/wheel choices. Which is a shame, because it's a nice idea.

I kind of feel that I'm on the smallest practical size suitable for 700c wheels. I ride a 49cm road bike, 52cm track bike and a 54cm town/everyday bike, which was a Bianchi pista at the start of its life. The last is both broken and too big for me but hey: it's my piece of junk and I'll ride what I like. It was never my OTP - I inherited the frame from a friend & so stuck my own bits of junk on. It takes a while to figure out what you want from a bike, which will of course affect what bike you get, and sometimes that changes too. I've mellowed a bit (and am injured) so want something a bit easier going at the moment. Buy something you like: there's no real right or wrong answer. You can then either change bits or leave them be, as you wish.

I had a pink bike. I didn't realise until now it was such a stereotype! She was a mixte frame, she said she was a Holdsworth but we think she was a sheep in lamb's clothing in that respect...swept back trekking bars with brooks bar tape...a head turner. So many people commented on her but I got frustrated and banished her. Well, gave her away. Now I miss her, of course.

http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/reis.html

Thanks for this! One massive advantage of being a short-ass is being able to get kids stuff - usually cheaper (no VAT and all that) - I will be browsing these...for me and then for my son in about 2 years time at which point I expect he'll be taller than me.

Kids Sidis would be good...

Shoosh, I manage with 700 wheels even on my tiny 46cm track frame - makes it easier with wheels/tyres/blagging tubes off others etc. The bike looks a bit cartoon-ish (all wheel) but it's great to ride.

Shoosh, please don't take offence but it might be worth looking at Isla Bikes. They make kids bikes but their largest kids track bike will be about right for you (hard to say exactly as it depends on more than just your height).

Check this link and click on the Reis 700.
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/reis.html

The benefit of 700c wheels means you'll have a far bigger choice of tyres let alone rims if you ever need to replace them/upgrade them.
You'll need to also buy brake/s depending on if you want to run it single speed or fixed but it is still a bargain in my opinion and although they are made in the far east it is a small british company run by a very nice lady.

Why should I take offence? I'm on here... if I was easily offended I would never have registered.

Thanks for this, that looks one cool bike. I don't care about whether its a kids bike...I still have a mental age of 14 so it could suit me down to the ground.

Varno on here sells small track bikes,
https://www.lfgss.com/thread44460.html

These may also be worth a look.
http://archie-wilkinson.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=65&zenid=ee810692e7d142098fc96466dae140af

and another plus one for Islabikes. My daughter has had two and they have both been fantastic.

We have matching mental ages then:-)
Some people (usually guys) are a little sensitive about their height and might get a bit touchy about surgestions to look at things in kids sizes.

I doubt bigger wheel would make it easier and faster to be honest, my commute on my 20" wheel bicycle is pretty much the same as my 700c bicycle.

Concerning 700c wheel on a tiny frame, wouldn't the short top tube mean that there's a bigger chance of toe overlap? (even on normal frame).

I ride a steel specialized langster and also a Barry Hoban mixte which I rebuilt myself.

If you are looking for smaller frames, I know that IRO do smaller sizes and I'm pretty sure Bob Jackson does too.

Yep, 18.5" (47cm, smallest OTP frame they do), so small that the quill stem can't go all the way down, for those who want to order one, ask for threadless, it's safer;

My bike (the one I took to Brighton, since it's my only bike) is an OTP fuji track. Just the basic one.

I highly recommend a really good fitting session, I've had a few before and they really helped not just with bike size but with helping my posture. If you measure me in the legs they say I need a 54 cm, but with the Fuji I actually had to go down to a 49 to get a top tube that wouldn't be too long. It doesn't really help that I insist on using bullhorns :/ Oh well.

yes, the most important measurement are the top tube and head tube.
RT Sammy @ condor
and not the height but the inner leg

What don't I ride?!

I have a Brompton, my cyclocross bike is a Salsa La Cruz, my road bike is a carbon Felt, my track bike is by a bike shop from NYC that sponsors me called Continuum, I have a 1970's Bianchi touring bike, my day to day commuter is a Surly Steamroller with a coaster brake and sit up and beg bars, and I've just been given a steel Kona Explosif MTB.

I ride everything, all the time.

I'm not any good at any of it.

Head tube angle is also important. With a slacker angle I can afford a bit bigger measurements.

the last bit is not not true!!!!! nhatt