[porterjack]

There's a couple threads that address bikes for shorter girls with short torsos and long legs...but I'm just about 5'8" and have a 34" inseam. I currently ride a M SC blur with a 110 stem, but the seat is like 6 inches above the handlebars! Thinking about looking into a custom frame or at least a different frame in the next year. What do other women with similar bodies ride?

 

[FreeRangeChicken]

There's a couple threads that address bikes for shorter girls with short torsos and long legs...but I'm just about 5'8" and have a 34" inseam. I currently ride a M SC blur with a 110 stem, but the seat is like 6 inches above the handlebars! Thinking about looking into a custom frame or at least a different frame in the next year. What do other women with similar bodies ride?

Seven is a nice custom option if you hav the $$$. They ain't cheap. My GF is 4'10" and couldn't find any production bikes that afforded her any standover whatsoever. Seven nailed it.

That said, I'm not so sure that you necessarily have to go custom or abandon your current bike for that matter. Have you done anything with the stem and bars, like trying a stem with more rise, or changing the spacer stack(may not have enough steering tube for that), or riser bars?

FRC

 

[MallieD]

Agree with Mr. Chicken. My husband rides BMX, XC, and DH so all of his bikes are set up so differently I can't really keep track. BUT, I do know for a fact that when he rides XC his seat is about that much higher than his handlebars.

I actually raised my seat more than 1.5 inches when I started doing longer rides and it's really made a difference in my climbing, etc. So maybe you need to look over total bike set-up and perhaps there's something you can tinker with.

Do you feel awkward or do you get stiff with the seat that much higher than your bars? I'm all upper body so I know some folks think my seat looks awfully high when the bike is leaning against a tree or in the rack, but when they see me on it they admit it looks natural.

Just my .02.

Mallie

Mallie

 

[phoenixrider]

There's a couple threads that address bikes for shorter girls with short torsos and long legs...but I'm just about 5'8" and have a 34" inseam. I currently ride a M SC blur with a 110 stem, but the seat is like 6 inches above the handlebars! Thinking about looking into a custom frame or at least a different frame in the next year. What do other women with similar bodies ride?

i'm the same height and have about the same inseam. a medium size frame is too small for you! when i went to buy my first bike (~4 yrs ago) they tried to put me in a M frame and the position i would've been, was like what you describe - not good at all! finally the guy agreed with me that i needed a large frame. the difference in top tube length between the M and L is usually about an inch or less, depending on the brand, but the height is much better for our looooooooong legs! to compensate for the longer top tube, get a shorter stem, like 90 or 100mm. some of them come with a 10, 15 or even 40 degree angle. also, consider getting riser handle bars instead of a flat one.
i used to have a L specialized fsr pro and that's the set up i had. last year i bought a L turner 5-spot and i use a thompson stem, 100/15 degree and it fits perfectly!
i hope this helped.

 

[sfstseven]

I agree with phoenixrider that your bike is too small. I am 5'10" with 34" inseam and I ride a large SC blur. It fits great. I think a large with a short stem and a saddle as far forward as can be adjusted would do the trick for you. Good Luck. (BTW, i can also suggest some great web sites that sell pants with 34-36" inseams!)

 

[MTDirtGirl]

Same here, 5'8" and I was set on a Specialized FSR XC but kept going back and forth between medium and large. (If they would make the dang head tube longer on the medium it would sure help.)

Anyway, of all things I ended up on the WSD version of the FSR XC and I loved the shorter cockpit. But I went to a radically higher and somewhat longer stem, then to some 2" bars. I hated to do all that but it was great to not have such a long reach like I had on the large mens version. Wasn't sure this was right either, but then I had a blast with it last Sunday and popped a wheelie for the first time for the first time in my life , so I think it's dialed in now.

 

[porterjack]

That said, I'm not so sure that you necessarily have to go custom or abandon your current bike for that matter. Have you done anything with the stem and bars, like trying a stem with more rise, or changing the spacer stack(may not have enough steering tube for that), or riser bars?

FRC

Nope, haven't played with either a bigger rise or riser bars. Is there a rule of thumb for how much of a stem rise you can go up to without losing something?

 

[porterjack]

i'm the same height and have about the same inseam. a medium size frame is too small for you! when i went to buy my first bike (~4 yrs ago) they tried to put me in a M frame and the position i would've been, was like what you describe - not good at all! finally the guy agreed with me that i needed a large frame. the difference in top tube length between the M and L is usually about an inch or less, depending on the brand, but the height is much better for our looooooooong legs! to compensate for the longer top tube, get a shorter stem, like 90 or 100mm. some of them come with a 10, 15 or even 40 degree angle. also, consider getting riser handle bars instead of a flat one.
i used to have a L specialized fsr pro and that's the set up i had. last year i bought a L turner 5-spot and i use a thompson stem, 100/15 degree and it fits perfectly!
i hope this helped.

Hmm...a new bike is not in the immediate future..but hopefully by the end of the year or early next year. I guess I should pay more attention next time and actually get fit on one before I buy it I wonder if I should just keep with the 110 stem right now and try a bigger rise...

 

[porterjack]

I agree with phoenixrider that your bike is too small. I am 5'10" with 34" inseam and I ride a large SC blur. It fits great. I think a large with a short stem and a saddle as far forward as can be adjusted would do the trick for you. Good Luck. (BTW, i can also suggest some great web sites that sell pants with 34-36" inseams!)

The first Blur I rode was a L, and I rented it in Breck for the Firecracker 50 race. Looking back on it, that bike felt great. I guess I just made the assumption that the M would be a better fit since I'm 5'8". Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[porterjack]

Same here, 5'8" and I was set on a Specialized FSR XC but kept going back and forth between medium and large. (If they would make the dang head tube longer on the medium it would sure help.)

Anyway, of all things I ended up on the WSD version of the FSR XC and I loved the shorter cockpit. But I went to a radically higher and somewhat longer stem, then to some 2" bars. I hated to do all that but it was great to not have such a long reach like I had on the large mens version. Wasn't sure this was right either, but then I had a blast with it last Sunday and popped a wheelie for the first time for the first time in my life , so I think it's dialed in now.

What size WSD FSR? I don't know any other girls that are our height and ride a WSD. Interesting. Also, I've had major problems being able to wheelie, and I attribute it partly to the bike setup/geometry. (And partly to my skill ) Congrats on getting it dialed in, though, have fun with it!

 

[porterjack]

i'm the same height and have about the same inseam. a medium size frame is too small for you! when i went to buy my first bike (~4 yrs ago) they tried to put me in a M frame and the position i would've been, was like what you describe - not good at all! finally the guy agreed with me that i needed a large frame. the difference in top tube length between the M and L is usually about an inch or less, depending on the brand, but the height is much better for our looooooooong legs! to compensate for the longer top tube, get a shorter stem, like 90 or 100mm. some of them come with a 10, 15 or even 40 degree angle. also, consider getting riser handle bars instead of a flat one.
i used to have a L specialized fsr pro and that's the set up i had. last year i bought a L turner 5-spot and i use a thompson stem, 100/15 degree and it fits perfectly!
i hope this helped.

Another question for you, do you ride a road bike? If so, what kind and what size?

 

[MTDirtGirl]

What size WSD FSR? I don't know any other girls that are our height and ride a WSD. Interesting. Also, I've had major problems being able to wheelie, and I attribute it partly to the bike setup/geometry. (And partly to my skill ) Congrats on getting it dialed in, though, have fun with it!

How stupid of me--it's a medium. I don't even think they make a large in the women's design. It's just a tad shorter in the top tube than the men's med but many of the other numbers are the same. I'm still not sure this is "right" but I have such an odd bod and seem to be in-between sizes as usual.

 

[phoenixrider]

a road bike

Another question for you, do you ride a road bike? If so, what kind and what size?

i'm not big on road riding... but a long time ago i bought a 63cm (25") frame and it fit very well. had to change the stem, of course, because it seems it was ~140mm. if your inseam is 34", a 25" frame would fit you well and your seat would not be too high above the bike frame.

even if you're not ready to buy yet, go to bike shops, ride many bikes around their parking lots and ask many questions. that way when you have the $$$, you know exactly what you want!

 

[jchembel]

I am 5.5” with 33 inseam. I have looked and looked for the correct frame and did not find anything that will fit me of the rack. So I wound up ordering a custom Ti Racer X.
Best decision I have ever made.
Oh, one more thing: SALSA make a bikes with a short top tube and tall standover (or at least they did last year). I got myself a Bandito frame –perfect geometry for people with longer legs.

 

[sfstseven]

Another question for you, do you ride a road bike? If so, what kind and what size?

I am a big road rider as well as mt biker. I struggled for a long time with bike fit (road bike). I have ridden a 58cm frame (top tube too long) and a 56 cm frame (head tube too short). I just got a custom bike and I love it . It is one of the best decision I have ever made.