breault@msee.DEC (03/06/86)
In searching for a new sport bike for my 5' 1" wife, we have found the
number of choices severly limited in the $300 range. Univega's Nuovo Sport
is available with an eighteen and a half inch frame and twenty-six inch
wheels. The '85 Nuovo Sport is equipped with Suntour ARX hardware and the
'86 version comes with Shimano L series components. Shogun's '86 line of
bikes include seventeen inch versions with twenty-seven inch wheels but the
top tube on the one we looked at (the 400) seemed disproportionately long.
Does anyone know of any other bikes worth looking at? She doesn't like
a mixte style frame (and neither do I).
Thanks in advance,
Brian
/decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-msee!breault/peters@cubsvax.UUCP (Peter S. Shenkin) (03/10/86)
In article <decwrl.1539> breault@msee.DEC writes: > > > In searching for a new sport bike for my 5' 1" wife, we have found the >number of choices severly limited in the $300 range. Univega's Nuovo Sport >is available with an eighteen and a half inch frame and twenty-six inch >wheels. The '85 Nuovo Sport is equipped with Suntour ARX hardware and the >'86 version comes with Shimano L series components. Shogun's '86 line of >bikes include seventeen inch versions with twenty-seven inch wheels but the >top tube on the one we looked at (the 400) seemed disproportionately long. > > Does anyone know of any other bikes worth looking at? She doesn't like >a mixte style frame (and neither do I). Don't know answer, but as usual, I have to put in a coupla cents worth. I was amazed, while shopping for a bike with a 5'2" friend, that nothing off the shelf, other than a Mixte, would fit her. The shop we went to didnt have such exotica as you mention. Someone suggested a "teenager's bike" with 24" wheels, and thinking about it, if a 6' person is ideal for a bike with 27" wheels, a 5'2" person should be using 23" wheels, so 24" is close. Of course, I don't know whether good quality is available in this size. The problem with 27" wheels for a ~5' person is things like foot clearance at the front wheel, and perhaps an overly high center of gravity. Extending this line of thought, perhaps there should be several wheel sizes; say, 24", 27" and 29"; assuming that 6' person --> 27" wheel, linear scaling dictates the following ideal sizes: 5'4"-->24" wheel; 6'5"-->29" wheel. (I see no reason for any kind of non-linear scaling scheme, since the main parameter would seem to be body length, not, say, weight or surface area....) Peter S. Shenkin Columbia Univ. Biology Dept., NY, NY 10027 {philabs,rna}!cubsvax!peters cubsvax!peters@columbia.ARPA
wunder@hpcea.HP (Walter R. Underwood) (03/11/86)
I think that Bianchi makes an 18 inch frame. I remember hearing about a "Flying dutchman" frame in an 18" size. They used a track fork crown and cantilever brakes to get extra wheel clearance. A friend of mine in Houston had a custom frame made in a 16" size. She uses 700C wheels (27" do not fit), but normal brakes. The top tube is not level. It slopes down a couple of inches from the headset to the seat. My friend likes this frame a lot. It was made by Ray Gasirowski, owner of Romic frames in Houston. walter underwood 6' 3", looking for a 27" frame
slk@mit-vax.UUCP (Ling Ku) (03/11/86)
In article <decwrl.1539> breault@msee.DEC writes: > > > In searching for a new sport bike for my 5' 1" wife, we have found the >number of choices severly limited in the $300 range. Univega's Nuovo Sport >is available with an eighteen and a half inch frame and twenty-six inch >wheels. The '85 Nuovo Sport is equipped with Suntour ARX hardware and the >'86 version comes with Shimano L series components. Shogun's '86 line of >bikes include seventeen inch versions with twenty-seven inch wheels but the >top tube on the one we looked at (the 400) seemed disproportionately long. > > Does anyone know of any other bikes worth looking at? She doesn't like >a mixte style frame (and neither do I). I am 5'1 and I had the same problem. Most (big) bike shops are unwilling to sell me even the smallest (19") 27" wheel bike because I don't have an inch clearence from the top tube. I had to settle for a mixte. Since I commute in heavy traffic, I am glad to have the "added security". Siu-Ling Ku {decvax, harvard}!mitvax!slk slk%vax@mit-mc.ARPA -- Siu-Ling Ku {decvax, harvard}!mitvax!slk slk%vax@mit-mc.ARPA
winters@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU (03/16/86)
I am not sure of the exact model numbers, but Fuji has a bike for short people which has a 26" (maybe smaller) front wheel and a 27" rear wheel. I think it is the 450 something or other. Miyata also has frames as small as 17 inches in some of their models. If you want to know the exact models and aren't having any success in your local bike shop, call Paul's Bike Shop in Urbana IL (217-367-1221). I'm sure they can direct you to the right bike/dealer. -L.W.
wunder@hpcea.HP (Walter R. Underwood) (03/18/86)
Another option, though probably expensive, is a "junior racer". In Europe, kids race on very good road racing bikes with 24" *sewup* wheels! These items are pretty much non-existant in the US, but I have see one. It was at Jocelyn's Bikes in Mountain Veiw, CA. Kind of strange to see a perfectly normal rad bike that is too small. wunder