Bicycles Asked on November 3, 2020
I’m a 5’1″ woman looking to purchase a classic bike for transport/leisure. Unfortunately here in the London and in neighbouring cities/countries, I can only find 17″+ frames available. Most sizing charts recommend 15″ for me.
Perhaps I have more flexibility given that I’m not properly sizing for a road/mountain bike or anything. Would a 17″ frame be ok? I don’t want to strain my knees or risk back issues.
Total novice at this, but I also measured my inseam in two different ways. 28.5″ maximum if I want 1 inch of room while standing over the seat. 23″ if I use the book method and allow 5 inches of room while standing over the seat. Seems like a lot of 17″ bikes online lower down to 26″ inseam height.
Many thanks!
I helped a friend having a similar issue long time ago (she was 154cm ... I think it is similar height to yours, right?).
What we found was that a 17" frame would be okayish regarding leg's length, but a bit of a stretch regarding the torso/back, because the handlebar was too much forward. However, for cycling stretches of 20-30 minutes this may be ok and you may still have a relatively simple albeit unconventional solution: reverting the stem (the metal piece used to attach the handlebar to the fork) to point backwards
In our case, the solution was to buy a 26" bicycle. Sometimes these bicycles are advertised as "young adults bike" but they are completely adequate for your declared purposes.
Answered by EarlGrey on November 3, 2020
Would a 17" frame be ok?
If you can stand over the frame, most likely it is ok. Just install a very short stem. Stems are available as short as 60mm. Especially city bikes often have handlebars that curve towards the rider. This somewhat reduces the need to have a short stem.
Without the stand over test, don't purchase anything unless the specification explicitly mentions standover height and you have measured what standover height you need.
Answered by juhist on November 3, 2020
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