Conference noted::bicycle

    what is her inseam? 
    
    The rule of thumb for a mountain bike is for the top tube to be 
    3-4 inches lower than her inseam. 
    
    Paul

What I think Paul meant to say is that there should be 3-4 inches
of clearance between the top tube and the rider's crotch when the
rider is standing astride the bike. Actually, for mostly trail
riding, the clearance should probably be a little more...

For a reference point, my wife is about that height (5'4") and
her MTB has a 16" frame. 

Thanks for the input.  She is seriously considering the 16 inch over the
14.

Jim

    Jim,
    
     Most reliable bike shops should have a defined criteria on the sizing
    of the bikes that they carry.If not,you realy should try another shop.
    My personal thought is that the 16" would be to big for someone 5'4"
    tall.There are a few very good womans models of Mt.bikes out there.
    Not to say that they're lesser models,but that they are designed with
    the ergonomics of a woman in mind. If she is going to ride in the woods
    the smaller the frame the better.That is true with men and woman.You
    can always adjust sizing with stem and seat post height.I am 5'10"
    and I ride a 18" C'dale,just for comparison.
    
                               
                                      See ya in the woods
                                           Jack B.

    I'm 5'6 1/2" and ride a 16" frame. you may want to reconsider the size.
    
    Chip

We have been to two bike shops and one said the 16 inch is perfect.  The other
said the 14 inch is perfect.  I believe both of us will go down this weekend
and make our own decision.

Jim

    There is a difference in frame sizes depending upon the brand.  Those
    with higher bottom brackets, ie: Fisher, you would need a smaller
    frame.   Most important is the reach.  Many mountain bikes tend to have
    a long top tube, too much so for some women, resulting in the need for
    a smaller frame.  My wife (5'2") used to ride a 16 (one that happen to 
    have a short top tube) but now rides a 12.5" Fisher and loves it.
    
    steve

    On these borderline cases, going with the the shorter frame gives
    you more options than the larger.  You can get a longer stem, for 
    example, if you want more forward extenstion, and you can raise
    you seatpost if you want more upward extension, but you can't chop
    down a frame that you later decide is too big.
    
    Also, usually a woman's legs are longer than a man's of the same
    height, for what that's worth.
    
    Justin

    The most recent Colorado Cyclist catalog starts with a few pages
    describing proper fit.  It seems to have enough detail to help you
    select a frame and to adjust stem and seatpost.  All the local shops
    did just one measurement - check my clearance over the top tube.

   If you are looking at a mountain Bike at around $400, the stem would be less
   aggressive then bikes at the $550 range. Therefore the a $400 range 16"
   bike will fit differently then a 16" bike at the $550 range even though they
   are the same brand. Like the previous noters indicated, different brand of
   bike will measure differently (from the ground to the top tube) even if
   they both say 16" (especially Gary Fischers).

   Measured your wife inseam and then measure the bikes she will be test
   riding base on the 4-5 inch clearence recommendation. 

   Have fun,

   Dave
 
 
  

    One other thing not mentioned. Some shops will also lean toward moving
    slow moving or last year's models first, if they can. Particularly now
    with their floors chuck full of new models.

    Just to echo the rest of the advice in here, we recently went through
    the same thing.  The 15.5 Giant 875 fit fine while the 15.5 Fisher 
    Hookooekoo did not.  The 14" Montare was a good fit though the seat had
    to come all the way forward.  My girlfriend is 5'3" + a tad.  She tried 
    several brands and needed one with a shorter top tube.  Stand over height 
    was not a problem.  A few companies make woman specific frames, like 
    Giant.  She balked when sales folks started talking about higher rise 
    stems etc.  She wanted one that fit, out of the box so to speak.  I on 
    the other hand am about the same height as Chip (maybe a hair taller :-) ) 
    and I ride a 16" GT.  I was comfortable on frames from 15 to 18" 
    depending upon the brand.  The bike that is right is the one that fits 
    regardless of what they claim the frame size to be.  Good luck and happy 
    trails! 
    
    Brian

    Stem size is only what accomodates a particular company's idea of what 
    the "average" rider for that frame size amounts to.  Quite often, 
    company's base this on your typical man, not your typical woman.
    
    Justin

    I'm interested in buying a bicycle this Spring and hope to spend
    somewhere in the neighborhood of $150.  I'm 5'4" and the last time I
    rode a bike was over 20 years ago!  It was the same bike I had since
    kindergarten...coaster brakes, high handlebars, etc.
    
    This weekend I went to a sports shop in Worcester to get an idea of
    what size I'd feel comfortable with.  The 26" wheels were too high for
    me but the length between the seat and handlebars felt cramped.  The
    frame was 18".  I don't understand what that means...is it the length
    between the seat and the handlebars?  Upon returning home, I measured
    my husband's bike.  26" high and the bar is 21" which felt right to me
    except the seat was too high.
    
    After reading through several notes in this notesfile from petite
    women, I'm seeing recommendations for incredibly small frame sizes. 
    Can someone please explain to me what the frame size is?
    
    I plan to visit a real bike shop within the next few weeks and would
    like to go with a little information.
    
    Thanks very much for any advice!  I'm looking forward to riding with my
    daughter around an asphalt track...flat.
    
    Robin     bigq::watson (preferred)

    You probably need about a 14 to 16 inch mountain bike.  There are a
    number in the $230 range that would work for you, being better than
    the dept store type.  You may inquire about last year's leftovers,
    however that size is probably gone.
    
    steve

    
    
    	The frame size is usually measured from the center of the bottom
    	bracket (that roundish thingy on the bottom where the pedals go
     	through) to the top of the top tube (the one you straddle when off
    	the seat)  It really depends on how long your legs are and what
    	kind of riding you want to do.  I would guess, at 5'4" you would
    	not want anything bigger than 18", probably closer to 15".
    
    	To be comfortable you would want 2 or more inches of clearance
    	between you and the top tube, when you are straddling it.
    
    	Glad to help

    
    	They recommend about 4" of clearance on a mountain bike.
    

    My wife just bought a bike from SAM'S for $160.  While it is not as
    nice as my C-Dale I think it has good parts for the money and I think
    she will ride it (even if it isn't purple).  Flat is the way she wants to 
    ride too.  So she doesn't need shocks, etc., stuff that just adds to
    the price. 
    The thing that I really like about it is that it has grip shifters.  First
    time I ever tried them and I want some now.

    Thanks very much for your responses!  I also heard back from
    Cannondale.  They too explained what "frame size" means.  Since it is a
    vertical measurement, I agree, I need a small frame.  I was mistaken
    thinking it was the length from the seat to the handlebars...or the
    length of the bar on a man's bike.  I'd like that distance to be 21"
    or so.  For future reference, Cannondale recommended that I try a
    18" size Hybrid like the H200 or H300 or a 16" size.  
    
    I'm looking forward to riding again to get some exercise.  I had no
    idea how far the technology had advanced since my days of a basic
    bicycle.  
    
    
    Robin

    
    	Hopefully they told you that you won't be able to buy an H200
    	for $150.  When I bought my H400 for $530 the H200 was going
    	for about $400 [Landry's in Westboro].
    

I'm the one who started this note for my wife who is also 5'4".  We shopped for
months and finally chose a 14 inch frame Cannondale M200SE for my wife, Paula.
Unless you have very long or short legs, you should't be looking at anything
other than the 14 and 16" frames in the Cannondale.  Other brands may have
different ways of measuring frame size, so I'm not sure how the Cannondale
info would convert to other brands.  

On a mountain bike what you want to be concerned about is stopping with one
tire elevated on a rock .  Will you have enough room to drop a foot to the
ground without having the top tube injure yourself?  If you ride a road bike,
you don't have to worry too much about that scenario, but a mountain bike
off-road is a different story.  That's why people buy a smaller mountain bike
frame than road frame.  I'm 6'3" and I have a 25 inch road frame and 20 inch
mountain frame.  On a mountain bike, you can always raise and lower the seat,
plus shift the seat forwards and backwards to some extent once you have
identified the correct frame size.  You can also raise and lower the
handlebars, and/or purchase a new stem to push the handlebars out or bring them
closer towards the seat.  The best thing you can do is to ride as many sizes of
bikes as possible until you find what's right for you. 

Jim 

    re. .20  Cannondale didn't mention a price range, but I assumed it was
    way beyond what I want to spend.  I only plan to ride around a paved
    track and maybe up and down our flat street.  Of course, if I can't
    find anything in the $150 range that fits me, I will spend more.  
    
    Thanks for warning me what Cannondales sell for.  Their web page
    doesn't mention price.
    
    
    Robin

>>    way beyond what I want to spend.  I only plan to ride around a paved
>>    track and maybe up and down our flat street.  Of course, if I can't
>>    find anything in the $150 range that fits me, I will spend more.  

Lechemere has some mountain bikes for under $100.  They are very heavy
compared to my Cannondale, but they should do fine for what you want to do
with them.  You may also want to look at used bikes.

Jim

    Well, it took a few months, but I finally bought a bike this past
    weekend!  I don't have the details with me, but it's a Bianchi Strada
    model.  I tested one in the parking lot and was very comfortable on it.
    $300 at the Bicycle Barn in Westboro, MA.  I'll pick it up tomorrow.
    Looking forward to riding and getting some exercise again.
    
    Thanks again to all of you who were kind enough to offer suggestions on
    what to look for and for answering my questions!
    
    
    Robin