# No bike fits me! Too short!



## M.Ray

Hi everyone, I´m looking for some advise!
I am a 5.11" woman trying to buy a Triathlon bike but can´t find any frame that fits me.
I was going for the Argon 18 E-112 because thay have an XS with 700 wheel, but apparently it doesn´t fit me either.
I think Felt has smaller bikes but they all use 650 wheels and I have the idea that it makes you go slower.
Any suggestion? Any woman as short as I am?


----------



## AshLes

5'11" is short? I am thinking this must be a typo! I am 5'10" and ride a Felt B16W. It's best if you know your stack (bottom bracket to arm pads) and reach (pads to bottom bracket with a right angle) before purchasing a frame. I found that I couldn't ride certain brands. Specialized was a no go for me as an example. I was good for Cervelo, Felt, and Speed Concept.


----------



## M.Ray

Hi! Thanks for your answer, but yeah, I´m 5'11". I don´t mean to be rude by calling us short but most bikes are made for taller people. I wanted a Blade Willier but they do not have XS frames. I could lower the seat but the top tube is just too long. Plus most XS bikes go to 650 wheels, so there aren´t many options left.
By the way, how do you feel on 650 wheels on your Felt? I do like Felt bikes but I have the impression that 650 wheels makes you lose speed and power, but I haven´t ridden them so It´s just my impression.</SPAN>


----------



## Mike T.

5'11" is short and you need an XS frame? Am I missing something here? Surely you mean 4'11"?


----------



## M.Ray

Ok now I´m lost, I might be doing something wrong. We have the metric system so I´m 1.56cms tall, I used a convertion page on internet and it says I´m 5.11.
Help!!


----------



## chudak

I see the confursion. 1.56m is 5.11 as a decimal conversion.

Note that 5.11' is not the same as 5'11".

5.11' is about 5'1.5"


----------



## M.Ray

Ohh!! I get it! Thank you chudak!!
Sorry for the confusion everyone, now you see I really am short 
With this new information any new suggestions on a triathlon bike for me?
And my biggest question is how 650 wheels can affect performance?


----------



## Mike T.

M.Ray said:


> Ok now I´m lost, I might be doing something wrong. We have the metric system so I´m 1.56cms tall, I used a convertion page on internet and it says I´m 5.11.
> Help!!


Yeah if you were really 5'11" you'd be a basketball player - and a tall one.


----------



## M.Ray

Oh my!!! Lol!! I was so shocked nobody believed I was short!! 
Just a tiny mistake and nothing makes sense!!!
THank you!


----------



## chudak

M.Ray said:


> Ohh!! I get it! Thank you chudak!!
> Sorry for the confusion everyone, now you see I really am short
> With this new information any new suggestions on a triathlon bike for me?
> And my biggest question is how 650 wheels can affect performance?


The only "performance" issues I see with 650mm versus 700mm wheels is that the smaller wheels rotate slightly faster which could translate to slightly higher wind resistence. There would also be slightly higher friction in the hubs from the higher RPM's.

Frankly, I can't see these issues as being much different than any other obstacle you face as a short triathlete. Your running strides are shorter, so in order to go as fast as a taller person you effectively have to run faster. Your arms are shorter so you don't travel as far with each stroke when you are swimming. At least with gearing you can push a similar gear even with the smaller wheels but you might have to overcome some small inefficiencies.

You're pretty much stuck with the genetic hand you were dealt!


----------



## love4himies

Have you checked out Cannondale's Slice? It comes in a 47 in a WSD. However it is still with a 650 wheel.


----------



## M.Ray

Wow! I just checked it! It looks great and on my budget!
I´m just going to try to learn more about the 650 wheels before I make any decision.
Thanks!


----------



## AvantDale

Cervelo also has a XS size frame. It comes with 650 wheels also.


----------



## AshLes

HAHA!! Makes so much more sense.....because at 5'10" I have never been called short. If you don't want 650 wheels then your best bet is going to be Specialized Transition XS.

As for losing power and speed with the 650s....power is irrelevant to a wheel. Power is power. The only bad thing about a 650 wheel is the limited wheel selection. XS SpeedConcept would be good for you if would consider 650s.

As for my Felt, it rocks....but my wheels are 700s.


----------



## il sogno

You might want to check out Treks. They make frames in 47cm and 44 cm sizes.


----------



## rs2011

Hi,

Don't let the fact that if you require 650c wheels put you off. I'm 5'4" (164cm) male have the same problem. I can just fit on a XS (48cm) Cannondale road bike and will be buying a tri bike soon. Initially I wanted to stay on a bike with 700c wheels as I can swap between bikes e.g. aero wheels but have come to the conclusion that if I want a proper fitting, stable handling and aggressive positioning (e.g. for shorter races) - ultimately quicker I will need to look towards bikes that are 650c. 

I found the following articles on Slowtwitch (plus the forums) really handy for me when deciding on 650 vs 700cc wheels. A bit of heavy reading but well worth it.

The Problem with Women - Slowtwitch.com

Small bike sizing comparison - Slowtwitch.com

Yet more wheel size debates

SHORT BIKES ARE A TALL ORDER
(A tri bike guide for those under 5'6" tall)

At the end of the day it just means I need to have spares (e.g. tubes, tyres) on-hand if you need a replacement at short notice as many stores will not stock 650c spares and likely need to order in, run higher gearing compared to my 700c road bike. The only negative is if you want to resell.

The trouble I will be having as I live in Australia is that many of the distributors will not bring it the smallest sizes (i.e. the 650c wheeled bikes).

My only two choice within my budget appears to be a XS Trek Speed Concept 7.5 or Cervelo 48cm P2 or P3. Would have liked to try a Felt DA but only available in a 51cm. I tried both 48cm and 51cm P2 and the 48cm felt "right" (not stretched out) and I was able to get lower as well. 

Good luck.


----------



## Tracy T

I'm the same size. I was warned to stay away from 650c wheels because tires and tubes are harder to find. There are many smaller framed bikes out there. Ride as many as you can before you decide. It took me a month to pick out a bike.


----------



## chudak

Tracy T said:


> I'm the same size. I was warned to stay away from 650c wheels because tires and tubes are harder to find. There are many smaller framed bikes out there. Ride as many as you can before you decide. It took me a month to pick out a bike.


This wasn't even something I considered in my answer above (ease of locating tires, tubes or even wheels in this size). Thanks for bringing this up! 

Mea culpa.


----------



## M.Ray

Yeah it was a funny mistake, here I was thinking you were offended or didn´t liked beeing called short and you were shorter than I am... oh my! So confusing!! hahahha
Anyway, one of my friends changed from a 650 wheels bike to a 700 and she got so much faster! But also the 650 bike is aluminium and the 700 is carbon, so it could be the wheels or the bike... I think you have to pedal more times to get the same distance and I am more of strenght rather than cadence. I´ll just read the articles they sent on this thread instead of trying to guess.
Anyway, I´m glad you´re not offended, or short haha and Yai for your felt bike, they´re such cool bikes!


----------



## M.Ray

Thank you! That could be a real pain! I´ll check my local stores if they even sell 650 tires and tubes. We don´t get as much bike merchandise as the US so this could be a factor to make a choice.


----------



## M.Ray

Wow! That´s a los of reading, but I´ll take my time.
I really appreciate your help!!
Do you have your 650 bike already or you´re about to buy it?
It would be interesting when you can finally compare and see if you are as efficient as on the 700.


----------



## M.Ray

Thanks! And which one did you finally get?


----------



## aureliajulia

M.Ray said:


> Wow! I just checked it! It looks great and on my budget!
> I´m just going to try to learn more about the 650 wheels before I make any decision.
> Thanks!




You may be more efficient on a frame set with smaller wheels.


----------



## brianmcg

M.Ray said:


> Ohh!! I get it! Thank you chudak!!
> Sorry for the confusion everyone, now you see I really am short
> With this new information any new suggestions on a triathlon bike for me?
> And my biggest question is how 650 wheels can affect performance?


Back in the day all time trial bikes had a smaller front wheel. More aero position and faster acceleration.

View attachment 278441


----------



## JCavilia

You should forget all the warnings against 650c wheels (that's the proper designation, by the way -- "650" doesn't mean anything by itself, since there different sizes designated 650B and 650A). Any efficiency difference is very small, and you're better off on a bike that fits. And tires and tubes aren't that hard to find.


----------



## Trek2.3

A Trek in the 43cm frame will fit you. But it will probably be too short.

The Treks have a sloping top bar so they will fit shorter people than most. Take me for example, a 5'4" male. On a sloping top bar Trek, I ride a 50cm Madone. On a flat top bar bike, I touch on a 47cm and have to ride a 43 cm with a top tube extender. Many would say that the 50, which I prefer, is a tad too large for me.

My cycling buddy is a 5'1" female who loves her Trek Lexa in the 50cm frame size. Because of gender differences, 50cm is a perfect fit for her.

The 43 cm frame has 650 wheels (no problem at all). I still have one as my back-up bike. The 50 cm frame has 700 wheels.


----------



## mr_132

The wonderful Emma Pooley used to race on 650c's, in fact she was the world time trial champion using them: 

Cycling WC on 650c - Slowtwitch.com 

Damn I miss her and the Cervelo Test Team, they were awesome.

CM

P.s You are petite, not short


----------



## iTrek

My wife is same height and rides a Trek Domane 47 which has 700 wheels.


----------



## Kernyl

Saw this about 650c vs 700c wheels. The short answer is that you'll have an advantage sometimes and a disadvantage at others. But I think the best thing is to get a bike that fits, whatever the wheel size.
Btw- I have two size 44 bikes, both of which have 700c wheels. Neither are tri bikes though.

Scroll down a little on the page and you'll see where they talk about wheel size.
Technical FAQ: Puncture-proofing tubulars, waxing with kerosene, and more


----------



## Fireform

My wife requires a bike with 650C wheels, but she is 4'9".


----------



## M.Ray

Well I finally got an Argon E-112 size XS with 700 wheels.
It´s amazing, I love how it fitted me, my pedalling is way better than the size S I had on my giant road bike. I also feel a lot more comfortable on my shoulders and my lower back because the reach was too long for me. The 700 wheels don´t seem to be a problem on such a small frame. I am riding faster and easier.
Thank you for all you comments :thumbsup:


----------



## Mike T.

M.Ray said:


> Well I finally got an Argon E-112 size XS with 700 wheels.
> It´s amazing, I love how it fitted me, my pedalling is way better than the size S I had on my giant road bike. I also feel a lot more comfortable on my shoulders and my lower back because the reach was too long for me. The 700 wheels don´t seem to be a problem on such a small frame. I am riding faster and easier.
> Thank you for all you comments :thumbsup:


Woot-woot. Awesome. I used to own an early 2000's Argon and I've been in the store in Montreal a few times. Enjoy to the max.


----------



## love4himies

Glad to hear you found a bike that fits. Now all we need is pics.


----------



## M.Ray

*Pics of my bike!*

There!! Some Pics of my bike and I 
I got me an Adamo black Saddle to match better, I´ll get it soon.

View attachment 280698

View attachment 280699


----------

