New bike advice please :)

Poftie
Poftie Posts: 10
edited December 2015 in Commuting general
Hey, I'm new here and hoping join the world of you commuters in the next few weeks.

I have never bought a new bike, and haven't had one since the good old days of riding whatever we could find for £10 at the local car boot sale!

I want to treat myself to something fun and enjoyable to ride which will last me a while. But i seem to be going round in circles and i just don't know enough about bikes to feel confident making a decision on such an expensive item!

I'm wanting to use it to cycle to uni 3 times a week, 16 miles each way on mostly canal tow paths and also to go on some reasonably rough tracks with the dogs at the weekend. so i'm thinking a hard tail would suit me best?

My other big thing is that i'm very small!
I'm only just 4'10" (female) and I'm struggling to find bikes which come with small enough frames.
I sat on a 14" frame in a local shop and i was just about able to stand over the top bar with both fee on the floor, so i can't go any bigger than that, and ideal would like to go for a 13" if they exist?

I have been looking at this Kona Lanai (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kona-lanai-2016/) which seems to be reasonable, but is about £150-£200 more than i was hoping to spend. I don't mind paying more though if it'll work out better in the long run.

So yeah, Thanks in advance if anybody can help me out! :)

Comments

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    I can't stand over the top bar of three of my four bikes, it's not a measure as to whether it fits you or not, it's the distances from pedals to saddle to controls that matter!
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • Poftie
    Poftie Posts: 10
    [url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19768236#p19768236]The Rookie[/url] wrote:
    I can't stand over the top bar of three of my four bikes, it's not a measure as to whether it fits you or not, it's the distances from pedals to saddle to controls that matter!

    Ooh, thats good to know, theres so many bikes I've looked at that have had 15" but not 14".
    How do you find pausing/stopping on bikes that you can't stand over? I had a quick ride on my mums old bike which i think is a 16" (its very old, not bought from new so don't know for sure) and found stopping at traffic lights was quite a precarious situation as i felt really unstable trying to stop and balance on the one leg, then push back off from quite an angle. I might head back out to halfords later and try a 15" and see how it feels.
    oxoman wrote:
    Decathlon Btwin Triban 500 flat bar commuter, has smaller wheels that may suit your need. Also have a look for a second hand moda mezzo again smaller frame and wheels as aimed at up to 14 yr olds who are obviously shorter.
    Just has a quick google and they both looked like road bikes, are the multiple versions?
    I really don't think a road bike would work for me because most of my journeys will be on dirt/gravel roads and at weekends i want to cycle with the dogs on some quite rough terrain.
    Thank you for the suggestions though :)
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    One foot on pedal, one foot on the ground, move your torso in front of the saddle and lean the bike a bit to lower the effective top tube height.

    That said some larger bikes can have a lower top tube depending on the design.

    It sounds like you need a Hybrid with relatively wide tyres for your weekend use
    http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-subway-1-womens-hybrid-bike-2015
    Note the downward shaped top tube that improves standover for the same nominal size.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • Poftie
    Poftie Posts: 10
    Would you think that i should be looking for front suspension for the weekend use, or do you think that might be a hinderance for the rides to uni?

    Sorry, i'm such a newbie at this!
  • cyberknight
    cyberknight Posts: 1,238
    [url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19768336#p19768336]Poftie[/url] wrote:
    Would you think that i should be looking for front suspension for the weekend use, or do you think that might be a hinderance for the rides to uni?

    Sorry, i'm such a newbie at this!
    Depends on how off road your going , if its only gravel tracks/ a bit of grass then you can get away with non suspension bike , i have ridden round the local trails on my subway one with the kids and even managed to ride across a football field on my road bike with 23 mm slicks .
    Isla bikes and frog bikes do aluminium bikes for children but they tend to only come with a single chainring at the front and 8 speed at the back so it depends on how hilly your commute is .
    My wife is 4 foot 7 " and she rides a 24 " wheeled teenagers hybrid , then again she only pootles when we have family rides . You might be able to get away with a 2" wheeled bike
    What about this ?
    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/dawes/paris-26-wheel-2015-kids-bike-ec043297 maybe with some slicker tyres ?
    http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/frog-73
    http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/kids-bikes/boardman-junior-hybrid-sport-e-bike
    FCN 3/5/9

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