A Slightly Different Bike Question

[Woolie]

I'm slowly making changes as a newer MMM convert. One of the things I need to do is buy a bike. I haven't ridden one in years and I have been reading the threads here that have to do with bike recommendations. I have read Bakari's article though I admit to being a little overwhelmed with the information that it provides though I know it will be more beneficial to me as I start biking.

My main question boils down to this: I'm a female 4'9" tall (57") and about 100 lbs. So most things made for more average sized adult females don't fit me comfortably. Am I better off to try and find an adult female bike or might it be easier to fit me on a kid's bike?

I live in a pretty hilly area, not a lot of monster hills but a lot of hills no matter where I go, so that is one factor. The other is that I have a 3.5 year old that I plan to bike with in a trailer or some other sort of hitch and I don't know if those are better suited for attaching to an adult bike or if they will work with a kid's bike. I'm not as worried about speed as I am about a bike that I can be comfortable with handling at my height given what I want to do with it.

I won't be biking to work...yet. Most of my trips in the beginning will be about a mile to 3 miles until I am more comfortable riding a bike in my area, which isn't well designed for bike riders. I definitely want to be more sure of myself on the bike and have routes I am comfortable with before toting my child with me.

I do have a few bike shops and one that specializes in selling used bikes that I can visit to get hands on fittings and recommendations. I appreciate any suggestions and thoughts from more experienced bike riders.

[grantmeaname]

There's a boutique brand, Terry, that makes womens' bikes specialized for women your size. They are not cheap, though. Maybe see if ebay or craigslist has a used Terry in a size that fits you after you know what size that is?

[Woolie]

Thank you! I've been looking through Craigslist some and having another brand, especially one designed for small women, is helpful.

[galaxie]

You might have trouble finding a used bike in your size, since you are not an average-sized person.  Since you want to actually use your bike to get places, if I were you my first priority would be to get an adult bike that fits you, even if you have to get it new.  There are a lot of trashy kids' bikes out there, and they're meant for play, not for actually getting around.  I wouldn't want to risk having a bike where everything breaks.  A local bike shop should be able to order a bike for you in the correct size.  Tell them you want to be able to tow a trailer, too, and they can help you make sure everything will fit together.

This plan is expensive, but the way I see it, a bike is a tool.  It's going to last a long time and you want it to not be a pain to use.  Get the right tool, and it'll work out better in the long run.

[grantmeaname]

Especially if you have no idea what you need as far as fit, a bike shop ordering you the correct size of bike is probably worth what you'll pay for. You need to do a little introspection and make sure you're really committed before you sink that cash, though.

[Bakari]

+1 for Terry, if you can find/afford it.

But don't discount all kids bike.
Yes, most of them are built like the department store bikes I warned against in step 1 of my buying guide, but not all of them are.  Look for brand name bikes (Trek, Specialized, Fuji, Giant, etc) that make high quality adult bikes, that are sold in real bike shops.  Look for one with 24" wheels (20 will be too small), and other than that, the guidelines on components, fit, gears, and frame material are all the same as they would be for an adult bike.

A trailer should be able to attach to pretty much any bike.  I pull my trailer with my 20" wheeled folding bike.  Although there are a lot of different hitch options, and this may not always be true, the more common hitch types are pretty simple and mostly universal.

[the fixer]

Trek makes 13" womens hybrid bikes that might fit you. See if you can find one. If you're near an urban area that gets some tourist traffic, there might be a bike rental company that has bikes in your size (they have to be able to fit everybody). You could rent a bike from them to get an idea of fit. Also, some of these companies will sell their old fleet bikes on the used market after a couple years in rotation, if you find a company with a suitable bike to rent ask them what their plans are for a bike sale.

If you happen to be in the DC area I can probably hook you up with a 2010 13" womens Trek bike for about $200 (if they still have any left). http://www.bikethesites.com/Press-Releases/fall-bike-sale-11-11-12 Talks about their 2011 bike sale, but as of a month ago they still had some 2010's left that had reduced prices. The 13s were really slow to sell.

[markstache]

A trailer should be able to attach to pretty much any bike.  I pull my trailer with my 20" wheeled folding bike.  Although there are a lot of different hitch options, and this may not always be true, the more common hitch types are pretty simple and mostly universal.

I was actually going to suggest a folding bicycle. They are made for adults, but the low step over and small wheels will help you dial in your fit. You probably pay a slight premium over a non-folder, but you'll get the convenience of easier multi-modal transport and storage.

Some brands:
http://www.ternbicycles.com/us/
http://dahonbikes.com/mainnav/home.html
http://www.downtube.com/ss-index.html
http://www.xootr.com/folding-bicycle.html
http://www.citizenbike.com/
http://www.brompton.co.uk/
http://bikefriday.com/

The final one on this list makes several sizes for their models (most others are "one size fits most), though there is a price. I've seen bikes made for adults who are much, much shorter than you.

There are others, but this list is what I could remember off the top of my head.

[Woolie]

I appreciate all the feedback. I'm taking my time, looking through Craigslist to see if I can find a good deal as well as a good bike. Trek seems to pop up a bit when I am looking. Though I haven't found the 13" women's one, several kid's bikes have popped up and I expect to see more as the holidays roll around with people wanting to get rid of some to help cover their new holiday purchases.

And I'll have to check into the folding bikes as well.

[Masha]

I'm about your size and have had a Trek hybrid 13" frame for several years. I was able to get it on sale for maybe $300(?). It was worth every penny to finally have a bike that fit me, and to go through the fitting process at a good bike shop. 

Recently I've gotten into old bikes and just got a 1960s BSA three speed. While vintage bikes aren't for everyone, the unexpected awesomeness of this bike is the seat-handle bar distance(I'm sure there's a specific name for this). It's the only bike I've ever ridden that feels natural for my arms and shoulders.

I guess my point is that its totally worth it to try several different styles of bikes to see what works best for you. A visit to a bike shop(or a few) is well worth the time to find a bike you'll enjoy riding. If you decide to go with a used bike, visiting some shops to research will help you decide where to take your bike for tune-ups, repairs, etc. It took some patience for me to find a small used bike in my price range, but they are definitely out there, and the used shop you mentioned sounds like a great place to start.

good luck with the bike search!

[shadowmoss]

I noticed from the awesome list of folding bike sites above that the Citizen folding bike is priced in my price range.  Since it is 1/10 of some of the others I'm wondering if anyone knows about the quality?

[Captain and Mrs Slow]

I noticed Bike Friday on the list, awesome bikes and priced like it too, My wife's hyper fold ticket was almost 2000 dollars! I on the other hand went for an el cheapo folding one, waste of money,first one didn't work, second broke after maybe 100 miles, unless your in deep CC debt don't a cheap bike

[Captain and Mrs Slow]

Edit: the cheap non folding bike, no problem at all, only had problems with cheap folding bikes
But if you don't want the hassle of traveling with bikes than folding is the only way to go