All-Road/gravel racer for 5' tall wife

at_ecd wrote:

Its on the list.

@Shoein - I'm not too familiar with 650b road and the availability of tires, tubes, wheels, etc... especially when traveling and racing.  What are the chances someone at an aid station is going to have a spare tube or tire she could use? Should i even worried about that?  I agree about 650 being a better fit for her.  Both of her race mtb's are 27.5.

 

in a pinch you can use a 700c tube in 650b tire and vice versa.  You’re not going to find someone with a 650b tire anywhere.  Ultimately you have to decide what’s more important, getting a bike that fits or getting a tire at an aid station in the extremely rare instance you slice a tire.    I know my answer to that question.

ljsmith wrote: 

in a pinch you can use a 700c tube in 650b tire and vice versa.  You’re not going to find someone with a 650b tire anywhere.  Ultimately you have to decide what’s more important, getting a bike that fits or getting a tire at an aid station in the extremely rare instance you slice a tire.    I know my answer to that question.

Well said.  I think at this point we need to get some test rides on as many bikes as possible.  Easier said than done though.

Kona Libre goes down to a 46.

mongoosepower wrote:Kona Libre goes down to a 46.

You can’t just look at the size, you need to look at the geometry chart.  The 46 has a 543mm top tube, that is really long.  

Maybe this?

https://lynskeyperformance.com/2019-pro-gr-gravel-bike-frameset-with-seatpost-1/

at_ecd wrote:In my exhaustive search, I've yet to find a frame that is a good all-rounder for my wife who is almost 5'1" tall.  Between MTB races she would use the bike for training, gravel races, road race, etc.

My girlfriend is 5'1" with somewhat short legs. She's currently completely in love with her Cannondale SuperX, using it for road, gravel and of course, 'cross racing. Overall, she really likes the 1x setup, though the way we have it geared (36T chainring with an 11-36 cassette) leaves her a bit short on the top end. It easily handles 40mm+ tires, but a quick wheel or tire swap and it becomes a nice, light road bike. We just got back from a couple of weeks in the San Francisco Bay area doing road and gravel rides on our gravel bikes and they were perfect for the task.

SmittyCX wrote:Maybe this?

https://lynskeyperformance.com/2019-pro-gr-gravel-bike-frameset-with-seatpost-1/

Still a little too big.  Reach is too long.

bnystrom wrote:

My girlfriend is 5'1" with somewhat short legs. She's currently completely in love with her Cannondale SuperX, using it for road, gravel and of course, 'cross racing. Overall, she really likes the 1x setup, though the way we have it geared (36T chainring with an 11-36 cassette) leaves her a bit short on the top end. It easily handles 40mm+ tires, but a quick wheel or tire swap and it becomes a nice, light road bike. We just got back from a couple of weeks in the San Francisco Bay area doing road and gravel rides on our gravel bikes and they were perfect for the task.

I do like SuperX.... but Cannondale's proprietary AI offset is really annoying.  If we went that route her wheel sets would need to change, which would be another expense.

You don't need new wheels; all you have to do is re-dish her existing wheels. In the absolute worst case, you may need to replace the spokes on one side or the other, which isn't particularly expensive. Once you have a spare set or two, she'll be all set and it's a great bike and I haven't found any other issues with it. If she has any questions, let me know and I'll connect her with my girlfriend.

When I built her a set of spare AI wheels. there was really nothing much to it. For anyone doing this with a Park or similar self-centering truing stand, make a 12mm spacer from 1/2" PVC or copper pipe to use on the left side of the axle whenever you're truing the rear wheel. I also made a longer, dummy thru-axle, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Specialized Diverge would be a good fit in the 44 apart from the higher stack. Takes 42mm tyres and is a proven all-rounder. Not sure you can get the frame only though.

Pebblemonkey3 wrote:Specialized Diverge would be a good fit in the 44 apart from the higher stack. Takes 42mm tyres and is a proven all-rounder. Not sure you can get the frame only though.

Yeah that's on the list too.  The carbon 48 Diverge would work as well.  It may lean too much to the adventure side though.

I think at this point we are going to get a custom frame built around 650b wheels like some of you have suggested.  I want to prioritize fit over anything.  Thank you all for the suggestions and ill post up what we end up doing/getting. 

p.s. - Anyone looking to buy a small Pivot vault 😉

If your wife fits on a bike with the Reach & Stack measurements you provided then I would take a serious look at the Jamis Renegade Expert.  My wife has this bike and loves it.  The Expert uses 105 parts: solid, reliable, reasonably light and much less expensive than Ultegra.

IMO the three measurements/specs that matter:
Reach
Stack
Standover (this will vary with tire selection)

I'd also include Front Center (distance from front axle to center of BB) would guide one on toe overlap issues, but few if any manufacturers list this.

Regarding 650b wheels, these are much more readily available and are a bit smaller than 700c so will fit on very small bikes.  If you're concerned about tire replacement when traveling, then pack a spare but you should be able to overnight a replacement tire to most parts of the world.  Yeah it costs a bit, but desperate times require desperate measures. 

A 26" tube will also fit into a 650b wheel. Higher quality tubes stretch better.  But I dread the thot of installing a tube into a tire which was setup with sealant. 

An inexpensive tubeless tire plug kit will repair many holes where the sealant isn't working.  In my last race I punctured and Orange Seal couldn't stop the leak. The aid station got me going using a plug kit. So long as there's still sealant in the tire to seal around the plug, this should work:
https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/tire-repair

Oh and yes that tire is still holding air and getting use.

And if you want to be conservative, add a couple extra ounces of sealant and CO2 cartridges.

Cheers,
Greg

I'm dealing with this issue with my wife who is just a tad taller than 5'.. The Niner RLT carbon 47cm has the lowest standover height of 27.3 inches or 693mm. The steel version, 47cm, is around 730mm. This is as close as I could find other than a custom build. It will work for her. 650b wheel set should also aid in the illusive fit for our short wives (or men)...I also hear that Santa Cruz is coming out (or has) with a women's gravel specific bike; but SC bikes are always way over priced for what you get in the way of a complete build..IMHO!

Bringing this back from the dead....

Just want to say thanks for all the suggestions and help in this thread.  With that said, I ended up going for the new Chapter2 AO frame-set in xs.  Since its new, I haven't seen another one of these built up other than social media so hopefully this will provide some info. 

https://us.chapter2bikes.com/matt-gloss-essential-collection-ao.html

https://gravelcyclist.com/bicycle-tech/press-release-chapter2-presents-the-ao/

This frame ticks all the boxes for her with fit and versatility.  Geometry wise, the xs size will have a larger fork rake so the trail is higher.  There is a 2mm trail difference between this bike and her xs pivot vault so i don't see this being a problem, especially since she will most likely go to a 70mm stem.  If anything, stability (with short stem) should improve.

• 700x42
• 700x25
• 650x47
• BSA BB 👍
• chainring setups up to 1x 48t or 2x 50/34t
• rear dropouts allow 15mm of chainstay  length adjustment
• Lightweight (don't have my scale here so didn't weigh the xs)
  • Medium = 1040g frame and 427g fork uncut
• Lots of mounting points
• Dropper post compatible (probably never will but the option is nice)
• She likes the looks.. which is really #2 behind fit 😉

The build is a mix of GRX and Ultegra.  I went Ultegra on the derailleurs so she can have the most narrow Q-factor crank from Rotor possible (GRX is spaced out a few mm).  I went GRX levers for the higher pivot point and secure grip.  This should allow her to brake from the hoods better.  I'm also excited to get her on a di2 bike.  I love mine and with her smaller hands, this should make riding that much easier.

Ill get a final weight once all the parts get here.  It should be ride-able by the middle of the week.

The build:
Frame/fork - Chapter2 AO xs
Levers/brakes - Shimano GRX 815 di2
RD - Shimano Ultegra RX di2
FD - Shimano Ultegra di2
Crankset - Rotor ADLHU 160mm
BB - Rotor BSA 30mm
Chainrings - Rotor round 50/34 with spider
Power meter - Rotor inspider (backordered for 8 weeks)
Cassette - Shimano HG 11-34
Wheelset - Stans Grail cb7 (from current bike)
Tires - Gravelking sk 35c (really a 38)
Rotors - Shimano rt900 160mm front and rear
Bars - ZIPP service course sl70 38cm
Tape - chapter2 aqua
Stem - chapter2 80mm (may change depending on fit)
Seatpost - chapter2 carbon
Saddle - Ergon womens SR pro

Great packaging:
  All the small parts:   How it sits currently waiting for parts:   Clean understated graphics (i think anyway)  Adjustable dropout detail:
Clean di2 setup option (battery mounts under bottle cage "door")
     
  Cable ties left long to help keep di2 wires inside frame quiet.   Geometry chart:

Looks like a really nice rig; I'm sure she'll love it (and you, too)!