The wife is going to try her hand at triathlons and needs some sort of road bike. She doesn’t want to use her giant comfort bike.
Looking for something fairly cheap. Can even be an old 10spd
I don’t know how tall your wife is, but I will say getting a good size is challenging for really short adults. I am a proponent of 650c wheels in that case because the top tube length can be made shorter since the toe overlap problem is not so bad.
Perhaps your wife is closer to 5’4, in which case you shouldn’t have a problem on Kijiji I would think. People are forever buying bikes, shoes, mag trainers, helmets, etc and then riding for like 20km then putting everything in the shed and going back to the car, or running, or whatever else they do instead.
My wife is 5’1 and she really likes her 650c wheeled Trek 1.2 WSD 43cm. If you can find one, I recommend it; they are --unfortunately-- no longer made.
If you want a 700c bike we have a friend under 5’ who bought the Jamis Ventura Sport Femme in 44cm (it was a 2012 I believe, they may have changed their geometry since then). Standover height is actually a problem below 5’ with 700c wheels but she has good standover compared to the other bikes she tried with good top tube length and toe overlap. This was on a super deal from Sportchek ($450) end of season sale, but you will likely need to readjust everything if you buy from them; with respect, their mechanics are of variable competency.
For some reason I love shopping for decent bikes for short adults, it is a real challenge! Good luck!
They have the same jamis one on sale now for 450. And yes I know all about the techs, they vary greatly.
I’d rather find a used one to5’2mms rt. She may not like it that much and then I’ll have to turn around and sell it off. She is 5’2". a 52cm frame will fit and sometimes a 54cm depending on the geometry.
For 5’2 I would stay away from 54cm. I am 5’10.5 and can ride a 56 or 58. I wouldn’t actually go bigger than 50cm. Even with a 50cm you might need a short stem.
Here is the document I used to size my wife’s bike, it has really good information for selecting frame size if you perform the measurements: velofitter.com/storage/Road_ … .14.11.pdf
Going for a bike with too long of a top tube may well have the opposite effect to what you want to achieve. My wife was uncomfortable on her first road bike – an early 80s Nishiki in excellent condition, but with a very long top tube relative to the seat tube. It almost turned her off cycling (she wanted to ride recreationally and tour, not compete in triathlon).
On the other hand, a long top tube will put your wife in a more aerodynamic position for triathlon; maybe she wants that. But until she’s a confirmed roadie I would advise a smaller bike than you’re thinking of. Chances are at the speeds most new road cyclists travel that slightly better aerodynamics won’t have much effect, anyway. Especially for short people since they are already relatively more aero than tall people.