Bike Fit for the Smaller Adult

I'm a pretty buff dude with one small problem: I stand only about 5' 2". I've been riding bikes for recreation and fitness all my life, but was never blessed with a bike that really fit.
Truth to tell, there just weren't many reasonably priced production bikes south of 47 centimeters.

Enter the Liv Avail, a female oriented bike that boasts stock models down to extra, extra small. At about 35+ centimeters, the Liv is about the smallest production bike around.
But would it suit a male rider? 

There seemed to be issues. Firstly, the the bike seat was designed for broader hips and bones.  And bike geometry was supposedly optimized for a "female" center of graviy. Might these tweaks cancel the advantage of a truly small frame for a little guy like me?

Not in the least. From the moment mounted the bike I was nothing but a pleasure.
The black green and teal color scheme was anything but "feminine".  It looked like it meant business. The seat was racy enough,  and comfortable. And the reach and standover were everything a smaller rider could ask for.
The bike felt agile and quick. Forty miles later the verdict was in: small fast and comfortable, the Avail was the best bike I had ridden to date. 

No comments:

Post a Comment