At 09:56 PM 4/11/2004 -0700, Bob Freitas ushered forth:
> My daughter has expressed some interest in something CLASSIC
> LIGHTWEIGHT ,,how do you size a bike for someone who is long of leg and
> arm but short in body.Looks to me like she could straddle a 53/52 but a
> 53CM top tube would be a stretch.
> Hints and tips appreciated,I am thinking a 51CM with more
> post showing and a longer stem or a 53 or so with shorter
I've seen a lot of smaller women on Vitus 979s. My wife, who is not particularly short but is nevertheless a woman, finds her 55cm Vitus to be the best fitting bike she has; so in general I believe their top tube/seat tube ratio is favorable to women's arm/leg/torso ratios. The small Vitus frames come up fairly often on eBay.
Good luck,
Dave Baseley in dreary Berks County PA