Hi, I haven't had a bike project for a while and can't justify any more bikes for myself. My gf only has one hybrid for commuting and it weighs a ton so I'm thinking of building her a mountainbike that might end up as a commuter as well…

I'm tempted to get an On-One 456 14" frame. It'll fit her in terms of standover height (she's 4'11"), it's cheap and it's available in pink! 🙂
Question is, the 456 is designed as a long frame and it seems that the small sizes are designed to be more chuckable and not necessarily for short female riders. Will it be OK? Any girls out there of a similar height riding one?

Ta!

Have you measured her top-tube and compared it to the listed On-One geometry?

My nine year old daughter rides a 14" standard Inbred. It is a bit long for her, but with a short stem (50mm I think) and seat forward on rails it's fine (she certainly enjoys riding it!). I think the 456 has a slightly shorter tt than the inbred too?

Hope that helps!

We got Mrs ononeorange an Inbred in the 14" size which is perfect for her, although she is 5' 2", so not sure how much help that is! I think Inbred and 456 geometries are very similar if not the same.

missus is 5' and i've built her a 14" inbred, loves it.

Mrs TJ is taller at 5'5" but rides a 16" inbred that she loves despite the long top tube. Its the first bike she has owned that really fits her.

Given how cheap on ones are and that they have decent resale value then why not go for it?

I'm 5ft 5 and ride a 14 inch 456 – I think Brant designed 456 it to have a longer TT (but I cant remember , sure he'll be along in a minute to explain) It does feel long to me but I am stumpy, hence I have a short stem -40mm. The standover is great. (Ignore saddle height in foto my taller friend was riding it just before)

The 456 is a tad shorter than a standard Inbred, less than 1/2inch IIRC…..

I'd give it a shot – Inline post, 50mm stem, maybe flat bars…? 🙂

I'm about 5'3 or 4" and have had a couple of Inbreds (very similar geometry to the 456) and just keep coming back to them. I have the classic woman longer legs, shorter body and so the tt is a bit on the long side, but I really don't mind it.

I run a 60-70mm stem (depending on set up) and find it great for chucking around. On paper it should be too long, but it seems to work.

It's difficult to quantify why I like it so much, but it's just a really fun little frame. In fact, when I had one set up ss I ending up choosing it over my beautiful (and much more 'fitted') Ti geared bike even when riding trail centres…

It's also very versatile as I currently have my set up as a 'bimbling around with a bump' bike for popping to the shops and stuff.

What fork are you thinking of building it up with? As my only thought would be maybe to go for one of the (slightly less stiff) inbreds over the 456 as it might be a bit better suited to a shorter fork/commuting duties and be a tiny bit more forgiving? I haven't ridden the 456 though so can't say that for sure, but I like the idea of the inbred more.

Still, I doubt you can go wrong with either as like people say they're so cheap, it doesn't matter if it doesn't work out. They often go for about £90 on here secondhand, so it's not a major risk…

Oh I didn't realise about the shorter tt on the 456 – in that case, maybe do go for that.

Definitely go for riser bars though – I personally can't stand flats and risers give you more reach anyway. (I run EA70 hi-rise bars for extra reach and comfort)

All the above sounds about right! We have 14" 16" and 18" ones here, I would go with smaller rather than larger, and with the height 14" will be great – the other strange thing about On-Ones is you can usually fit two sizes pretty well, don't feel the wrong size just different 😉

OK, cool. Thanks for the quick responses..
I haven't measured her current bike yet, that's a good point to start I guess..

As TJ mentioned, the frame is cheap enough to buy that's it worth a shot. We're in Switzerland though which complicates things a little for postage and resale potential – you don't see many On-Ones here funnily enough 🙂

Jose has a cheap, and slightly portly Tioga Cube Stem on her bars, mainly because its 30mm long (i think)

combine that with an inline seatpost to bring the saddle forward, and she should be fine?