I seem to be searching in vain for a very small, preferably women specific, road-based bike for winter road riding, occassional gravel paths and future summer touring duties. Would need to have options for taking panniers, mudgaurds, wider tyres etc, and also not weigh a ton! I'm only 5 ft, so bike size is crucial, along with things like barswith very short reach and drop, and short (say 165) cranks.
so, opening this up to the collective wisdom of STW - is there anything out there? Would prefer 'off the shelf' as a custom build would be out of my price range (plus our cr*p cycle to work scheme restricts me to buying through Halfords - although they 'say' they can order any bike ...)
You could do worse than looking at [url= http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/luath700lrg.html ][b]islabikes[/b][/url]
kona sutra?
Dawes Galaxy?
Sutra is right on what you want but is relatively heavy.
Marin Lombard would be my current recommendation. RRP on a 2010 model is £750. If you're after the very smallest size, you may still find a 2009 model somewhere. If you're feeling flush, then the £999 Marin Toscana would be a nice upgrade.