i am trying to help my boss out at work since i am the only one that knows anything about bikes there. i see raleigh has some smokin deals right not. the kicker is my boss is short. he is 5 ft. 2" and i see all the raleigh mens bike all start at 5 ft. 4" we do have a local raleigh dealer about 5-10 miles away. he probably could go there for fitting but i am guessing he will have to try the womens bikes in raleigh.
You may want to check out some "women" specific bikes. My wife is 5'3" and she has no difficulty finding bikes to fit her petit dimensions. BTW, I have a long inseam (34.5") and a relatively short torso. I frequently find that bikes and components designed for "women" work well for me. Of course, there may be some stigma associated with telling a man to look at "women" specific models; but realize that many of the top riders in the pro peleton are also very short in stature. Also, you may want to consider bikes built around the smaller 650B wheel standard, rather than 700C. The smaller wheels not only allow for more flexibility in frame geometry, they typically also allow for the use of wider tires.
