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Women's road bike question


TrentonMakes

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I'm happy to report that our daughter wants to get a road bike.  

But, I was unhappy (yet not surprised) that it looks like I'm going to have a hard time finding one in a store anytime soon.

Been looking around on Craigslist, seems there are bikes out there, but they're mostly men's frames.

That's the question - what benefits are there really from a women's specific frame design?  Are any of you ladies happy riding a "men's" road bike (or do you guys know any ladies who are)?  I'm not sure how much importance to assign to this, but I think I'm going to have a much harder time finding a "women's" bike for her.  She's a tad over 5'-8"... most of the womens frames I'm seeing are tiny.  I would think she's going to need about a 56cm.

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Just now, TrentonMakes said:

I'm happy to report that our daughter wants to get a road bike.  

But, I was unhappy (yet not surprised) that it looks like I'm going to have a hard time finding one in a store anytime soon.

Been looking around on Craigslist, seems there are bikes out there, but they're mostly men's frames.

That's the question - what benefits are there really from a women's specific frame design?  Are any of you ladies happy riding a "men's" road bike (or do you guys know any ladies who are)?  I'm not sure how much importance to assign to this, but I think I'm going to have a much harder time finding a "women's" bike for her.  She's a tad over 5'-8"... most of the womens frames I'm seeing are tiny.  I would think she's going to need about a 56cm.

I think the issue to look for is reach.  On a relation basis, women many times have a shorter torso and shorter arms.  And a drastically shorter stem causes twitchiness.  Both of my daughters that ride are on men's frames, both 54's.  Both fit well

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1 minute ago, Kzoo said:

I think the issue to look for is reach.  On a relation basis, women many times have a shorter torso and shorter arms.  And a drastically shorter stem causes twitchiness.  Both of my daughters that ride are on men's frames, both 54's.  Both fit well

This is my wife. 54 cm frame 60mm stem.  It kinda looks stubby but it works for her. 

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1 minute ago, TrentonMakes said:

I'm happy to report that our daughter wants to get a road bike.  

But, I was unhappy (yet not surprised) that it looks like I'm going to have a hard time finding one in a store anytime soon.

Been looking around on Craigslist, seems there are bikes out there, but they're mostly men's frames.

That's the question - what benefits are there really from a women's specific frame design?  Are any of you ladies happy riding a "men's" road bike (or do you guys know any ladies who are)?  I'm not sure how much importance to assign to this, but I think I'm going to have a much harder time finding a "women's" bike for her.  She's a tad over 5'-8"... most of the womens frames I'm seeing are tiny.  I would think she's going to need about a 56cm.

NONE.

Some men have "women's bodies" - ie similar torso and leg lengths - and some women have "men's bodies".  A WSD is more often about the saddle, handlebar width, and the color than anything else.

Expect to change the saddle and definitely get narrower handlebars, but all that would be part of a fit by a good bike shop.  At 5'8", she's more a 54 than a 56 in most bikes. Also, a smaller frame - so a 54 or a 52 with longer seatpost and longer stem, will feel better than a larger frame - and will have a better standover distance so she won't feel odd coming to a stop. 

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My wife has a men's bike.  Cranks are 172.5, frame fits her fine, she has a longer stem than it came with, and very narrow handle bars.  I've heard the throw distance on brakes can be an issue.  She has rim brakes, and sadly likes them very loose so when she engages the brakes it's easier for her to pull them.  I used her bike for a couple of years, I adjusted them much tighter.

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10 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

I think the issue to look for is reach.  On a relation basis, women many times have a shorter torso and shorter arms.  And a drastically shorter stem causes twitchiness.  Both of my daughters that ride are on men's frames, both 54's.  Both fit well

This. My daughter raced and rides on both men's and women's specific frames. A lot depended on the geometry of the frame. Shorter stems can work up to a point, but if the woman is really bent over to reach the handlebars, it will be uncomfortable after a while. 

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9 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

My wife has a men's bike.  Cranks are 172.5, frame fits her fine, she has a longer stem than it came with, and very narrow handle bars.  I've heard the throw distance on brakes can be an issue.  She has rim brakes, and sadly likes them very loose so when she engages the brakes it's easier for her to pull them.  I used her bike for a couple of years, I adjusted them much tighter.

Forgot to mention some brifters are adjustable for smaller hands.  I had a woman friend who hated braking from the drops, and really couldn't easily from the hoods.  She needed to bring the levers in to make them easier to grab with her fingers.

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Thanks for all the responses - much appreciated, and kind of what I was thinking in general.  She's definitely not hung up on "girlie colors" or anything like that.  

I guess that's the problem with shopping used - harder to be discerning about specific fit, and need to plan on replacing stems and such.  But no place around here seems to have any entry-level road bikes in stock.  One shop (a Giant/Liv dealer) told me they have no road bikes whatsoever on the floor, and some 200 outstanding bike orders with no idea when they'll be filled.

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18 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

I ride men’s bikes. 56 cm. Let me know if you want my Bianchi Via Nirone. I haven’t ridden it for two-ish years, and have zero interest in riding it again. It’s yours for the cost of boxing and shipping. 

That's an incredibly generous offer - I feel I've have to offer more compensation than that... but if you'd like to PM me with details that would be great.

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4 minutes ago, TrentonMakes said:

Thanks for all the responses - much appreciated, and kind of what I was thinking in general.  She's definitely not hung up on "girlie colors" or anything like that.  

I guess that's the problem with shopping used - harder to be discerning about specific fit, and need to plan on replacing stems and such.  But no place around here seems to have any entry-level road bikes in stock.  One shop (a Giant/Liv dealer) told me they have no road bikes whatsoever on the floor, and some 200 outstanding bike orders with no idea when they'll be filled.

Call/IM @Old No. 7 - as I see this one in stock (54):

image.thumb.png.8e280b8e002c9b07e49d5f6803ceb435.png

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43 minutes ago, TrentonMakes said:

I'm happy to report that our daughter wants to get a road bike.  

But, I was unhappy (yet not surprised) that it looks like I'm going to have a hard time finding one in a store anytime soon.

Been looking around on Craigslist, seems there are bikes out there, but they're mostly men's frames.

That's the question - what benefits are there really from a women's specific frame design?  Are any of you ladies happy riding a "men's" road bike (or do you guys know any ladies who are)?  I'm not sure how much importance to assign to this, but I think I'm going to have a much harder time finding a "women's" bike for her.  She's a tad over 5'-8"... most of the womens frames I'm seeing are tiny.  I would think she's going to need about a 56cm.

WSD frames are supposed to accommodate bodies with longer legs to height ratio.  The actual fit of the bike however matters more than that.  I have short legs to height ratio but since I build the last bike for a more upright riding position the frame that I ended up with was a WSD design.  So, averages are nice but can be meaningless.  Your daughter may find that a mens frame fits just fine or she may not.

 

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For example, had I been building a bike for womaxx years ago I would have checked out some WSD designs.  She is 2" shorter than me but wears 4" longer pants.  Unfortunately she was raised on the idea that women ride step through frames with coaster brakes and that's the end of that conversation.

Don't lock into a WSD design till some sort of measurements are in the book and you get an idea of what size and style she needs.  And don't under any conditions let folks convince her that she needs a step through design for a road bile.  It's not a shopping bike she's getting.

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16 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

Getting fitted, including potentially changing out the seat (that one is women’s specific, but she’d want a seat that’s comfy for her) stem and handlebars would be part of her overall cost. Also, it’s a compact double in front, and I want a third ring on the hills. Call me mosey… The bike is literally a wall hanging right now. I’d love to pass it over to someone who wants to ride. 
I’ll message you the details and more photos if you’re genuinely interested. 
 

8F6FD6D7-2CED-4896-AE01-79CABDEE9EBA.jpeg

wow, it's gorgeous and I'm sure she'd agree.  An incredibly kind offer - yes, if you could send the details we would love to discuss giving it a home.  And I'm sure you'd be in line for a couple ten thousand potato points or HC points or whatever they're giving out these days.

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Gina rode a 51 Bianchi in a men's bike. I'd be very careful because when we bought her WSD Trek, the sizing was very different. She didn't need a 51 in a WSD, turns out she is a 49. The shop told us the sizing was different so that is one thing you might want to be aware of. Not sure if it is all brands with WSD but it was with Trek and if I remember correctly, Bianchi was pretty well matched with Trek as far as sizing and dimensions in men's sizing.

 

Closer gripped brake levers (short reach). Narrow bars. More sloping top tube for easy step over. Shorter cranks, Gina loves her WSD Trek Pilot.

 

 

 

082614C_zpsb26884d3.jpg

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