How essential is WSD?

[GrasB]

WSD frames are designed from a different body geometry which is more typically of a woman's body. This means that if you're struggling to find a mens bike that you feel comfortable with you may well find a WSD bike is better. In that regard it's not essential at all, it's just a WSD bike that may give you a more comfortable fit. The only way to see if you'd benefit from a WSD frame is to go to find out what you're most comfortable on.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'd suggest going and getting a bike fitting. Places with a jig will set it up so that it gives your 'optimal' position (obviously this will vary according to what sort of riding you're doing - time trailling compared to racing, for example) and from this you get the parameters you need to consider when buying a bike such as seat height, saddle offset from bottom bracket, saddle to handlebar distance, handlebar drop from saddle height, etc.). If you buy the bike from the same place, it's usual that the bike fitting is free (or the cost is discounted from the new bike) so it needn't be a big cost.

This is a good recommendation for any new bike.

 

[andrew_s]

I lost the reference for an article from a proper survey that indeed measured men and women and found that on average men and womens dimensionly are pretty much the same.
IIRC, Mike Burrows used this evidence when he designed the 'Compact Frame' for Giant which originally came in only 3 sizes.
However...
There are are a few caveats to the above.

HM Govt. do a proper survey every 15 years or so - "The Shape of the Nation" or some similar title. It tends to be the source of those "everyone's getting fatter" headlines you see occasionally.
Unfortunately it's not online as it's one of those things HMG try to claw back the survey costs by selling the data, at a cost of £lots (enough to put off anyone who won't be able to offset the cost against income).
Chris Juden had sight of it one time, and commented in an article that the only statistically significant difference in limb & body lengths was that women had slightly longer necks than men.

agree on the caveats

 

[Maizie]

Having recently bought a new bike, and being a lady, how essential do I regard WSD? Not at all! Despite that, I actually have a WSD bike

I went to the LBS, we were talking about the bikes I'd been thinking about/wanted to try. The man said to me 'Do you want a women's bike?' and I said 'I want a bike that fits - if that's women's, it's women's, and if not, not'.

If WSD works for you the go for it; if not-WSD works for you, go for that instead. Seems simple enough really

 

[Kirstie]

Only one of my bikes is WSD. After years of trying different bikes I worked out the measurements which work for me on a road bike reach-wise is 510mm seatpost to stem so I always looked for that measurement on frames because I know it will fit. On an MTB I managed to work out that a 15.5" frame seemed to fit the best so just concentrated on brands which came in that size.

I'm 5'6" with a 30" inseam and a long body.

So no, WSD isn't that essential if you're a female of average height when it comes to frames but is it when it comes to saddles and shorts imo. i'd say get a fitting so you know your measurements and then hunt around for something that matches.