Ladies v gents road racing bike

[Edwards80]

I guess it comes down to trying as many as possible. From my experience buying a road bike for the Mrs last month, the male bikes were uncomfortable for her at the same size as the female specific ones.

The top tube length is probably mentioned the most as it is the most obvious difference, she looked stretched out like superman on some of the male bikes (one of which was too small for her otherwise)

 

[carolonabike]

Hi Kaz, I think if you're a taller woman then it doesn't make so much difference but like you I'm quite small (5'3) and I've definitely noticed a difference between frames built for women compared to male frames.
Like you I used to ride a 18" frame in the olden days. I now have a 48cm Trek and a 47cm Cube, both women specific (and definitely not pink) and both fit me perfectly. I also find the sloping top tubes on modern bikes a big improvement (I can get a saddle bag on now which I couldn't before) and whereas I used to have toe overlap now I don't.

 

[Boris Bajic]

My wife and daughter both ride standard road bikes. It is important that the frame is about right in terms of geometry, but there is much you can do with stem length and saddle adjustment (vertical & horizontal), so a good fit can be found on most frames.

If you have a choice, do think also about crank length. The differences may appear minimal, but a 5mm change can alter the feel of the bike and the effectiveness of your pedalling.

I did have a small WSD Trek road bike. It was used by both sons in their pre-teen years and my daughter as a young teen. None was aware that it was WSD. I saw no difference in it, apart from the WSD label, lovely as it was.

Where I do think it's worth thinking about buying gender-specific items is the saddle. Not barmy money, but a nice mid-range Selle Italia 'Ldy' saddle is a good thing.

I'd advise you to go to a couple of shops and ask to try some road bikes (sit on them). Compare the advice you get. Some shops may want to shift what they have in stock and steer you that way. Others may want to sell you the right bike in the right size.

Also if buying new now, do not be afraid to get a 2011 bike and save some cash.

 

[Flyingfox]

I've always gone for 'men's' bikes, but then I'm quite tall and have a long reach, the only thing I usually change is the saddle. Ultimately it is which bike fits you best - just try a few out but don't limit yourself to WSD.

 

[User16625]

I'm a woman and wouldn't touch a pink bike I prefer mens bikes for the colours aswell but that's just me personaly.. Been the same since I was about 10!

I wouldnt even touch a lamborghini or gsxr if they were pink. A man who loves pink will simply look a fool in the eyes of other men, except for the men who are looking for other men.

 

[Baggy]

I wouldnt even touch a lamborghini or gsxr if they were pink. A man who loves pink will simply look a fool in the eyes of other men, except for the men who are looking for other men.

You're evidently not a Giro d'Italia contender then.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I wouldnt even touch a lamborghini or gsxr if they were pink. A man who loves pink will simply look a fool in the eyes of other men, except for the men who are looking for other men.

Crikey....

I often ride my bicycle in a pink top. I occasionally drive an extremely girly, primrose yellow, 1961 roadster.

I vaguely remember Fred Merkel (sp?) winning one of the first ever WSB championships on a pinkish RC30.

I suspect that RideLikeThe Stig was having a little giggle.

 

[steveindenmark]

I have a TREK Lexa SL which is designed specifically for women.......NO it is not pink, with a basket on the front.

I am 5`10" tall and over 50. I like to sit up a bit and this bike fits me perfectly. A lovely bike to ride for miles and miles.

Steve

 

[Kaz]

Well, I took everyones advice and have visited all my local - and some not so local bike shops. I must have visited over 10 differnt shops. Guess how many ladies bikes of my size I got to sit on ?
Two !!!! ...........and I've phoned lots more to find out they don't have any.
They're not easy to find. I dont' know, maybe it's because I live near to Cannock Chase which is popular for mountain bikes, so shops aren't stocking as many road bikes.
I've also been told conflicting information in each shop, although I think I can tell which ones are just looking for the sale, and which are being honest with me. I've also discovered that the size guides on the manufacturers website can not be relied on.

I have sat on a Trek Lexa s, and the salesman said it ws a perfect fit for me, it was a 47cm and it did feel comfy. However it is too expensive for my first bike at £700. The other one I sat on was the Merida Juliet which was also comfy, cheaper but I'd like to spend less than £500.

I've found some good online deals for last years models of the Giant Avail £440, and the Raleigh Aura £410, but one salesman
( who did seem to know what he was talking about ) said that the geometry of the Giant would be wrong for my shape, and he didn't rate the raleigh at all, he said the frame design was way behind the others in the same range.
Another salesman said that the raleigh frame had won loads of awards ! ......I havn't managed to find any local shops with either of these 2 bikes so I havn't actually sat on them.

I'm also looking for second hand, but after going round the shops I've realised that I can't buy simply by looking at the frame sizes and sizing myself up from manufacturers websites, so I am limited to my local area.

Anyway, just letting you all know that I'm getting nowhere fast, ..........

 

[Ian H]

Pretty sad reflection on the quality of service in bike shops. Even more sadly, it's not untypical from what I hear from many folk.

 

[Kaz]

Well, I have just bought my bike !
I looked at some second hand, but mostly new.
As I am fairly small I felt that the womens specific bikes were best for me. I managed to find a few in my size, the Merida Juliet, the Trek Lexa, the Giant Avail, and the Specialised Dolce, all at different shops, but I visited each one more than once before I made my final choice. I discovered that the geometries of the different bikes were quite different, and was surprised that the 47cm trek was the correct size for me, but in a specialised it was a size 51cm that was best.
It took me a while to get used to the cycling position, as I haven't ridden a road bike for 20 years.
After viewing a few second hand I realised that I wanted to buy new.
I was worried that I would have problems reaching the brakes and changing gears, my hands do ache quite a lot when carrying bags or painting etc, but thats just my age I think - approaching 50.
The Giant was the wrong shape for me, as I was too stretched out on it. The Trek was nice, fitted me well, but I didn't like the handlebars as the drop seemed to end half way round the curve. I liked the merida, but I decided I liked the fit of the Specialised best. I have a local specialised concept store, but they didn't have the basic Dolce, so I was sized up on one of the higher spec Dolces. They ordered the basic Dolce in for me with no obligation to buy, the asssitant said " you will like it, it is such a nice looking bike", and I thought well it looks OK in the catalogue, but nothing special, and I'm not bothered what the frame colour is anyway, it's irrelevent.
When I saw it in the flesh I must say it was very smart, it looked fabulous, although it was the cheapest, it was the best looking bike in the shop !
They fitted it with some shimmies to make the brake reach easier for me, and I bought some mudguards also.
The weather was pretty awful, wet april showers so I was a bit nervous about riding it the 7 miles home, particularly as I wasn't used to using these new combination brake/gear levers. The sales assitant looked a bit more nervous than me, he lent me a high vis vest for my ride home. I got on it and tackled the ring road out of town with no difficulty at all. My younger years of cycling helped me and I was very confident, It didn't take me long to get used to the brakes and gears, and despite the bad weather I thoroughly enjoyed the ride home.
I'm planning a 15 mile circuit for tomorow, I will see how I get along and increase my distance gradually over the next few weeks.

Thankyou for everyones advice, you all helped me to figure out what was the right choice for me, so thanks for taking the time to reply to my posting.

 

[GreenMambaGreen]

Good luck on your rides and I hope you love and enjoy cycling once again.