Ladies Road Bikes

julietp

Hi,

I am looking at buying my first road bike. I like the look of the bianchi elena and the claude butler paris, both of which are women specific.

Does anyone have any recommendations / advice. I am a keen cyclist but would not use this bike for commuting so would probably do 2/3 lots of 20miles a week on it.

Do I need to get a female specific road bike (these seem to be few and far between) and what frame size would be best for me at 5ft 4inches? 50cm?

Thanks

redddraggon

A lot smaller than 50cm, I'm 5'8ish and I've got a 50cm.

lowe

It depends what the 50cm refers to - this will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I am female (5ft 3") and have two 'men’s' 52cm Treks (the effective top tube of one is 52.9cm). With both bikes my lbs swapped the bars and saddle to female specific ones. With the bars this reduced the reach to levers and in one case, I have also added a shim to reduce the reach further (I have very small hands). Trek bikes tend to have shorter wheelbases compared to other manufacturers so fit me well, although their woman specific ones definitely don't fit me. It has a lot to do with your relative leg length to torso. Your best off going down to you're local shop and trying a few to see what works best for you, but do try both men’s and woman’s.

geoff_ss

redddraggon wrote:

A lot smaller than 50cm, I'm 5'8ish and I've got a 50cm.

That's a tiny frame in old money (19.5") My wife is 5'5" and her Mercian tourer, which she had built in about 1976, is 21" (53cm) as is the back of our tandem. She has about 100mm of seat pin showing as was perfectly normal then.

The top tube on the solo was kept as short as practicable and she had a short h/b extension to allow for a short body and relatively long legs. That seems to be the main characteristic of frames built for women - I once had a girl friend who was slightly taller than I when standing but shorter when sitting (her waist was 4" higher than mine )

Avice has since had 2 new 'ready rolled' bikes and in each case the shop changed the h/b extension for a shorter one. Frame sizes seem meaningless these days with top tubes sloping different amounts so the only way is to try one out. She wasn't bothered about the saddle as she swaps her well run-in Brooks to her current steed.

Geoff

redddraggon

Geoff_SS wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

A lot smaller than 50cm, I'm 5'8ish and I've got a 50cm.

That's a tiny frame in old money (19.5")

Normally I might agree, but this has a horizontal TT and it's 55cm!!

OnTow

Condor do a womens' specific model that was reviewed, I think in C+ - If not, it was Cycling Weekly. In fact, the review may well be on this site.
Not cheap, but they're worth a visit, as they will put on the jig to ensure you get a comfortable fit before they go anywhere near choosing a frame. i.e. You may well find you're selected a non womens frame.
You can spec. everything down to the bar tape/saddle at the shop too - of course this assumes you can get to London.
I would ring ahead if you want to do any test rides or talk to someone about purchasing - Steer clear of them on Saturday late mornings, and during lunchtimes.... It's usually busy.

I'd go for a shop with a fitting jig, as those without may well push you in to choosing a bike without first getting to sit on it.... unless you can find a bike in the shop that is comfortable, and either buy that one or order one with the same geometry.
It's difficult, as until you've got a road bike and ridden one for a good few miles, you may not have a good idea what would be comfortable - given the "road bike" position.