Womens(?) Small Road Frame

SteK

My girlfriend is looking at getting a road bike but I'm a bit stumped around what to look for for her.

She's 5ft 7' and has a 28' inside leg. Now, if it were a guy I was advising I'd be happy to give rough advice around frame size etc - but my Dad's wife has been through a bunch of different frames (all apparently the 'right' size and all good quality) and been quite uncomfortable on them all - seemingly because they're all aimed at male geometry.

She's now riding an Orbea Orca which is nothing short of a work of art, however, my girlfriend doesn't have that kind of money to spend - she'd like to do things spending as little money as possible. I have plenty of nice components we can build a bike with - I'm just not sure what to base it around... or whether infact there's an 'off the peg' number out there that's a hit with the women but at a 'budget starter' type of price? Or whether there's a non-gender specific frame that might fit the bill?? Sorry to be loose around the budget - it's going to be very much a 'value' type of buy - ie. there's a limit to spending power but we'd rather do it once properly than three times incorrectly!!!!

Hope that makes some kind of sense?! Anything pointers or suggestions would be fantastic....

Ste

Smokin Joe

This retails at £449, I don't know if it is in your girlfriends price range or not.

http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/product.php?id=47

My LBS stocks Kinesis frames (including the above), they look superbly finished.

mattsy666

your best bet is to get online and check all the geometry's and sizing (the top tube is key for women's bikes) and make sure what the difference is between the men's/women's ranges and from manufacturer to manufacturer ... one manufacturer's women's bike might have the same geometry as another's men's ...

reason i say this is my gf rides a men's 48 cannondale ... which has the EXACT geometry of the women's version in that size ... we just changed saddle, bars, stem which tbh we would have had to do sooner rather than later anyway ... and we saved £500 in the process ...

if you'd rather go straight for an off the peg women's bike then try the @£500 trek or specialized ones ... you can easily sell it on for something better once you know exactly what you need/want ... my gf doen this with a trek .. she only paid £400 for it in a sale and got £250 back for it a year later ... and she just put the std saddle back on for her new one that she found comfy when selling ... job done ...

still say that if you (or someone you know) is willing to put the effort in to check out the std men's ranges for sizing etc as there are far better bargains to be had ...

mrushton

Have a trip up to Bob Jackson in Leeds or Paul Hewitts nr. Preston is not too far away

SteK

That Kinesis is a lovely looking frame, I think I'd have to say no to it on the basis her bike would end up looking nicer than mine! Tbh it's a bit over budget for her first ride but I know she'd fall in love with it so could well be something to build up to...

Thanks for everyone's help, I'll certainly have a nose at some women's frame geometry and see if there's something out there that's recreated when I look at smaller 'male' orientated bikes... I didn't know this was the case so need to study some angles and stuff... might be worth getting her measured up properly so I know what to work with...

I'm a huge fan of Bob Jackson's since they restored a frame for me so I'll have a look at what they could do too and, being as though they're less than 10 mins away in a car, should have really been my first thought! That's a job for tomoro lunch time...

Muchos gracias guys!

mrushton

You need to think about top-tube length and head-tube height particularly

SpinningJenny

From a woman's perspective, I think the women's specific frames can make a difference if reach (from bum to hands!) is an issue. I could use my OH's bike, but it is just a bit too long for me and I probably wouldn't last more than 15 minutes before feeling over-stretched.

So yes, top-tube length can be an issue!

Blonde

I ride men's off the peg bikes but I do need extra head tube or fork steerer height at the front end, due to the usual woman's longer leg length/a lot of seat post showing. You don't NEED to get a women's bike IF you can get a men's bike that is the right size. Yes it can look a bit shall we say, "functional", but it is possible to use a racing frame with a low head tube and simply buy a new, un-cut fork then get it cut to the correct size and fit the amount of spacers you need. Make sure she actually gets to test ride any bike before buying, even if that means fitting an adjustable stem for her test ride (as most shops will already have cut the show bike's fork to a fairly low height). I borrowed my most recent purchase for four hilly hours before buying it, and I rode my "best " bike for a long weekend in the French Alps before it was actually purchased. Even with a small budget, on-bike comfort is the key. It is crucial to her cycling enjoyment, and performance as well as the key to motivation that she is fitted properly and comfortable from the first ride. Do go to a reputable shop such as Bob Jackson, Paul Hewitt or Spa Cycles in Harrogate where they will measure her properly.

Richard_D

The 2 road bikes my other half rides, both are mens bike.She is taller than you GF at about 5' 9" and a 31" inside leg. As the others have said if possible try before you buy. Also she needs to think about what sort of road cycling she wants to do. There is a size difference between her 2 bikes as she use 1 for speed and the other for touring.