Womens touring bike

njames88

Hi,

I'm planning to do an independent (carrying all luggage) bike tour around France either this year or next, but the problem I having is about deciding on a bike. I already have 2 bikes, A GIANT SCR3 road bike and a Trek 4500 mountain bike. However I have the feeling that the Giant wouldn't be strong enough to hold the load and the Trek would be too heavy.

I have a typical womens long legs shorter body shape and have always found mens bikes uncomfortable in the past (too long reach) even with a shorter stem. Which womens bikes would you recommend for touring? I would need something strong enough to carry a fair amount of weight.

I have heard good things about the Terry Valkerie Touring Bike but I can't find a supplier in Britain - is it possible to find one in the UK?

Thanks in advance,

Tasha

Wooliferkins

Tasha,
I would get measured and buy something to fit you. A couple of the ladies in my local club have Longstaffs and I have a Cheviot from Paul Hewitt. We all swear by fitted touring bikes

njames88

Thank you very much, yeah fitting sounds like a good idea considering the hours i'd be spending on my bike! And what is the minimum you would recommend spending? I only ask so I know how much I'm going to have to save up...

lae

I have little to add other than it's a common misconception that women have proportionately longer legs than do men. It's usually the other way around.

njames88

Sorry, I guess what I should of said that I have the typical womens problem of a shorter reach, as in my arm length, coupled with my shorter body that means the top bar needs to be shorter.

pneumatic

According the the latest CTC magazine, there are no off the peg women's tourers on the market, which is scandalous, really.

Han2130

Thorn will make you a nice bike. Worth a look. I've just ordered a bike from them and they spent ages measuring me. http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/models.html

Wooliferkins

njames88 wrote:

Thank you very much, yeah fitting sounds like a good idea considering the hours i'd be spending on my bike! And what is the minimum you would recommend spending? I only ask so I know how much I'm going to have to save up...

I spent £1800 on mine 4 years ago but I did go for dynohub and full Campag fit. I've never had to move a thing and it is a joy to ride. Is it Friday yet?

MadammeMarie

pneumatic wrote:

According the the latest CTC magazine, there are no off the peg women's tourers on the market, which is scandalous, really.

Agree 100%!

I would like to know the reasons, though. It's not that there are no women touring out there!

I also would like to know why Specialized won't make TriCross bikes for women....! :

RonL

Another vote for the Thorn, I've had an XTC for six years and love it more each time I use it. Occasional day journeys but is mainly used for week long camping tours. It's very stable loaded, handles rough stuff very capably and they will also size you for fit. After sales service is also very good.
That said a friend has a Cheviot and is equally impressed, final decision depends on personal choice.

xilios

Have you looked at the Trek fx series they have a line of WSD (woman specific disign) bikes http://www.trekbikes.com/nl/nl/bikes/bike_path/#fx. My wife has been touring since 2006 on her fx 7.2 (more details and pictures on our page) and never had any problems.

njames88

Hey thanks guys this is great!

I think I'm going to have a look into getting a bike made up then and possible costs to see if I can afford it first, then I'll definately look into hybrid alternatives available. The Treks look good, and they seem to be able to take the weight (according to xilios' website). I do agree that it's strange and "mildly" irritating that they are not making women's tourers!!

As far as touring on hybrids is concerned, how do they compare on a ability to carry heavy luggage level?

Thanks

pneumatic

I've toured on a hybrid and it was fine, just a bit uncomfortable because of the lack of opportunity to change hand positions (and tuck in against prevailing winds). One solution is to fit butterfly bars instead of straight ones.

As for luggage, it is first of all a matter of having a frame and wheels that are strong enough to accommodate a rack and panniers (I've seen racing bikes collapse when over-loaded) and secondly important to have the right gear set up. My tourer has MTB (Deore) rather than a road gearset, giving me a usefully wide range (from 48/11 to 22/34.)