full suss for gf

mikef63

looking to get her in-doors a new bike in jan. choice of trek ex5 or the specialized myka comp or elite. all women specific bikes. has anybody got one of these and are they any good. at the moment she has a very heavy h/tail mongoose which she does the blue route on at cannock chase.

finlayson99

My wife has a spesh myka fsr expert. She loves it. The geometry seems spot on for her on a medium frame size. She is about 5f6 or so.
The build quality and components are good for the price.
Hope that helps.

Where are my stabilisers?

She really has to try some out because I absolutely hated the Myka when I tried it! I've got mens bikes and I find them totally comfortable, so I wouldn't restrict your search to female specific either, unless she really wants one. Plus you'll have more to choose from

mobilekat

I am another vote for blokes bikes for women- a combination of they work out better value for money, appear to be better built and tend to have better colours etc.
But it really does depend on your missus's anatomy!

Good luck (and the best thing about taking her to your lbs is you may be allowed to buy a few treats for yourself!

finlayson99

IMHO it doesn't really matter whether they are labled blokes or gals as long as the fit is right.
Get her to try some out and see what is right for her.
Most important thing is to enjoy

mikef63

problem is there are very few dealers who actually have womens bikes as demos.my 2 nearest specialized concept stores dont have any womens demo bikes which is pretty poor when they want you to spend over a grand for a bike. possibly have to look at a extra small mans bike if they do them that small. thanks for the help

Mrs Toast

mikef63 wrote:

problem is there are very few dealers who actually have womens bikes as demos.my 2 nearest specialized concept stores dont have any womens demo bikes which is pretty poor when they want you to spend over a grand for a bike. possibly have to look at a extra small mans bike if they do them that small. thanks for the help

I've got a Stumpjumper FSR in small, and I'm 5ft 2. It's a bit tight on the standover, but the reach is perfect. I tried the Safire and the top tube was tiny, I felt like I was over the front wheel all of the time.

There should be a new bunch of demo days starting around Feb that normally have women's bikes to try out, depends whether you can wait!

miss notax

I ride a female specific Orange 5 (14"), but prior to that rode a small (16") unisex Santa Cruz superlight. I agree with all the previous comments about just picking one that suits YOU (or your wife ).

For what it's worth though, I find the Orange more comfy for me (i'm 5ft 4) and much easier to throw around and jump. I guess that's obvious though given the frame size, so i'll shut up!! :oops:

Stumpjumper25

I got a female specific Stumpjumper FSR comp i love the bike but i'll never buy women specific again as i'm only 5ft 2-3" but i felt cramed in not enough stretch from saddle to handbars if that makes any sense, i always felt like i was going to be thrown over the handlebars. so put longer stem on and it feels great now.
Like others have said test out as many as you can.

suzyb

I find the same with my GT Avalanche. Need the xs for my height but it feels like I'm sitting in a "sit up and beg" position.

miss notax

suzyb wrote:

I find the same with my GT Avalanche. Need the xs for my height but it feels like I'm sitting in a "sit up and beg" position.

Saddle back, longer stem, low rise bars?

hoots

I definately agree with everyone who has recommended that she tries the bikes before you buy.

Like the silly bu**er I am, I impulse bought my wife a womens specific Specialized FSRxc as a surprise birthday pressie - what an expensive mistake! She really didn't like it and seemed to have far more crashes on it than other bikes she's ridden (some classic throw bike on floor and hit it with stick tantrums - the shock on the chaps face that rode past was an absolute picture ). Tried swapping stems/bars etc., but she felt and looked way more comfortable on my Orange Five or P7.

I guess it depends on your wifes hieght and reach etc., but after trying out loads of different bikes, my wife found that the mens versions of the bikes normally fitted her best (she doesn't look like a bloke...honest ). She's now bought herself a 'mans version' Giant Anthem X (which is bloomin' awesome) and has also recently told me that she officially 'part-owns' my Trek EX and Orange Five ...er.........okaaaay right. Fortunately, (or unfortunately for my bike collection) we both take the same size bike, so she's a fairly frequent borrower of my Five or EX (er yeah, OK, I can't ride both at the same time :? ) - out of the two, er..and depending on the day etc etc, she tends to prefer the Five, reckons its much more forgiving of bad line choices. The EX is a really good all-rounder, but for all the claims about its suspension, it still feels quite 'ploddy' uphill, even compared to the Five - the Anthem X totally wipes the floor with the EX uphill and if you're fairly confident with it, it's also amazingly capable downhill. Mind you, if your wife is a bit of a 'gravity gal' and likes getting some air, I reckon she'd love the Five.

Anyways, best bet is to just try and have a ride of some different bikes and sizes. Good luck choosin'![/i]

mikef63

thanks for the replies. just found out that the "demo series" is at cannock chase in march where she can try trek, specialized and giant. but as a typical woman she wants it yesterday.