Advice please on buying a mans bike for a woman

Shirl03

Hi all and thank you for letting me join.

I'm trying to get some advice before parting with my cash and i'm getting really confused.

I'm a 5ft 8 female and was looking to buy the Carrera Kraken womens bike, however the guy in Halfords said that the mens Kraken is a better buy as the parts are slightly more upgraded. That particular store didn't have both models so I went off to my next nearest store. The sales guy there told me this wasn't the best advice as i'm too light for the mens model (I weigh just under 10st)

Now i've just been reading on another thread that the Carrera Fury is about to come down in price and from what i've read this is a better bike.

So the question is, which info is correct.... or shall I await the imminent price drop of the Fury? Bearing in mind that again its a mens bike?

Thanks again peeps

Gingie

Hey!

I'm 5ft 9 and ride a "mens" bike.
Personally if a bike fits you and you like it and the spec matches what you want to get out of riding mens/womens bike doesnt really matter...

Have you been to any of the demo days that have been happening recently? Might be good to try out a few bikes and see what you like the feel of...

If you can get the Fury for a good price you'd be better putting your pennies towards something with a better spec :-)

Also it might be worth checking out the classifieds on pinkbike/singletrack world etc- you can often pick up good second hand bikes there...

Hope this helps.. a little

Shirl03

Thats brill thank you!

No I haven't been to any demos or anything. I've only just decided I needed a new bike (Hubby has just scratched my car up so i've told him I want a new bike as compensation!) His apologising will quickly stop so I have to work fast lol!

I am off to look at the classifieds you mention. I am happy to buy a used bike to get more for my money so to speak. I actually found a Voodoo Wanga that is fairly close to me for £360, that may be just too much bike for me though!

Thanks again

Gingie

Yea i got most my bikes that i've owned as second-handers and found that i could get a lot more for my money than i could buying new.

Good luck with your search, yet us know how you get on :-)

Shirl03

Wow i've just lost about two hours of my life engrossed in classified ads!

I've found this one that I like the look of http://www.preloved.co.uk/fuseaction-ad ... 2aa63.html Its a steel frame however so will be heavier. Seems a good bike judging by the reviews.

My problem with buying second hand is that I wouldn't be able to tell whether its had original parts replaced or anything and I could end up buying a lemon!

I'm trying to find more info on the Carrera Fury price drop but i'm looking for something else incase it doesnt..

stomith

My wife doesn't seem to like Womens specific geometry bikes, but it is true - you should try and have a go on as many as possible. Wife has two mens bikes and loves them to bits. I'm not allowed to touch them.

Buy second hand if you are able - New prices are like house prices : unrealistically overpriced.

That Voodoo Wanga is top of its class in this months MBR magazine.

If you see a classified you like the look of: Get the Make, Model and Year. If you can get some pictures of it...even better. Type in the Make Model and year into Google, then when you see the results, hit the IMAGES tab in Google. Yoiu should now be able to see a picture of the bike you're after. Hover over the images of the bikes and find one that has a link to a shop, such as Chain Reaction for example.

My search on Google Images for "Carrera Fury 2008 mens" took me to this site:
http://www.thebikelist.co.uk/carrera/fu ... ns-08-2008
which as all the details of what came with the bike when it was new.

Hope this helps.

Shirl03

Thanks for that, its appreciated.

I actually ended up going with the second hand Wanga. It turns out that its not last years spec but the year before so some of its bits and pieces are different than the one showing on Halfords website.

I've been riding it for a couple of weeks now and I love it! No comparison to my old bike. It is actually enjoyable whereas my other one was a chore.

Its incredibly light. I'm so pleased I went for this particular bike.

Thanks again