Would like some advice please

skybie

I have a mountian bike and now i am looking to get a road bike.
I had a look in our bike local shop they were very helpfull i tried the Trek Lexa ladies bike it fitted well but the colour was awful, i know that's not the most important bit but when i am paying quite a lot of money i want the right one.
What do people think about the fit of mens bike for women?

The chap in the shop said that the Trek 1.1 would be about the same fit in the smallest size and he would change the the stem or anything i wanted to make it fit. The shop is only small so don't have a huge stock of bikes but i would like to support them they gave us more of a personal service than the larger shops.

sungod

if the shop is good and you/they can assess what, if any, change is needed, then it should be fine

a bit of work with a tape measure would allow replicating the lexa setup

generally, compared to men, women have longer legs and shorter arms in proportion to height, and narrower shoulders, so a female-geometry frame may have a shorter top tube for the height than a male one, and narrower bars, but it's all based on averages, so unless you are at the extreme of the range there shouldn't be a problem adjusting/adapting

skybie

Thanks for the reply. I think i will go with the trek 1.1 with a few changes.

mattshrops

You will be a bit more stretched out on the mens frame, although as the guy in the shop said, this can be adjusted with the stem. You will also need to look at bar width as a mens may be wider than on the equivalent womens.
The best way to find out if you're happy on it is to get them to set it up on a turbo trainer and try it.Most women will instantly either like or dislike the feel of a mens fit.
- Nothing wrong with with wanting to like the look of your bike. Extra motivation to get yourself out the door.

skybie

I don't think the LBS has a turbo trainer if not i will try and find another shop that has one.
As i am only 5'2 with short legs and arms i would really like a womans bike but there is not many shop near me that stock many different female bikes.

simon_masterson

sungod wrote:

if the shop is good and you/they can assess what, if any, change is needed, then it should be fine

a bit of work with a tape measure would allow replicating the lexa setup

generally, compared to men, women have longer legs and shorter arms in proportion to height, and narrower shoulders, so a female-geometry frame may have a shorter top tube for the height than a male one, and narrower bars, but it's all based on averages, so unless you are at the extreme of the range there shouldn't be a problem adjusting/adapting

That.

The only other thing I can think of is the saddle. These days made-to-measure doesn't seem to be as common as it was (and still is with high-end steel bikes); most cyclists (bar sponsored pros) buying high end carbon fibre bikes are buying off-the-peg and adjusting to fit. I highly doubt that every female road cyclist out there by any means is riding a bike specifically sized for a woman.

But there's a valid point in there I suppose; supposing you did have a lot of money* you could buy a made-to-measure bike!

*Assuming that you would want carbon fibre or aluminium

t.m.h.n.e.t

Correct me if I'm wrong but the majority of "womens" bikes are really only different in top tube shape? ie:sloping

So an appropriately sized frame shouldn't really give any problems whether marketed for women or not,given that women specific frames are still quite a new concept.

FWIW my sister rides a GIANT Defy in M

simon_masterson

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong but the majority of "womens" bikes are really only different in top tube shape? ie:sloping

So an appropriately sized frame should really give any problems whether marketed for women or not.

FWIW my sister rides a GIANT Defy in M

Indeed; that sort of "womens' bike" is an anachronism, unless anybody rides a racing bike in a skirt...

But apart from slightly adjusted sizing to suit the average female as opposed to the average male (or whichever other demographic the designer tailored the frame to...), and the saddle, I can't think of any other feature that makes a bike female-specific.

I daresay that we are looking at frames made-to-measure, but the bikes ridden by misses Armitstead, Pooley & Martin below look no different to me...

Monty Dog

At 5ft2 you're right on the lower limit of 700c bike sizing and even with the 47cm frame it may be too long - compensating for a too-big frame by fitting a shorter stem is not the best solution. There are other makes such as Kinesis who do bikes more suited to smaller riders e.g. KR210L

rubyrider

I am a tad under 5'4" and have only been road cycling for a few months, but I absolutely love my women's geometry bike. Apparently we do have proportionately longer legs and shorter arms than men of the same height, and therefore the top tube lengths are usually shorter in the women specific designs. I think this is more of an issue if you are short to be honest - I did a fair bit of reading about it before I bought my bike.

My top tube is 50.5 cm and frame size is 48cm. Other women specific design features are the narrower bars which I believe also have a smaller radius of curve for the dropped part (not quite sure what you call this bit!) and a shorter reach to the brake levers.

I am however a relative beginner and I didnt try out a men's frame. My MTB is a men's frame and I've always felt that was a bit of a stretch to the handle bars.

blackpoolkev

skybie wrote:

there is not many shop near me that stock many different female bikes.

Supporting your local trader is an honourable stand point but if they don't have what you want,it's time to be a little more cynical.I think Ladies look nice on Cerise Bianchi's FWIW.