Road Bikes for Women

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  • Pheidippides
    Liberal Feminazi
    • Nov 2008
    • 14759
    #1

    Road Bikes for Women

    My wife, seeing all the ridiculous fun I am having on my bike Lola, has decided she wants to ride too.

    I've been doing some research and it seems like there is a split of opinion on whether or not women need a women-specific road bike. Some manufacturers (Cervelo) don't even have women-specific offerings.

    My thinking is that if you get the bike properly fitted, what's the difference? I'd actually like to get her something like what I have.

    It may or may not be relevant to this thread that (1) my wife is 5'11" and (2) getting her a suitable ride is a prerequisite to me getting a tri bike.

    Thoughts?
    Awesomeness now has a name. Let me introduce myself.
    Tags: None
    • FN Phat
      I ♥ gateway sex
      • Feb 2009
      • 8691
      #2
      I'm your huckleberry.


      "I love pulling the bone. Really though, what guy doesn't?" - CJF

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        • lambdacoug
          Junior Member
          • Oct 2011
          • 3981
          #3
          I know there are women specific seats, which is probably going to be the most important difference. I'm no expert, but I'd think a good bike fit is a good bike fit, whether male or female. Then just add the women specific seat, seems reasonable to me.
          Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats.
          - Howard Aiken

          Any sufficiently complicated platform contains an ad hoc, informally-specified, bug-ridden, slow implementation of half of a functional programming language.
          - Variation on Greenspun's Tenth Rule

            Comment

            • beelzebabette
              Golf & Cubs Disrespecter
              • Nov 2008
              • 2907
              #4
              I don't ride a woman's bike, but I do have the narrower handlebars built for women. Seat's a no-brainer. I do believe the handlebars are the only other thing that might matter because how far upright one sits, etc. isn't necessarily gender-specific.

                Comment

                • Pheidippides
                  Liberal Feminazi
                  • Nov 2008
                  • 14759
                  #5
                  Originally posted by beelzebabette View Post
                  I don't ride a woman's bike, but I do have the narrower handlebars built for women. Seat's a no-brainer. I do believe the handlebars are the only other thing that might matter because how far upright one sits, etc. isn't necessarily gender-specific.
                  You were the very person I was hoping would chime in. That's good to know, and the seat does seem like a no brainer issue.

                  SHW has actually threatened to take my bike out a couple of times but I don't think I'm ready to share. I just may get her the same one if it fits, though.
                  Awesomeness now has a name. Let me introduce myself.

                    Comment

                    • mtnbiker
                      it's all a blur
                      • Mar 2009
                      • 2573
                      #6
                      Your wife's 5'11"??? Wow. She won't have the problems finding a bike to fit that my 5'1" wife has had. The main factor in a women's specific bike is that they assume slightly longer legs and shorter torso. A women's specific bike will supposedly (but not always) have a slightly shorter top tube. You can compensate for that on a man's bike, if necessary, with a shorter stem, which is an easy modification to make to get a better fit.

                      Congrats on getting your wife into cycling!

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