Question for any lady cyclists out there !!

skerry

Just wondering what the general consensus is with frame sizing on women's road bikes. The missus is eager to get into cycling before the Summer ends and I've been looking around for a suitable road bike for her. I notice there aren't that many women specific bikes out there and was wondering do folks generally go for smaller sized men's bikes. She's about the 5'2" mark, anyone out there about the same height that can give me an idea roughly what size frame I should be looking out for? I presume the geometries are different in women specific frames and I know she'll ultimately have to hop onto a bike to know what fits but just looking for an idea on where to start looking size-wise. Any help is very much appreciated.

Lumen

I am not a lady cyclist, however IMO....

A woman is not really any different from a man in terms of bike fit. On average women have shorter arms, which would suggest a shorter reach, but that can be compensated for by greater flexibility at the hips, or not. It depends on the individual.

Women-specific bikes may fit small women better on account of them being designed for smaller riders in general.

Once you get down to angry-dwarf sizing (e.g. sub-5ft) then smaller wheels offer some attraction, but for 5'2" you would generally be looking at a 700c road bike with a small frame.

Idleater

skerry wrote: »

I notice there aren't that many women specific bikes out there

curious as to where you have looked as I thought pretty much all the main manufacturers had "ladies" bikes. Any LBS would order them in for you.
Orbea
Giant
Specialized
Trek

Obviously there are more, but those are the main brands in my LBS.

Raam

The term "ladies bike" is just marketing. Get a bike that fits, that is all. My missus has 4 bikes. They are neither exclusively for a man or a lady, they are just bikes.

skerry

Idleater wrote: »

curious as to where you have looked as I thought pretty much all the main manufacturers had "ladies" bikes. Any LBS would order them in for you.
Orbea
Giant
Specialized
Trek

Obviously there are more, but those are the main brands in my LBS.

Was hoping to spot something online. Seen the ladies Boardman from 2010 and seems to be a good spec for the price. They were going for €670 a while back but are over €800 at the moment. Its her first bike so she doesn't really want to go spending more than €700. I seen the Specialized Dolce and a few other ladies models, but there's a much wider range of mens bikes to choose from and was thinking if smaller mens frame would suit as well.

skerry

Raam wrote: »

The term "ladies bike" is just marketing. Get a bike that fits, that is all. My missus has 4 bikes. They are neither exclusively for a man or a lady, they are just bikes.

Was thinking the same thing. Read an article from a bike producer a while back (can't remember what one right now), but they basically said they don't do womens road bikes as the whole 'different geometry' thing is a load of marketing cack allowing them to stick a pink flower paint job on the bike and flog it to females.

Raam

skerry wrote: »

Was thinking the same thing. Read an article from a bike producer a while back (can't remember what one right now), but they basically said they don't do womens road bikes as the whole 'different geometry' thing is a load of marketing cack allowing them to stick a pink flower paint job on the bike and flog it to females.

Cervelo, I think. Gerard Vroomen.

Idleater

skerry wrote: »

but there's a much wider range of mens bikes to choose from and was thinking if smaller mens frame would suit as well.

No prob. If you know the size then buy whatever bike she/you like the best. The only reason I suggested LBS is that I was not sure how confident you were with assessing the "correct" size - obviously in a LBS you can sit on a "ladies" and gents version of the same bike to see if there is a difference.

Caroline_ie

I am 5'0. It's hard to find high specs bikes that small. I have a specialized women Ruby pro Sz 44 that fits great, my racing bike, but I also have a Sz 43 Trek 1000 men, a Giant sz 42 men and a MTB sz 13 men. The wheels look HUGE on all them, I think it's neat.
5'2 isn't as deperate as 5'0. There is hope.

doozerie

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I am 5'0. It's hard to find high specs bikes that small.

Not any longer

@skerry, My wife's bikes down through the years (road racer, MTB, hybrid) have all been small framed "men's" bikes too.

langdang

Herself is 5'4ish and has a Giant Defy 3.5
Can't remember the sizing but think she has the S. Which leaves the XS as an option if the S is too big. (if you can find an XS - they wouldn't be widely stocked i'd say!)
Had to put a short stem on alright to compensate for reach-length.
Colours and spec were better in the entry level stuff versus the women specific bikes.

Joeyde

My GF is 5'8'' and Im mad looking for a bike for her at the moment as well. She tried the medium avail and it fit like a glove, no luck on the mens medium unfortunately, its too much of a stretch for her. I thought it was just the stem but there are different angles on the head tube etc as well. So Im looking for a mens small or a womens medium. I think she is awkwardly in the middle. If I find a 52 mens Im taking it, alot of it is marketing I imagine and what they are really doing is filling the gaps between their largely spaced frame sizes.

fat bloke

Whatever about sizes, the principal consideration is that one's wife's bike be considerably lower spec than one's own bike.

langdang

fat bloke wrote: »

Whatever about sizes, the principal consideration is that one's wife's bike be considerably lower spec than one's own bike.

Haha, I have the opposite setup for road cycling (more of a mountain biker at heart tho) - I have a dirty flat bar hybrid with 32c tyres and hydraulic disks, and a 3L camelbak to try to even us out when we go for a spin together...
I may have to invest in a little parachute air brake to get the most out of those spins...

studiorat

My girlfriend rides a 13" mtb she's about 5'2". And she make a show of me on every climb. :mad:

skerry

Cheers for all the reply's guys. There's a Specialized dealer near me so might pop in and try a ladies frame and a small mens frame and see what the fits like. Much better value online if I can find something, but then there's the whole taking a chance on size thing. Had her heart set on the Boardman below, looks like good spec for the price. I came across a BeOne Briza on CRC also for just over €800 which has pretty reasonable spec too. Have a 40 and 45 cm frame left (not sure if either size would suit yet). Any opinions of the options below or other ones welcome

Boardman

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_747507_langId_-1_categoryId_212536#dtab

BeOne Briza

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=45888

levi

I got a small Giant Avail 4 about a month ago - I'm 164cm and it fits perfectly. I did need a ladies bike because I have long legs and a short torso/arms so the reach was too long on men's bikes. It cost €699 and I love it! It's the same as a Defy 4 but the top tube is a bit shorter, it has a shorter stem and a ladies' saddle... oh and a ladies' paint job with flowery bits.

skerry

Nothing beats the ladies paint job with the flowery colours. Herself has her angles on the Boardman which is a delightful white with pink bits on, thankfully its actuallty quite good spec for the money too. Gonna try Halfords in Galway maybe next week and see if they have any left to try for sizing.

moby2101

Hi Skerry,

My wife has the Boardman CFI full carbon with Sram rival set up...

Its an amazing bike for the money ...it "retails " at 1250 but Halfords will "deal" on it and iiirc with my Axa 15% discount & other discounts it came in around 1000...

Thats a lot of bike for 1000....

....forgot to add...it's a bit pink !!!

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-boardman-road-team-carbon-fi-10-39681

nak

My first road bike was a Trek WSD, I'm 5'4" and it was a 51. I had to change the bars as they were too wide for me and the reach was too long. I now have 2 men's bikes that I put together myself. My road bike is a 49 compact and my track bike is a 51.

I use an 80mm stem and I got these handlebars are they only ones I can reach my Campag levers on the drops with http://bontrager.com/model/08368 They have the shortest reach available. If you have SRAM or Shimano levers, not so much of a problem as they are adjustable. I have noticed that a lot of smaller girls don't use the drops, as they can't reach the brakes.

I hate the idea of pink and flowery btw, not all girls like these things. A lot of the women's specific cycling clothes suck, midriff skimming jersey's, no bibshorts and again pink and flowery :mad:

QueensGael

Hi Skerry,

I'm 5'3" and have a Specialized Dolce women's bike - 51cm, which is slightly higher than what's typical for my height. I tried out a few smaller bikes when I was buying it, and I just felt uncomfortable on a small bike - I guess it's because I always used my Dad's bike as a kid (waaaay too big for me

My recommendation is to try out quite a few models and find what fits you best. You don't want to have to stretch to reach the handlebars, which is what I see with some of my friends who borrow their BF's bikes. Take your time and find the one that suits you best.

Happy pedalling!

skerry

moby2101 wrote: »

Hi Skerry,

My wife has the Boardman CFI full carbon with Sram rival set up...

Its an amazing bike for the money ...it "retails " at 1250 but Halfords will "deal" on it and iiirc with my Axa 15% discount & other discounts it came in around 1000...

Thats a lot of bike for 1000....

....forgot to add...it's a bit pink !!!

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-boardman-road-team-carbon-fi-10-39681

Cheers for that. She was looking at the Boardman with alu frame, its €875 at the moment so hoping to bring her to Galway to try one out if they have it in stock. Seen it a month ago at €680 but its gone up since, reckon it was a mistake. You reckon they'll knock a bit off the price? Always thought the likes of Halfords and big stores like that don't really do haggling

skerry

QueensGael wrote: »

Hi Skerry,

I'm 5'3" and have a Specialized Dolce women's bike - 51cm, which is slightly higher than what's typical for my height. I tried out a few smaller bikes when I was buying it, and I just felt uncomfortable on a small bike - I guess it's because I always used my Dad's bike as a kid (waaaay too big for me

My recommendation is to try out quite a few models and find what fits you best. You don't want to have to stretch to reach the handlebars, which is what I see with some of my friends who borrow their BF's bikes. Take your time and find the one that suits you best.

Happy pedalling!

Thanks for the reply, I'm actually a guy, its for the GF Gonna pop into LBS and try out a Dolce for size and see what the spec is like compared to the Boardman, reckon she'd get more bike for the money with the Boardman though

moby2101

skerry wrote: »

Cheers for that. She was looking at the Boardman with alu frame, its €875 at the moment so hoping to bring her to Galway to try one out if they have it in stock. Seen it a month ago at €680 but its gone up since, reckon it was a mistake. You reckon they'll knock a bit off the price? Always thought the likes of Halfords and big stores like that don't really do haggling

She/we bought that in January and I (as is my wont!! ...I ALWAYS haggle!!) tryed to haggle down the price without mentioning the Axa 15% discount....
they were happy to knock off 50 yoyos and then I hit 'em with the discount!!

She wound up buying it for 1020 iirc....

great bike for that sorta price ...the Sram Rival groupset is about 500 to buy on it's own..

CuppaCocoa

Here's my latest purchase! It's a Pashley Princess Classic with 26" wheels and a 17.5" frame. I'm 5ft 2 and it's the perfect size. Very comfortable bike but quite heavy. You wouldn't be in a hurry to get somewhere riding this! More for cruising along on. Bought it in Eurocycles.

Joeyde

I don't know how the other lads are getting on here but I managed to pick up an avail for the OH and we have been out for a few spins and really enjoying it.

I loaned her some of my smaller bibs but Im going to pick up some kit for her. Im just wondering if any ladies can tell me if I should be looking for women specific bibs/jerseys or do the majority wear small mens gear. She wasn't too comfortable after the first couple of spins but Im wondering if she is just breaking in the saddle as she hasnt cycled in a few years. Also still working on the saddle position.

Any experience?

RacoonQueen

I'm 5'2'' and have a 'mens' bike.

Women do tend to have longer legs than men and shorter torsos so there is a slight difference in what we need. I'm not entirely sure whether it actually makes much difference, I have a longer than average reach apparently so he pushed the mens bike on me. I didn't really want flowers embroidered into my saddle anyway.

Lemag

Joeyde wrote: »

Im just wondering if any ladies can tell me if I should be looking for women specific bibs/jerseys or do the majority wear small mens gear. She wasn't too comfortable after the first couple of spins but Im wondering if she is just breaking in the saddle as she hasnt cycled in a few years. Also still working on the saddle position.

Any experience?

She should be wearing female specific clothing. It should be much easier to source than a female specific bike. Linky for a list of sites for her perusal.

Lumen

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Women do tend to have longer legs than men and shorter torsos so there is a slight difference in what we need.

I have read in several places that for a given torso length women do not have proportionately longer legs than men (perhaps the source of the false assertion is they like to think they do*), but they do have shorter arms and tend to sit further back on the saddle, so reach can be an issue.

* I even found a graph.

nak

Lemag wrote: »

She should be wearing female specific clothing. It should be much easier to source than a female specific bike. Linky for a list of sites for her perusal.

I don't agree with the should part, I wear women's and men's cycling clothes, it's whatever you feel comfortable with. I always wear women's bibs (there isn't a huge amount of choice) and prefer men's jerseys/jackets as the women's ones tend to be short with the exception of Rapha - the women's ones are the same length as the men's and the fit for me is perfect.

IMO base layers are unisex. I know some girls who prefer men's shorts and for me women's saddles are generally too wide, so went for the manly version.

Trial and error seems to be the way.

Lemag

nak wrote: »

I don't agree with the should part, I wear women's and men's cycling clothes,

Fair enough. You're probably better qualified than I am to comment on this. I'm male and I presume that you are not.

OP, if you're looking for clothing for your OH it'd be worth your while to check out the Assos branded stuff. However, make sure the the OH isn't present when you do so.

Caroline_ie

Joeyde wrote: »

She wasn't too comfortable after the first couple of spins but Im wondering if she is just breaking in the saddle as she hasnt cycled in a few years.

Any experience?

That could be because she 'sits'. After a while you realise that you don't actually sit as such on your saddle while cycling.

I agreed with Nak on clothing. I wear women bibs, because I prefer the chamois and the lengs are shorter but I know women who only like to wear men's. If I wore men's they'd cover my knees. I've tried men's and I think there is way too much padding around the front that we don't need as women. I wear men's jersey ( expect for my club jersey that I wear only racing ) as well, they're much cooler.

nak

Lemag I am indeed female, think some of the clothing designers must be men, as they design clothing for women in pastel colours like pink that are not really practical, especially for moutain bikers. Can't comment on Assos as have never tried their stuff apart from the chamois cream. Some women don't like bibshorts as they can make natural breaks awkward, I just find them more comfortable.

Sites like these have some girly stuff:

http://www.girlsruntoo.co.uk/
http://www.minx-girl.com/
http://www.teamestrogen.com/

Wiggle and CRC also have a decent selection for women now.

Lemag

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I've tried men's and I think there is way too much padding around the front

In some cases, this isn't just in cycling Link :eek:

Lumen

nak wrote: »

Lemag I am indeed female, think some of the clothing designers must be men, as they design clothing for women in pastel colours like pink that are not really practical, especially for moutain bikers.

There is plenty of impractical menswear too.

Joeyde

Caroline_ie wrote: »

That could be because she 'sits'. After a while you realise that you don't actually sit as such on your saddle while cycling.

She has no experience on a racer so there will be a settling in period.

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I've tried men's and I think there is way too much padding around the front that we don't need as women. I wear men's jersey ( expect for my club jersey that I wear only racing ) as well, they're much cooler.

This was her main complaint and the reason I put the question out

Thanks for the feedback everyone, think we will go for a pair of women's specific bibs and some men's jerseys. I wont have to share my gear then...

Lemag

nak wrote: »

think some of the clothing designers must be men, as they design clothing for women in pastel colours like pink that are not really practical,

I don't see why impractical colour choices would suggest male designers. Are women really gernerally more practical? Anecdotally, I wouldn't have thought so. I'd say that it'd be a fair assumption to make that the Assos market department have a stong male influence though

Joeyde

Lumen wrote: »

There is plenty of impractical menswear too.

Is it bad this I like this kit??? OK the white would be a pain.


Before you say it, the gear is definitely for my GF...

Joeyde

Actually one last question for the ladies..

Have any of ye tried the bibs with straps down the middle? Cant imagine they would be very comfortable?

Caroline_ie

Joeyde wrote: »

Actually one last question for the ladies..

Have any of ye tried the bibs with straps down the middle? Cant imagine they would be very comfortable?

They're great actually. I only ever had one pair of bibs with straps in the middle, but thought they were great. Each manufacturers place the straps in diferent places, So far, They've all been ok for me. Men straps are in the way though... another reason why I don't wear men's bibs.

cdaly_

Lemag wrote: »

I don't see why impractical colour choices would suggest male designers. Are women really generally more practical?

I'm assuming female designers would be more likely to know that pink is not universally adored by the ladies...

Joeyde

probably more lads with pink jerseys than women...I know I have one.. and I have been asked for a loan of a jersey by mates on two occasions for charity cycles and they both took the pink one.

Lemag

cdaly_ wrote: »

Lemag wrote: »

nak wrote: »

think some of the clothing designers must be men, as they design clothing for women in pastel colours like pink that are not really practical

I don't see why impractical colour choices would suggest male designers. Are women really gernerally more practical? Anecdotally, I wouldn't have thought so. I'd say that it'd be a fair assumption to make that the Assos market department have a stong male influence though

I'm assuming female designers would be more likely to know that pink is not universally adored by the ladies...

My response was towards nak's point of the practicalities regarding colour choices. Nak didn't make a point about colour choices being made on fashionable grounds.

velogirl

Joeyde wrote: »

Actually one last question for the ladies..

Have any of ye tried the bibs with straps down the middle? Cant imagine they would be very comfortable?

The're fantastic - really comfortable - have the Look ones and love them - really easy to get out of and back into if needs be.

Joeyde

Thanks for all the feedback ladies, and Lemag and Lumen for input as well :P

gonna have a browse and see, mine will do for the time being..she will appreciate the lady specific ones more then