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Road/Sportive bike for my tall girlfriend - Suggestions please?

by Powmow
Tue, Aug 11, 2015 12:30
7

Hi,

So my girlfriend is starting to get into cycling a bit. She currently loves her Pashley but after having a quick spin on my bike she's thinking of getting a road bike on the C2W scheme. We do weekend road rides around London, did the London to Brighton and now want to get involved in more sportives down the line.

So the issue is she's quite tall - 6'2" with an inside leg of 36". After some reading around it seems we'll need to look at a bike frame around 60+ which seems non existent in female bikes. In a perfect world she'd like something that's more girly/not black/ prettier (her words) but at this rate she may not have many options? Is she doomed to ride a mens bike?

I know the only true test is to try bikes out but I figured I'd start out by asking if there are brands more suited to taller people and or recommendations for any London-ish bike shops that may stock frames in her size.

We're thinking around £600-700 - could be tempted for more if it's too good to pass up!

Thanks for reading and appreciate any suggestions

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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7 comments

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Vejnemojnen | 8 years ago
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1 I have an XL never ridden, new, wilier montegrappa. 700 euros shipped within EU. Tiagra shifters-derailleurs-brakes-chainset-ű. FSA finish kit.

That size would be perfect for her. Shame, that the frame is black 2

http://tuttibringa.hu/akcios-kerekparok/orszaguti/wilier-gtr-orszaguti-k...

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2 Wheeled Idiot | 8 years ago
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I'd look into a men's bike and then maybe swap saddle etc to make suitable for a woman...then get an arty friend to paint/decorate the frame as they want. It would be something unique and interesting

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Powmow | 8 years ago
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Hi everyone

Thanks very much for the comments and suggestions so far.

We were discussing the idea of German/Dutch brands since they seem to cater for taller people but the C2W limitations aren't helping.

I was actually going to ask if anybody knew what the key differences were between a unisex and female specific bike but spin sugar was kind enough to preempt me!

I'll start looking into Pinnacle and Giant's ranges

Again, thanks for your help so far!

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Woldsman | 8 years ago
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Your girlfriend might want to look at the Giant Defy range. I only know this person from Twitter, but I understand she is around 6" tall and rides a regular Giant Defy.

https://twitter.com/pazjamo/status/592669173546950656

I can't find her reasoning on Twitter - and I know it is a pricier version of the Defy (Advanced 2 2015, I believe) - but I gather that the sizing goes up to very large frames.

I think the comparatively tall head tube with a fair stack of spacers means the rider won't be too 'long and low' either. Just a thought.

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spin sugar | 8 years ago
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I'm relatively tall (and a woman!), too, and - bar one instance- I've ended up opting for "unisex" bikes. As said above, you get a better range and even (sometimes) more for your money.

The key differences tend to be:
-Saddle: the big brands do now provide women specific saddles with their women's bikes, which I do find more comfortable, but having said that I've been thinking for over a year I might swap my unisex one out for a women's one and never actually bothered to do it. So I must have become used to it.
-Handlebars: tend to be slightly narrower. Might not be necessary (or even helpful) for your GF, though, with her dimensions.
-Stem-wise, if she's minded to get a proper bike fit at some point, they are going to swap that out anyway for something that's as close a match as possible.
-Designs/colourways: the obvious.

So where do you end up?! My suggestion would be focus on getting the right size/fit for her dimensions plus the best groupset for the budget, which points towards a unisex bike. If she goes for something which is pretty plain then she can always customise elements of it over time to spruce it up a bit. I'm pretty sure most of the women's ranges won't do frames that are the right size for her. It's all a bit annoying, I know.

There are other suggestions that can be made but they won't be appropriate for your price point and C2W.

I've found Pinnacles to actually be pretty good bikes for that price range and would be pretty easy to customise - it would be worth checking those out.

Hope she finds her match soon! 1

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d_jp | 8 years ago
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My wife is slightly shorter than your girlfriend (6") and we got her a mens (aka "unisex" ;)) with a 58 frame because, as you know, women's bikes are limited in their larger ranges. It does give a much wider choice of bike so hopefully your girlfriend will find one she with a design she likes!

When my wife tried the bike, she felt that her arms were a bit stretched out so we had the stem swapped for a shorter one (the shop did that for nothing with an equivalent new one from their parts bin) and we also changed the saddle for a women's specific one (went for a more expensive one than the one that came with it & paid the difference).

Hope that helps, all the best with the search & the riding!

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gonedownhill | 8 years ago
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Without checking the ladies' range, I found that the German manufacturers (Rose, Canyon, Cube) make larger men's frames than most other manufacturers.

That said Canyon and Rose won't be available on C2W so probably no use to you anyway.

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