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Ladies bikes

by gandberg
Mon, Dec 07, 2009 21:09
11

Evening all. Not been on this site for a few weeks, or on either bike as I've been exhausting myself trying to get my new house ready to move in. Two steps back to make one forwards it feels.

Anyway, I might spoil my good lady and for Christmas would like to get her a road bike so we can go out together. I'm taking a risk as it might end up spoiling Christmas, but I digress....

My main questions are:

Buying a small framed mans bike is going to be alot easier to source than a womens specific ride, so if I were to change the saddle and possibly the stem (for a shorter one), is the geometry going to be so different as to still make riding uncomfortable?

Er, thats about it.

Cheers chaps.

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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11 comments

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Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
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Wow that Kingpin conversion looks really cool… he does go in to rather a lot of detail though

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badbunny | 14 years ago
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I just bought myself a new road bike and I have a mans frame (not me personally...the bike!), I have found that the handlebar stem is slightly too long for me and the saddle is painful, however you are going to have to change any bike to suit your wifes riding and frame, so I don't think it matters too much (unless of course shes only 5ft 2) I'm 5ft 9 and have a 55" frame if that helps 7

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gandberg | 14 years ago
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Well, she always ride her vintage 3 speed damson Dawes Kingpin, complete with dynamo, but I'm sure she'd get very fit very quickly.

Could always do what this guy has done to his missus' Kingpin:

http://durhamcycling.com/tccg/?p=76 !!!

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DaSy replied to gandberg | 14 years ago
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gandberg wrote:

but I'm sure she'd get very fit very quickly.

That has been one of many reasons to keep my wife away from cycling. She took up running, from never having run before, just so she had something to do when I was out. Within 4 years she became an elite level marathon runner, winning her first at the Beachy Head Marathon (which is off road for the most part!)

I know with some degree of certainty that if she took up cycling, it would be no time before she was serving me my arse on a plate.

Plus of course, I like the solitude and getting away from it all on a bike, and she likes to talk - her running partners are amazed she can do a 16 mile training run and not stop talking for the whole duration!

She is annoyingly impressive at anything she turns her mind to.

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DaSy | 14 years ago
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I got confused at the part where you wanted to go out on your road bike with your missus?

But your bigger than me (a lot bigger)so I'm sure it's a good idea...

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dave atkinson | 14 years ago
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ORB is right - there's a massive range of physiques and i know some women who swear by women-specific geometry and some who won't go near it. in the end it's all down to means and bell curves and the like - women are more likely to be less tall and shorter in the torso. if she's 'normal' - ie close to the middle of the bell curve - a girl's bike is likely to be a better fit, but a decent shop will have a jig she can sit on to determine this stuff. best to get her involved rather than bung it under the tree and hope, eh?
4 4 4

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gandberg | 14 years ago
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Just to clear things up, the bike subject, not the wife subject!

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gandberg | 14 years ago
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Er, not my wife....yet! But all good advice, thanks. Better broach the subject to her gently 3

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OldRidgeback | 14 years ago
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When I was an engineer I took ergonomics as a minority subject for one year. One thing I remember was the result of a study by the US military. This showed that the human frame varies enormously. Adult males and females come in an enormous array of shapes and sies, even assuming that they are all within what is considered a healthy BMI range (and remember that some leading sports stars don't fit the BMI map). I've got long arms and legs for my height and my elder son has a similar frame (as do my brother and his two kids). My wife's family all have longer torsos and shorter arms and legs. Her brother is the same height as me but I have to adjust his bicycle (raising the seat) before I can use it and he has to adjust mine (lowering the saddle).

Get a bike that suits your wife's physique.

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gandberg | 14 years ago
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Hi - did you know men are different from each other? What I mean is, not just bikewise but also Chino buying wise, our masculine bodies are proportionately different, legs length, girth of thigh, and lower torso circumference are not identical. Which is why I asked for advice....

Due to my off-roading experience I am aware of how massively the set up and feel of a bike can be changed just by smapping a stem, in length or rise, or by moving a seat forward on its rails. Doesnt this apply to road bikes too?

I have bikes I cherish, but my shoe and handbag collection look pitiful in comparison to hers...!

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Bretagne | 14 years ago
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Hi - did you know that women are different to men? What i mean is, bikewise their bodies are proportionately different, i.e. leg length, trunk length etc. So mens frames are usually too long for most women.
I would look for a female specific framed bike if you want her to enjoy the cycling experience with you!! Or - don't be a cheapie! I see you have some nice kit in YOUR stable - why not go the whole hog & treat HER to a bespoke frame (Chas Roberts does a nice line in female specific frames) or look in the comic or Ebay for a decent ladies steed!!
Regards - Geoff.

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