Female choices of Roadbikes

[Vorpal]

1.72m is 5' 9 1/2" in old money?

5' 8" or thereabouts (maybe a hair less).

[531colin]

The "long legs short body" comes from a single study with a small number of people measured.
Long ago, there was a thread on here with lots of references to studies with large numbers of individuals, none confirmed it.
Have a look at the geometry tables for all these special "women specific" bikes and see how much different they are to the same maker's road bikes for men.
The difference between "women specific" road bikes and a touring bike is that the touring bike needs clearance for 35mm tyres and mudguards, and the road bikes only get clearance for bare 25mm tyres.....the tourer has to have longer front centre.

[horizon]

The main difference between normal bikes (for men) and female specific bikes is the comparative length of the top tube. Not in all cases, but in general, females have a longer legs to torso ratio and therefore if you (for example) buy a bike with a 54 cm seat tube length the top tube may be too long. Whilst fitting shorter stem will help to compensate, in turn, you get less leverage on the handlebars. So some manufacturers make female specific frames with shorter top tubes to allow a normal range of 9 - 13 cm stems and all custom builders will build to your exact requirements.

In my research into finding a bike with shorter reach for myself (long legs, short body), I concluded that 700c wheels with a diamond frame make it impossible to shorten the top tube further than a certain point. You can lengthen the top tube, you can steepen the seat angle or you can switch to 26" wheels. But you cannot in practice shorten the top tube on 700c without causing toe overlap. You could (but makers don't) decrease the head angle. Making the seat tube angle steeper simply messes up the relationship between saddle and BB so isn't a solution. It's quite possible (as Colin has pointed out) that the OP will fit a men's bike quite well. After that, it's a question of a shorter stem and then of course all the tweaking of saddles, brake levers and so forth. If all else fails, you can fit straight bars.

I'm not very familiar with road bikes but I got the impression that their top tubes were already short and toe overlap was prevented by cleat position, narrow tyres and no mudguards. So I am not sure that the OP would find much room for improvement.

I'm of the opinion that women's specific road bikes are a blatant and brazenly dishonest marketing exercise in a fiercely competitive market, not because they are just a pretty colour but because they give the erroneous (IMV) impression that the frame can be made differently. I'm very happy to be proven wrong on this and very happy if someone can point me to a women's bike that has a genuinely shorter top tube (not just steeper seat angle). Thorn do an Audax bike (their 555S size) that seems to achieve this but AIUI the road bikes from the major brands are simply paint jobs on the men's range. Like I said, I'm very open to being proven wrong on this.

[The utility cyclist]

My sis in law is about your height and she had a Specialized allez but it was the wrong size (too small) and it wasn't set up for her correctly and by time I came down to visit she'd gone off it completely. 2.5yrs later she's just bought a Trek Lexa as she's doing a few short distance triathlons, peronally i don't think it's the right bike for her but she's form over function every time.
Almost any modern 52/54 cm framed bike with a sloping top tube would suit.

[Vorpal]

Almost any modern 52/54 cm framed bike with a sloping top tube would suit.

Don't size on height alone. If you can't get a fitting, have a look at 531Colin's bike fitting guide Go here........http://wheel-easy.org.uk/ride-calendar.html and download "bike set up"

I'm the same height, but I take a slightly smaller frame (50 - 52) because I'm long legged and short-bodied. If I bought an off the shelf 54, in most brands, I would need to fit a shorter stem or riser, or change to different bars in order to be comfortable.

[phil parker]

In my research into finding a bike with shorter reach for myself (long legs, short body), I concluded that 700c wheels with a diamond frame make it impossible to shorten the top tube further than a certain point. You can lengthen the top tube, you can steepen the seat angle or you can switch to 26" wheels. But you cannot in practice shorten the top tube on 700c without causing toe overlap.

My research was nothing more detailed than reading all the magazine articles circa 2007 - 2008 on women specific bikes, which may have been written for the casual reader rather than the engineer - they proclaimed the theory of long inseams to torso ratio and hence making frames with shorter top tubes and fitting the bikes with short reach handlebars and brake levers, specifically for the female cyclist.

I am not necessarily an advocate of this theory, but just answered the question of its origins. Ironically, in 2003 when I had my custom Roberts Audax compact made, the frame builder said I could have a shorter top tube if required to compensate for previously broken bones etc. Years later when my female cycling partner was getting measured up at SJSC they had 3 sizes of top tube both for different body shapes as well as flat bar/drop bar.

I certainly don't disagree about marketing and have no wish to prove anybody wrong on this. It is quite expensive, but I paid nearly £200 for a good bike fit 2 years ago to address fitting problems with my other bikes and if I could afford to, I would have custom built all the time, but when you're on a budget...

[horizon]

... and have no wish to prove anybody wrong on this.

I didn't mean this in a heavy way, just very happy if someone pointed out the exact women-specific frame that achieves a shorter top tube (i.e. shorter than that which is achievable on a men's bike). I gave up seaching in the end mainly because it was so laborious ploughing through the different specifications. I think it's also worth noting that a "short" top tube may be normal and everything else as "long".

[The utility cyclist]

Almost any modern 52/54 cm framed bike with a sloping top tube would suit.

Don't size on height alone. If you can't get a fitting, have a look at 531Colin's bike fitting guide Go here........http://wheel-easy.org.uk/ride-calendar.html and download "bike set up"

I'm the same height, but I take a slightly smaller frame (50 - 52) because I'm long legged and short-bodied. If I bought an off the shelf 54, in most brands, I would need to fit a shorter stem or riser, or change to different bars in order to be comfortable.

I'm not but you yourself have said a 54 would actually fit you with potentially one or two minor adjustments, and even then not all as you said "most" which infers some would/could be fine straight off.
Pretty much everyone who has ridden an off the peg bike has had to make some adjustments in their life to get a bike to fit, why make out it's such a big deal with respect to sizing/fit when it really isn't?

Unless the OP had hugely disproportionate short legs to height and couldn't physically straddle the frame/tt then my generic reference/ball park size is accurate, I never once said this was an absolute and as I've said, most of us will require some adjustments/swap outs to get things right, you tend to do this picking and choosing (particularly contact points/stem length to suit you and the frame size when getting custom built frames if not then that would suggest all frame builders only ever deal in one stem length and design the frame size around that...

[Vorpal]

One or two minor adjustments aren't necessarily minor to someone who hasn't done them before. And someone who hasn't done it before may have some difficulty knowing that something is wrong, let alone diagnosing it. I rode bikes that were too big for me for years.

Anyway, she's out to buy a bike, why shouldn't she get the right size and a good fit from the beginning?

[pwa]

May be worth a look on the Islabike.co.uk website. They do a well known range for children who race road and Cyclocross and they also do an adult range. The children range are excellent and hold their value for resale, cannot comment on the adult ones but no harm in looking.

My wife is currently using an Islabikes Lluath that I have modified / upgraded for her after my daughter finished with it. But the OP does not need to go down that route. A female specific bike is not necessary unless she cannot get a good position on a more readily available "man's" bike. She may need a slightly shorter handlebar stem and she may need to nudge the saddle forward a tiny bit, but we all do things like that with a new bike. "Try before you buy" is a good way forward for anyone who does not know quite what they need. A good bike shop is needed.

[The utility cyclist]

One or two minor adjustments aren't necessarily minor to someone who hasn't done them before. And someone who hasn't done it before may have some difficulty knowing that something is wrong, let alone diagnosing it. I rode bikes that were too big for me for years.

Anyway, she's out to buy a bike, why shouldn't she get the right size and a good fit from the beginning?

Now you're just being silly, the OP isn't an infant, and I pointed out the errors of your criticism, read it again, it addresses your point re getting a good fit

[Vorpal]

One or two minor adjustments aren't necessarily minor to someone who hasn't done them before. And someone who hasn't done it before may have some difficulty knowing that something is wrong, let alone diagnosing it. I rode bikes that were too big for me for years.

Anyway, she's out to buy a bike, why shouldn't she get the right size and a good fit from the beginning?

Now you're just being silly, the OP isn't an infant, and I pointed out the errors of your criticism, read it again, it addresses your point re getting a good fit

No, I am not being silly (and calling me silly doesn't contribute to the discussion in any way). Not everyone finds it easy to pick out and change a stem, or other parts for that matter. She stated that she is relatively new to cycling.

I have every confidence that if the OP wanted to, she could change stems, but why on earth should she, if she can get the right size frame and stem when she buys a bike? Nowhere did I say that she couldn't or shouldn't make adjustments. But as witnessed by the number of threads on here about bike position, even experienced cyclists sometimes have trouble diagnosing fit problems.

If the OP really wants the Bianchi that she linked to, I'm sure that she can make it work. But I think she is likely to be happier on her bike if she gets a fitting, or at least some professional help in sizing.

Even if she does buy the Bianchi, at least then, she will do so knowing a bit more about what she needs to make it work for her.

[leacdo]

I just come back from a nearby bikeshop - From what I gathered from the vendor and from your replies here, the women roadbikes are very similar - if not identical - to regular roadbikes and are known as a marketing niche for the cycling industry. In general, their frame sizes are smaller, and their color palette is often white/brighter than regular roadbikes.
About the stairs I have to climb, it's nothing hard really, as long as the bike weighs less than 10-12kg, I should be fine.

In conclusion, I'll wait for an affordable roadbike offer on gumtree or secondbike, being male or female, as long as it suits my size and cycling comfort!

[horizon]

I just come back from a nearby bikeshop - From what I gathered from the vendor and from your replies here, the women roadbikes are very similar - if not identical - to regular roadbikes and are known as a marketing niche for the cycling industry. In general, their frame sizes are smaller, and their color palette is often white/brighter than regular roadbikes.

leacdo: many thanks for coming back on this. It's good to get independent verification of this issue.

[phil parker]

I didn't mean this in a heavy way.

I certainly didn't take it that way!

...just very happy if someone pointed out the exact women-specific frame that achieves a shorter top tube (i.e. shorter than that which is achievable on a men's bike).... I think it's also worth noting that a "short" top tube may be normal and everything else as "long".

It's a good question and my opinion is that it can only be achieved with a sloping top tube and that there is no guarantee of not getting toe overlap - just an opinion though!

I just come back from a nearby bike shop - From what I gathered from the vendor and from your replies here, the women road bikes are very similar - if not identical - to regular road bikes and are known as a marketing niche for the cycling industry. In general, their frame sizes are smaller, and their colour palette is often white/brighter than regular road bikes.

They should have also informed you that the handlebars are often smaller with a shorter drop; the brake levers should be shorter-reach or closer to the handlebars and that the crank length is often comparatively shorter at 167.5 mm or even 165 mm. However, I totally agree with your sentiment and that for your budget you are better off going for a good second hand bike that is close to your fit that you can fine tune even better to suit you!

Good luck in your search!