FlashBazbo

I have a question for the ladies. My adult daughter has been riding a mountain bike on roads and bike paths for several years. Now, she wants to upgrade to a road bike with the intent to ride centuries and multi-day ride-across-your-state rides. She won't be racing, but she loves to capture a QOM now and then. She doesn't know bikes or bike equipment and I would like to be able to give her a short list of qualified bikes that she should test ride and compare.

I know that, quite often, bike companies claim a bike is specially designed for a segment of the market -- but they really just apply a different model name and paint to a bike ill-suited for the segment (non-gravel "gravel" bikes, anyone?). I suspect that some of the current flood of "women's bikes" probably fit this description and I would like to help her avoid those, if possible.

So, finally, the question: Ladies, which road bikes have you found have the kind of geometry and features that work especially well for a woman? How are they different and better (for you) than a "man's" bike? Which bikes would you recommend for the non-racer who wants to ride centuries+ at a brisk pace?

Thank you for your help!

datlas 

Woman-specific bike is 99% marketing BS. She can try both mens and WSD bikes and see what fits best.

ksmyth24

I think it really depends on her size whether or not a women's bike is right for her. I am a lean 5'-9" woman with long arms and a long torso and none of the women's bikes I tested felt right. Then I found a new shop and they told me to stop looking for a women's bike and just find the bike that fits. It happened to be a 54 cm Felt Z5. I LOVE it. I ride centuries and am doing my first double century in July. I have an Aunt who rides and the men's bikes do not fit her proportions because she is short with short arms. Your daughter's best bet is to go test ride as many bikes as possible and find the one that fits best, regardless of who it is geared towards.

Camilo

I'd say about 75% BS. I bought a WSD bike for my wife several years ago and it had slightly different proportions (a little shorter top tube and a shorter stem than an equivalent "normal" bike) and came with narrower bars, a WSD saddle, and the short/WSD/compact STI levers that Shimano used to make (maybe they still do, I don't know). Yea, I could have done the same things with a similarly sized men's bike, but I thought this was a pretty decent package. The only thing about it she doesn't like is the pink accents in the paint job. That's kind of bogus (the pink, not her attitude!).

OP: It's a Specialized Dolce, fwiw. But all major brands have a WSD - just make sure you understand what makes it a WSD by comparing it to a similar sized bike from the same company.

Road Bike Review has a women's forum, which I've found helpful in getting stuff for my wife and daughters.

Doug28450

My wife and three daughters race triathlons. When we got the last round of bikes, they tried the WSD frames. None of the four of them liked the WSD fit. They tried, they really did try to like them, but, they just didn't like the fit. They all ended up with the regular men's geometry. For reference, my wife rides a Madone 4.7, Daughter 1 a Giant TCR Acvanced 1, Daughter 2 a Giant TCR Advanced 1, Daughter 3 a CAAD 10.

rms13

Women specific if she wants a pink or purple paint

Heathpack 

I have two road bikes & a TT bike right now & none of them are WSD.

However, my first road bike was a WSD and there's something to be said for it, I don't think it's BS at all- not as much as pertains to geometry but as pertains to components. If you buy a WSD it's likely it will come with a women's saddle, narrower bars and sometimes shorter cranks. When I buy a unisex or men's bike, I have to swap all those things out right away. So the WSD bikes can be a more affordable package for women. I think it's also totally fine for a woman to have choices of colors that might appeal to her more than black & red. (That said, I don't like most of the girly-colored bikes & personally exclude lots of WSD bikes on color basis alone.)

As to which bikes are good, I think Trek, Specialized, and LIV/Giant all make good women's bikes.

I would encourage her to look at women's bikes and men's/unisex bikes all at the same time and pick whichever she prefers.

I love all of my bikes BTW: BMC GF01 which is the endurance/climbing bike, Trek Madone which is the go-fast bike, and Fuji Norcom Straight which is the go-even-faster bike.

Bah Humbug

"Current" flood? It's been going on for quite some time. Mostly just paint. Agree with the recommendation to just test ride whatever.

CafeVelo

A lot of the women's bikes have a smaller available smallest size, and a lot of them ship with more reasonably sized parts. Specialized specs different saddles as well. Look at the spec and geometry sheets.

karenashg

WSD might better be considered "Design for people with shorter torsos and longer legs, and that takes into account that not everybody is tall" though admittedly, that isn't as catchy. There are a lot of men for whom WSD design differences work well, and there are a lot of women for whom "men's" bikes work well.

Though none of my bikes are WSD, the elements of WSD that make sense to me as a smallish 5'4" woman are narrower handlebars and smaller brake hoods with less reach to the lever. I've ended up swapping the handlebars out on all of my bikes, and replacing or modifying the brake hoods/lever reach. (And of course the saddle, but doesn't just about everybody replace the stock saddle?) That said, if I had the broad shoulders of a friend of mine, or the large hands of another friend (both women about my height), those things wouldn't be important.

In other words, for someone who is on the smaller side, especially with a relatively short torso, WSD might well be a really good option. For someone a bit taller, or with broader shoulders/larger hands/longer torso, it might not be. Whether male or female.

dachshund

I just finished shopping for a bike, and I'm a 5'3 tall woman. I didn't notice any WSD bikes in girly colors, so I think the manufacturers have gotten the hint. I've heard the comments that it's just marketing, but the Specialized Ruby that I bought felt fine. My test is whether or not I feel stretched in the arms and torso. Along with a shorter reach, WSD bikes will have bars that are more compact with better hand position for the drops.

She should try both men's and women's bikes. And don't compromise - it should feel right during the test ride.

zonatandem

I designed our tandem(s) as my stoker/wife is 4' 8.5" 'tall.' Nothing off-the-shelf fits her. Problem $olved!

Machka 

I'm a female long distance cyclist who has logged a lot of kilometres on a lot of bicycles ... none of which has been "women specific". (I do, however, have some custom-built ones in the collection. )


Measure the mountain bike. You can use the info in the articles/sheets below to record those measurements. Yes, I know that the geometry of a mountain bike is going to be somewhat different from a road bicycle, but this is a good starting point.

Repair Help Articles | Park Tool
https://www.parktool.com/assets/img/b...sitionroad.pdf


Ask questions ...

Does she feel like she is reaching for the handlebars on the mountain bike? Does she feel crowded, like the handlebars are too close? Or do they seem just right?

Now you've got one of the most important measurements for a road bicycle ... the reach.

Some women's specific road bicycles have a shorter top tube because, generally speaking, women tend to have shorter torsos and longer legs than men. Having a shorter top tube is probably the main difference between a women's bicycle and a men's. But that is something you'd want to check because there's no guarantee that a women's specific will have a shorter top tube ... or that you can't get a men's bicycle with a shorter top tube ... or that one will be needed. It's possible your daughter won't need one ... that's something for you both to determine.

Ask some other questions about her comfort on the mountain bike. What does she like about it? What little niggly things would she like to change? And now you're starting to narrow down what you're looking for.

topflightpro

My wife has a Tarmac and an Amira. She likes the Amira better.

gsa103

Trek and Specialized both have real WSD bikes. The main differences are related to torso length and overall sizing. Women specific bikes tend to matter more for people in the 5'0"-5'6" height range, who benefit from smaller sizing and narrower bars, etc. Taller women are likely to fit equally well on a men's bike, since there's a wide range of geometry across men's bikes.

demoncyclist

My wife has a Madone 4.7 WSD. She tried both regular and WS bikes from a few different brands before buying the Trek, and for her anatomy, all the WS frames fit better.

Looigi

For all legit brands, the differences between men's and WSD bikes isn't secret. They have different geometry, fit, and components, all of which are specified. Decide based on how well the specs match your needs, regardless of your gender.