eepok

Howdy --

Female friend is 5'10" with an approximate inseam of 34.5". She's ~185 lbs. We're trying to look for some road bikes that fit both her body and her sub-$1,000 budget, but with one site's calculator suggesting a 60cm frame, she's coming up... short.

Does anyone have some insight or suggestions for sizing or directions towards makes/models?

Thanks!

Link to sizing module: CLICK ME

Beachgrad05

Why does she think she must have a WSD bike? Has she ridden bikes in her size at local shops? I am not that tall but I ended up getting the men's bike instead of the WSD model as it felt better fit wise. The fit calculatiepr gives you and her an idea of size that wold work, but each bike manufacturer is different and so it is best to test ride various bikes and brands.

Mr. Beanz

I had a female friend 5'10 riding a mens madone 56.....I'm 6'1 and don't even ride a 60 cm, I ride a 58.

Many opinions say that tall female riders won't appreciate the wsd geo.

TrojanHorse

Try a different sizing module - here's one that puts her on a shorter bike

https://pedalforce.com/online/bikefit...ce8e0337785fbb

Because her legs are quite long relative to her torso you'll notice that the seat tube and head tube angles are unusually steep, which may not be possible in a production bike in her size.

It is generally possible to fit a person on a bike by tweaking crank length, stem length, handlebar size & seat height of course, so the frame doesn't have to be perfect. I doubt you'll find a WSD bike that large anywhere anyway, although doing a little checking, it looks like Specialized makes a 57 that would probably fit.

Don't get too distracted by the frame size on the spec sheet either, you just about need to figure out what the effective top tube is (stack and reach if you can find those specs and know what's needed). They really screw with the numbers on compact geometry bikes.

bigfred 

Mrs. Fred is 5'9" and so is a girlfriend of ours, both of whom have gotten new bikes in the last 6 months. Both of them are on men's 54cm frames with moderately short stems 80-90mm. Mrs. Fred was previously on a traditional 56cm square frame, but, the top tube was a bit too long.

TrojanHorse

Therein lies the benefit of WSD at larger frame sizes.

bigfred 

It doesn't need to be labeled WSD to have pretty similiar geometry. Most of the current crop of Sportiv/Endurance frames share the same proportions as an WSD but available over a greater size range.

If I were going to make an off the cuff recommendation to the OP, it would be: Concern yourself more with top tube length than seat tube length. Then, look for a frame with as long a headtube as possible. That'll get the stem back to somewhere close to where it should be for her height and saddle height. Toss her measurements into the fit calculators from Competitive Cylist, wrench science, Leonard Zinn and which ever others you like. See what you get from them and that'll give you a rough starting range.

Look at the likes of Specialized Roubaix, Trek H3, Colnago Ace, Giat Defy, etc.

eepok

No, she hasn't gone test riding yet. The goal is to fully understand her needs, wants, and limits before she goes to bike shop so that she doesn't get muscled/hassled onto one ride or the next. We've just had a co-worker just fall into that trap... but was lucky to have her husband with her. He's not bike savvy, but is confident enough to not take a salesman's suggestion right off the bat. They tried to push her onto bikes that were genuinely too small or were way out of her price range. I've had too many stories from female friends who get that kind of treatment and want to make sure she goes in with a bit more info.

WSD is important because of the cost limitations. Sure most non-gender-specific or men's bikes can be made to fit a woman, but doing so frequently comes with caveats: get a new crank, get a new stem, get narrower drops, etc. Those won't likely be options with her budget, so we're looking at WSD first (not only).

eepok

Thanks for the "off the cuff" suggestion. I'll be putting it to use. =D

eepok

oohh... nice calculator! We'll be putting that to use.

mikescooling

Find a great bike shop, like the one everyone talks about. The only bike shop I use is 45min away and I have to pay 5 bucks to park in chicago, but they are the best people to work with. When you find that shop, go in for a fitting (it should be free). When they do the fitting, they may have to start swaping parts and tons of other stuff. My fitting lasted 90min. I started out telling them I was just looking, next thing I know out comes the visa. They also gave me a bunch of free stuff for buying the bike there. I know this is not what you asked. I was just sharing.
Mike

CACycling

My 5' 9" wife rides a 54cm WSD (Fuji Finest 1.0) and it fits her well.

Beachgrad05

If a bike shop salesperson does what you said happened to your co-worker...you walk. They obviously are not the shop to buy from. You want a shop that will listen to what you as the customer are looking for. My bike shop was really good at that and didn't try to steer me toward the expensive bikes or try to steer me to bikes that wouldn't fit how I planned to ride. They let me test ride several bikes and I walked out WITHOUT buying one initially as I was still researching what bike to buy. If you are feeling pressured to buy and you aren't comfortable....LEAVE.

FWIW...Trek makes the Lexa road bikes which are reasonable in price and are their women's versions of the aluminum Trek bikes like the 1.2 and 2.1 etc....but the only one that comes in a 58cm is the highest end model the Lexa SLX. That is the problem with going WSD unless you go to the Madones.

I reiterate....test ride different brands and see what one fits best and buy that one.

Pamestique 

1000+ I agree if you can find bikes...

The beauty of living in Southern California there are lots of shops to choose from... that said, doesn't mean shops have product to look at. In these tough economic times, it's hard to find a physical bike in a shop. Everything I buy lately is online - but after I do the research.

If you friend has any money - go get a professional fitting. Know what measurements are needed and amazingly the world of bicycles are opened up to you... you won't be limited to the Box Store bikes like Trek and Specialized which are terribly overpriced anyway. Also WSD is overrated. It fits a very specific femine body shape and size. Its was originally intended for short, small women, like someone 4'11" to 5'2". It is very difficult to find a WSD bike for someone 5'10" and I agree with others, not certain if its needed.

A regular production bike that fits adequately can be adjusted with the right stem, seat post, saddle height etc. With the price point ($1000) bikes are limited anyway so go for the closest fit with the best components. Don't limit yourself to physical stores... check online. Also if you haven't considered it, check JensenUSA in Corona. They usually have decent bikes with OK components at that price break. Performance is probably OK as well.

I just recently helped a friend purchase a bike We actually found an excellent deal at Jax in Irvine. She brought a WSD Madone (I think 5.2 or 5.4 - can't remmeber) with Shimano 105 for $1300. It's turned out to be a great bike for her. The only change she made was the saddle (which the shop changed out for free).

And WSD doesn't necessarily mean the bike is cheaper... some WSD bikes are costly. Price is based on materials and components not design.

fietsbob

Make the rounds of the many Bike shops and try test rides..

Trek has a WSD Madone if the budget expands into that level

Penny4

I am 5'11, not sure of my inseam, but probably at least 34. I ended up on a 58 Trek Lexa SLX. The equivalent unisex bike, Trek 2.1, in a 58 did not feel as comfortable to me. The Trek WSD bikes have a more relaxed geometry. I'm guessing a 60 would be too big for her.

chaapa 

I'm 5'9" and I just bought my first road bike, a Trek Lexa for under $700. I fit perfectly on a 56 cm. My bike shop did the fitting and actually had to make no adjustments. She should definitely go to a good bike shop.

Torrilin

It does sound rather like she'd do better on a frame with a shorter top tube. But I agree with the other posters that WSD is not the only way to get it. And unfortunately, WSD is not a warranty that all the bits and bobs on the frame will fit her. When I've shopped for bikes for myself, I've often found that makes like Surly are a lot better about scaling components to fit the rider than some of the bigger name companies' WSD lines are. REI is often surprisingly good about it for their house line of bikes. Brands that scale the drop bars to the frame generally also scale the brake levers. Brake and shifter assemblies are expensive tho if it turns out her hands are tiny and she needs the special small size levers Shimano makes. If she's going for a bike with a modern shifting system, that could be worth making a dealbreaker.

At her height, she really should do ok on standard 165/170/175mm crank arms. There are plenty of men on bikeforums who are over 6' who ride 165, and there are plenty of women tooling around on 175. It's a lot more typical to swap a crank because the gearing is not appropriate for the rider, and the only way to know that is to get her on a bike.

A new stem is one of the most common fitting swaps. It's up there with new saddle and new pedals, and I'd just include the cost of a stem and saddle swap as part of a new bike. Some riders will fit the stock stem, but it shouldn't be a terribly expensive swap. No way is the wrong stock stem a dealbreaker.

A common swap for women is a layback seatpost. This is a much more expensive swap than you'd think. Only a few brands make them.

Most bike shops want her to be comfy on the bike, and in my experience as a female shopper, very few shops in Madison do anything other than take me seriously. A lot of women ride here, and we'd all walk right back out if we got handed the "girl" treatment. I know there are a ton of serious female riders in the Orange and LA county area, so if she goes into a shop solo and gets handed the girl treatment, just walk right back out.

Pamestique 

Torrilin: I second all you said. I am a hard fit and finally went custom to get it right. But I have been able to make bikes work with the right stem, seatpost, saddle and even handlebars. I don't know a shop that won't switch out a stem for a longer or shorter size. Seatpost and crank arms are another thing but at 5'10" I assume the OP's friend needs a 175 anyway which usually comes on regular production bike. A WSD design may have a 165 or 170 which can be to short. I am 5'8" and use 175. I really need 172.5 but too hard to find.

On my new mountain bike, which is incidentantly a Juliana, a WSD designed Santa Cruz, I had to get a set back seatpost. RaceFace makes a nice one. It's was about $80.

Not that its matters with the purchaser is a man or woman, but I always suggest someone new or inexperience bring an experienced friend with them... makes the shop take the purchase more serious (and not just "you like the color? Well the bike is your size!") and that experienced rider can make sure the fit is correct.

I also second what someone said about REI. I am taking them more seriously as a good bike shop. They carry alot of product and really have a nice selection of entry level bikes. The clerks also seem to be helpful and want to make sure the purchase is correct. Remember at REI, you can bring it back if not!

Rhodabike

Not sure about the layback seatpost (what is that, anyway?), but if you're buying a brand new bike, many shops will swap the saddle and stem at no extra cost. I just bought a Look 566 and it was part of the service, even though the bike was on sale.