the_goat

After getting back on a bike after 15 years and spending my summer doing 75km+ road treks on a beach cruiser I've decided to buy my first road bike. For context, I'm a 5'1" female looking to spend less than $1500 Canadian (or about $5 American).

I'm currently looking at the Giant Defy Advanced 3, Garneau Sonix Sport Sora, and Specialized Allez.

Any thoughts opinions or new suggestions?

lakwatsero76

As a beginner you would be comfortable with the defy for it has a more relaxed geometry. Specialized Alley are more aggressive position. I Dont know what is the Garneau's postion. I myself have a Defy. Component wise Tiagra and Sora are good for beginners but once you get to like the sport and want to upgrade dont go less than 105 components.

cheers.

dr_lha

None of those are women's bikes, and at your height you might find it difficult to fit on them even in the smallest size.

gsa103

The Avail is the women's version, but not sure how many shops will carry a good size selection.

the_goat

I have to admit, Giant Defy 3 was a pretty sexy bike. They didn't have the Avail. Good deal because they're changing out for 2016 stock. The LBS owner said they could fairly inexpensively narrow the handle bars and a women's saddle wouldn't be terribly expensive either. But it all ads up with adjustments...

seymour1910

Well, I don't have a lot to offer as far as the bike choice, I just stopped by to say your unsername is F'n awesome

dmcdam

Fair warning - the LBS changing the bars and saddle doesn't make it into a women's specific bike. It has more to do with the geometry of the frame. If it were my money I'd move along to a shop that has a decent selection of women's bikes.

ColaJacket

To be honest, we don't know enough about her to know if she needs a WSD bike. We know that she will need a small bike, probably in the range of a 47cm - 49cm.

You should look at Fit first to get a bike that fits you. Unfortunately, a lot of LBSs aren't going to keep a lot of bikes that small in stock.

It looks like $1500 CAN ~= $1100 US. For that amount of money, you should be looking at Tiagra or 105 groupset, a AL alloy bike, and a CF fork. All of the major manufacturers (e.g. Giant, Trek, Specialized, Felt, Fuji, Cannondale, Raleigh, Jamis, etc.) make good intro bikes. It's going to be a matter of whether they are small enough for you, and whether or not you truly need a WSD bike.

You'll want to go to several LBSs, and road test the different brands that they have at each (if possible), and different geometries (Race vs. Endurance).

I'm a 5'5" male, and I have a 49cm Fuji Sportif. It may be a tad on the small side, but I was probably between sizes, and chose to go small. I know that Fuji makes the Sportif down to 47cm, and they also make some WSD bikes.

Good Luck with your search.

GH

the_goat

Thanks a ton y'all! I've been calling all around for teeny tiny XS bikes. There's a great deal on the XS Giant Defy (all carbon and Tiagra). If I went WSD, the the Giant Avail is carbon fork and Sora, Trek Lexa is carbon fork and Tiagra, while the Specialized Dolce is carbon fork and sora.

Ideally for the same price it'd be nice to get full carbon, but definitely not at the expense of a good fit and potentially fit related injury. I'll have to hop on all of them and find the best for my body.

Thanks again!

Dave Mayer

At 5' 1", you may be better on a bike with 650 wheels. The only measurement on a bike that really really matters (and it cannot be changed) is the virtual top tube. That is the horizontal distance between the center of the head tube and the center of the seatpost.

You can raise or lower the seatpost, or change out stems and bars, but the virtual top tube is the fundamental measurement on a bike. 51cm is about the shortest that is possible on a bike with 700c wheels. You may need shorter.

If you are riding on a bike on which you need a 80mm stem, because you are too stretched out, then your frame is too big. If you need a 130mm stem, because you are too cramped, your frame is too small.

Women's specific bikes. Women have similar leg and torso dimensions as men of the same height. Their hands and arms are relatively shorter. And their shoulders are narrower, and wider hips of course. Hence the need for narrower bars, somewhat shorter top tubes and stems, and saddles that fit wider sit bones.

Seriously check out the Garneau line. I have a Garneau bike, and it was a great deal for the level of frame and componentry. You will pay roughly 25% more for a 'name' brand.

garysol1 

As already stated ...... before you buy a bike please test ride some women specific bikes whether it be a Trek or a Specialized. You will find these bikes are designed from the frame up for a lighter rider and will provide a better riding experience. Smaller bars, women specific saddles and less reach are just a few of the reasons why you may prefer a woman specific bike. A woman is not a small guy and should not necessarily be riding a small guys bike.

warpdrive

@the_goat

I’d recommend you stay with the women specific models for some of the same reasons others pointed out.

My wife is the same height as you and she needed to go to the women’s Trek Domane in order to get a size that matched her short inseam and reach. She’s comfortable on the size 47cm frame, which is smaller than the smallest men’s frame. She also needed a shorter stem than what normally comes in men’s sizes.

Chances are you’ll need to go with the Avail in XS for the best fit.

ColaJacket

That may very well be, but it's probably best for her to try both WSD and "Unisex" bikes, and determine which one fits her best.

Now, because of her heigh, it may very well be that only the WSD bikes are small enough for her.

But if the unisex bike fits better except for the handlebars, she can always get more narrow handle bars.

And if it is close between the two, she should get the one that excites her more about getting on the bike and riding, even if that means that her final choice comes down to color. As long as the sexy looking bike fits her.

GH

warpdrive

^^

I don’t know the OP’s proportions, but as I said, my wife is the same height and most of the unisex bikes just don’t come small enough unless there is a XXS size.

We tried tons of unisex smallest sized bikes and she couldn’t clear the top tube at all, so from our experience shopping (and we tried a lot of different brands), we had no choice but to go with women’s frames which start at 44-47cm frame size in many brands.

the_goat

Thanks y'all for all the tips! I tried Giant, Trek, Specialized and Garneau and ended up buying a WSD Giant Avail 1 XS with carbon fork and Shimano 105. I'm fortunately a long legged 5'1" so I only needed an XS not XXS. The WSD helps since I have a smaller torso. And the handlebar fit great!

It's also pretty sexy

Maelochs

You cannot post that and not post pics. it violates cosmic law.

C'mon ... show us your bike.

the_goat

Hahaha, deal. It's so light I can carry it on my shoulder like a purse!! And I can just throw it in the back of my VW Beetle!

Gosh, is that the most feminine road biking post ever?

warpdrive

I called it!

Enjoy your new bike....hard to fault going with a Giant