toomyus

my girl wants to get into riding. she bout 5 foot 6inches and is pretty well built being an ex swimmer and stuff. i figure i could throw her on the specialized allez elite size 50 or so. any advice?

sydney

who here would know? Have her go try one.

Kev

Since she is taller she can fit alot more bikes then most women, but just her height does not really tell you what size frame. Alot more to it then that.. some people have shorter legs adn longer torso's.. others complete opposite. Have her go to the LBS and test ride a few bikes.

Guest

Get her a bike that she feels comfortable on. For me, all my bikes are male (I guess, though the last two are customs).

Take her to a knowledgeable bike shop that can check her fit. She'll be ok.

BTW, I'm 5' 1 1/2" and I have a 49 cm. But I believe my Specialized hybrid is a 50 cm. Talking size seems unnecessary, as a good bike fit will tell you what size will fit her frame for each bike maker.

Koffee

puddin' legs

you know, the bike will never know it's a girl in the saddle unless you tell it.

tulip

I am 5'6" and ride bikes ranging from 50cm to 54cm, depending on the bike geometry. So she'll need to try a few models out for size and fit.

cydewaze

You get your Sarthe yet velo?

Comatose51

I'm 5'7" and ride a size 48. The LBS I got it from only did the top tube clearance test. But then I went to another LBS to have a fitting done, they didn't seem to find a problem with it either. My lower back still hurts somethings thought. It might be because my pedalling isn't as smooth as it needs to be. I do pedal quite fast at around 105 RPM though.

woodboy

... and put one of those scrungies in her hair.

motomickey

Take her to a good shop that does fitting, and let her pick out the bike. That way if she doesn't like it, you don't get the blame. Everyone fits differently!!! Let her try both the woman specific designs and the guys-incluiding compacts.

coenan

>>who here would know? Have her go try one.

I am often amazed at the number of rude posts on this board. kinda sad...

toomyus

ya there is always a bunch off *******s saying dumb stuff. one dumbass guy said, " dude, no women come here" . God, ignorant fool.
anyways , thanks ladies, i just feel putting her on a mans bike is infact cheaper and u get a better component group. so im sure we will be bike testing tomorrow. thanks again

sjjone

I ride a 50cm Raleigh, but almost bought a 54 cm Trek. The sizes vary wildly by brand-I think the WSD is over-rated unless you're really small. I like the options buying "guys" bikes gives me. I doubt I'll ever get a WSD frame.

I'm 5'6.5" btw-32" inseam...

H2OChick

I'm 5'6 and mine's a 52, but with tri geometry - we put on a longer stem, though. I'll bet that with some tweaking and adjusting, you'll be able to make it work - your LBS will undoubtedly be able to help if you need it. Hooray on another ex-swimmer discovering cycling!

jlin453

Sydney's posts usually aren't rude, they're just straight forward. And what he said was true; you can't just consider height when asking about fitting. Let her try out a few bikes to see what she's comfortable with.

My girlfriend is 5'3" and rides a size 47 Satellite (traditional frame). She has a shorter upper torso so the bike fits her well after some adjustments to the stem and saddle position.

powers2b

I have a 52cm Specialized Allez available.
Send me a PM if you are interested.

Enjoy

toomyus

well jlin what i am saying is i know plenty about mens bikes and cycling in general. i see how tall my girlfriend is and i think she will be fine. but its good to get a womans opinion because after all im not one. i think she will be fine on a guys bike and i can set it up for her too but again wanted to make sure there was nothing overly special about womens bikes before i buy her one.

tulip

No. I'm having trouble justifying such a purchase. I don't race anymore. My only riding is commuting (28miles RT). I don't go for road rides anymore, but that's because I don't have a road bike...so I guess I need a road bike so that I can go out on rides. I have lots of opportunities with lots of nice folks. But do I really need one as nice as the Sarthe? On the one hand, no, because I'm a casual rider. On the other hand, yes, because I've been riding for several decades and I really do notice and appreciate nice bikes. I have a junky car because I don't really care about cars. But I care about bikes... this ramble goes on and on in my head. I'll have to act fast if I'm going to because bikes are on sale and next year's Sarthe may be different (not orange and not Campy). I've actually saved up the money for it, so that's not the issue. It's just...do I deserve such a machine?

Got any advice?

DC_Emily

please don't throw her