Question for girls on bike size
Thread started by
July at 06.14.10 - 3:23 pm
So I'm lookin for a bike for a female, she's 5'7", but have no idea what size bike I should be looking for her.
Also, if anyone has a bike that would be suitable for her in either aqua, purple or green let me know asap:
july_cardoza@yahoo.com
july cardoza @ facebook
reply
whats more important is her arm span, but nothing bigger than a 52 and nothing smaller than a 49 (exceptions to the rules always apply) but this will take the right combination of stem length and angle for maximum comfort. This is also under the assumption that her armspan is relatively proportionate to her height looking for something in the top tube size range of 51-53. remember you can always adjust sadle height up and down and use spacers for bar height and what not but one thing you cannot shrink is the reach/top tube length.
_iJunes06.14.10 - 3:37 pm
reply
Yeah, the saddle thing would only come into play if I happen to find, let's say, a bike about 48-49 cm but it's exactly the color and bike she wants. But good looking out. I'll be hunting for a frame between 51-53 cm.
July responding to a
comment by _iJunes
06.14.10 - 3:46 pm
reply
just one thing to keep in mind, a lot of 53cm frames come with 53.5+ top tubes which would make it a bit on the longer side. If you can try out bikes imagine what it would be like if the hands were maybe 2-3 cm back, as that can be adjusted by getting a shorter stem. i'm willing to say the 51s and lower 52s work best
_iJunes responding to a
comment by July
06.14.10 - 3:49 pm
reply
but you wield a mean polo malet and i'm sure it's helped increase your reach. :)
July responding to a
comment by kryxtanicole
06.14.10 - 3:57 pm
reply
what are you looking to spend?
md206.14.10 - 4:03 pm
reply
why not just take her and get her fitted for one?
it seems like a lot less of a hassle than trying to figure it out yourself. And if she's a first time rider I'm sure a bike that fits her well in which she had input getting/working on would more than likely get her on her bike more often than a guesstimate.
Gizzard responding to a
comment by July
06.14.10 - 4:20 pm
reply
getting fitted is $50+ and all fits are subjective. good fit is worth good money, but for someone looking to spend 150 on a bike, spending third of that budget for a fit seems ridiculous
_iJunes responding to a
comment by Gizzard
06.14.10 - 4:22 pm
reply
I've thought about this already, but truth be told we don't have time to go and get a proper fitting for her. The convenience of having friends who ride is that they can speak from experience and that there can prove to be a lot more effective than anything else.
We're not trying to go to every listing on craigslist that catches our attention, that can be too time consuming without results.
July responding to a
comment by Gizzard
06.14.10 - 4:25 pm
reply
And let me just clarify, if this person were my lady I would definitely be out there shopping for a bicycle with her and not take any exceptions. And price wouldn't even be an issue.
July06.14.10 - 4:28 pm
reply
A little tape measure up between the legs maybe all that is necessary. You know what im sayin', know waht i'm shayin? ;)
Joe Borfo responding to a
comment by July
06.14.10 - 4:29 pm
reply
dang i was not aware that's what a fitting would cost!
i dunno speaking from experience, i love my frame. i love my bike and i love riding. but fuck the fit! it aint proper! it feels alright for a mile or 10 but after that it's no fun :( and I'm the one that tried it out! I wish I woulda taken the time to actually get fitted to save me the $$ on doctor bills. $50 doesn't seem much compared to a months worth of lower back pain or a fucked up muscle cuz your stride is off.... but i digress from the original topic...carry on...
Gizzard responding to a
comment by _iJunes
06.14.10 - 4:43 pm
reply
and $50 is cheap. I've seen people pay up to 450 for up to the mm and angle degree fits. some people swear by it, but again, no scientific method involved in producing base line results.
_iJunes responding to a
comment by Gizzard
06.14.10 - 4:53 pm
reply
this one broke my heart. now she wont even return my phone calls:
i've yet to be able to move on. :P
July responding to a
comment by Joe Borfo
06.14.10 - 4:55 pm
reply
Getting sized to a bike should be free. What does RBI say? Buy nice or buy twice. Get the size right the first time and you will avoid potential injuries and having to get another bike. The fit can only be modified so much. Getting fitted comes after the bike purchase and is way more technical and fine adjustments will be made.
TheJen06.14.10 - 7:41 pm
reply
one thing you cannot shrink is the reach/top tube length.
you can adjust stem length and move the seat forward and back. fucking junu. full of shit as usual.
shotgunBOOMBOOM responding to a
comment by _iJunes
06.14.10 - 10:11 pm
reply
It has more to do with the length of her legs than her height. She could be really leggy or long torso'd and short legged. When I bought my bike, I measured my inseam (crotch to ground not crotch to ankle like you would for buying pants...) and multiplied by .65 for the cm size of the bike that would fit. I later got a bike fitting and the dude told me that it worked out well for a "first bike" and while it seems like a large bike for my body size, it's rideable because I have long legs and arms.
It was recc'd to me this weekend at Open Road that women ride with handlebars that are a few cms wider than their shoulders. It reduces how tightly they hold on to the bars by allowing them to feel like the bike is less twitchy.
nancine06.15.10 - 3:34 pm
reply
It was recc'd to me this weekend at Open Road that women ride with handlebars that are a few cms wider than their shoulders. It reduces how tightly they hold on to the bars by allowing them to feel like the bike is less twitchy.
this is where we start going from the sizing to fitting. I'm still searching for all the odd parts to match up to my spec because i decided to play on the extremes of my sizing. its very hard to come across 60mm 31.8mm stems at a fair price that isnt absolutely garbage (or ridiculously steep)., finding that perfect length stem, the perfect width bars, the perfect reach of drops, the seatpost setback, crank length, these are all things to help with the fit of her bike but $150 isn't going to get her all that.
tl;dr - perfect costs $$$
_iJunes responding to a
comment by nancine
06.15.10 - 3:48 pm
reply
I'm 5'7" and I ride a 54cm women's specific bike... on non-women's-specific bikes I'm usually around a 52 or a 53. The difference in the women's specific frame is that the top tube length is usually a little shorter than the downtube, plus a few other things that make it a MUCH more comfortable ride.
beware: bikes made in the 80's or before often have a 56cm top tube length regardless of the down tube length! this really sucks
I would Highly Highly recommend a women's specific bike... most comfortable ride I've ever had... and you don't necessarily have to get fit before buying the bike.... just ride around some of the bikes in the shop!
Ayla responding to a
comment by _iJunes
06.16.10 - 11:37 am
reply
beware: bikes made in the 80's or before often have a 56cm top tube length regardless of the down tube length! this really sucks
oh yeah back when they used the 'fistful of seatpost rule'
most comfortable ride I've ever had
yet
_iJunes responding to a
comment by Ayla
06.16.10 - 11:40 am
reply
Women's-specific bikes assume that all women fall into a predetermined range of proportions. You put two women who are the same height together and they will not necessarily have the same arm or leg length. I'm 5'5" and my arms are the same length as the 5'8" tall man who fit my bike. Yes, I have monkey arms. Would I be happy on a WSD? Probably not.
Assuming that women have to buy women-specific gear is a marketing tool that forces women to think within boundaries of gender and not performance.
She should get a bike that fits her, not her gender.
nancine responding to a
comment by Ayla
06.16.10 - 2:51 pm
reply
-->
Ridazz Roulette!