My wife asked me the other day, "if I were to get into biking, how would that work?" She is pregnant with our 4th, so time is an issue, but I assured her that we would make it happen. :D The first thing she is going to need, though, is a bike. I figure that this year's tax return is going to that instead of the Cervello I wanted for myself. My question, though, is where to start. What are the good Woman's bikes out there? I know of the Trek WSD and the Cannondale Feminine, they're easy, they come out and say "girls bike" in the title. but other than those, what are the available options for a bike for my wife. She is about 5' 7" and of normal proportions. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks a million. :eek:

Seeing as she's of an average size even for a guy she may not need a "women's specific" bike. In bike shopping approach it in a similar way that you would any friend who wanted to start riding. Try any bike in her size to find what she likes and is comfortable with. Don't be swayed by shop guys who assume that women only want a girl's bike with a giant cushy saddle and sit-up-and-beg bars. Spend enough money that she gets good componentry that will be a pleasure to ride. It will make her want to ride more than if you tried to save a bunch of money and got lousy stuff that doesn't work well.

Because of her height you shouldn't have ay trouble finding shops with multiple brands/levels of bikes built up for her to try. Good Luck and have fun bike shopping!!

Seeing as she's of an average size even for a guy she may not need a "women's specific" bike. In bike shopping approach it in a similar way that you would any friend who wanted to start riding. Try any bike in her size to find what she likes and is comfortable with. Don't be swayed by shop guys who assume that women only want a girl's bike with a giant cushy saddle and sit-up-and-beg bars. Spend enough money that she gets good componentry that will be a pleasure to ride. It will make her want to ride more than if you tried to save a bunch of money and got lousy stuff that doesn't work well.

Because of her height you shouldn't have ay trouble finding shops with multiple brands/levels of bikes built up for her to try. Good Luck and have fun bike shopping!!

No doubt that she is getting a road bike with nothing less than 105. definately not going cheap or getting one of those "giant cushy saddles". She did try to get onto my 54cm trek, and felt terrible (this was before the growing baby), which was why I was leaning toward looking at the female bikes with the shorter toptube and shallower drops, etc. but perhaps just a smaller frame would do the trick, too. What I am really after here is what are the brands that make women specific designs to start my research there. thanks for everything.

The women I know of who have a wsd bike like the Trek and the one by Orbea.

A quick google search I found that Bianchi makes three wsd bikes for 2006, two are more "performance oriented" and one is a bit lower end but might make a good starter bike. Lemond also makes three levels of bikes for women. Maybe this is a good trend that manufacturers are making lines of womens bikes and not just one.

And of course there Terry bikes, which makes four differnet models I think.

Congrats on the 4th little one. We are expecting our second any day now :thumbsup:

My wife has been unable to ride for awhile now. She's suggested she'd like to get back to it sometime this winter. Since her birthday was coming up and I was clueless on what to get her. I tracked down a 2005 Trek 2200 WSD (new old stock) to keep her motivated.

She had been riding an old, old Trek 2200 (remember when Trek had Carbon tubes and Al everything else?) which she had some fit issues with.

Of course, the pink paint job suits her well. I'll report back on how she like the ride.

http://usera.imagecave.com/erik99/2200wsd_pearlpink.jpg

Good thing my wife doesn't know that bikes exists, because she loves pink. Thats a great ride.

I really lucked out finding it. Trek is not making a 2200 WSD at all next year. No pink bikes at all in fact. I think Orbea has a pink bike in their WSD line.

http://www.orbea-usa.com/smallpic/main_DAMAMitis_pink.jpg

Yeah, she shouldn't necessarily need a WSD bike so long as you just size her right. Salsa Poco bars usually are enough to get the job done for a slightly shortened reach to the brakes, etc.

What was it about your 54 cm Trek that caused her such problems? Was it the reach? Drop to the bars?

If you can find a used Bianchi Axis cyclocross bike, I think that makes an excellent women's starter bike. there's even a sticker on it that says "Chick designed" or something like that. My wife loved hers.

Advantages of a cyclocross bike: You can run larger, cushier tires that will make the ride so much more comfortable (which is important to somebody just starting out). They usually have space and mounts for fenders and racks. Also, they tend to have a more upright seating position. Lastly, they're built to withstand the abuse of cyclocross, so they tend to stand up to the abuse of a newbie just great.

There are other cyclocross bikes out there, but that's the one my wife had. It should be noted that the bottom brackets often run relatively high on cyclocross bikes, so you'll want to size accordingly.

A few things
1) Do you know, for a fact, that she wants to get into road biking, or might she just want a comfort bike?
2) You just might want to loose the term "The Wife", and replace it with "My wonderful wife". Trust me on this one.
3) Realize that she may ride for a few months, then put it away for a year.

Check out the new Orbea Diva. I don't know if it is posted on Orbea's USA site yet, but there are some threads about it in the Orbea forum. It is full carbon fiber, so it might be a little pricey.

Is she going to be riding the bike while she is pregnant. If so, you might want to check with your doctor about that. My wife is pregnant with our first and she has told me that strenuous exercise by a pregnant woman is not good for the unborn child. I take her word for it because she is a pharmacist and she has been reading a bunch of books about pregnancy.

Even though a woman may be 5ft 7", she'd probably still benefit from a WSD bike. They tend to have a proportionately shorter reach than a male of the same height, and there are certain other issues as well, such as size of grip, etc.
My wife (5ft 1") LOVES her Bianchi Eros Donna-it's a WSD. Got her the 47cm frame version, and now she's already dropping me out the back on long climbs, and she's not even clipped in yet! Everything's still stock on it.
Read my review of that bike under 'Reviews', and definitely do get her a good enough bike that she'll want to ride it. Best riding companion you could ever have.

I wouldn't bother with a women's specific bike for someone her size. I don't blame her for not liking the Trek. I've never liked the feel of them myself.

Get her on a nice light bike, maybe even one lighter than yours. :eek: After all, why should the woman have to drag a heavier bike down the road and up a hill? I always insist that my bikes be lighter than my husband's. Since the lighter bike will cost more $$ it will make her feel compelled to ride it. Just my 2 cents. :)

Me, I have a weakness for Italian bikes.

I had a WSD (Specialized Dolce Comp). It was okay until I started seriously racing. Then I found out quite quickly it was too small and I couldn't get into an aggressive enough position. I now ride a 52 E5 (not a WSD).

Height has very little to do with whether she (or any woman) needs a WSD. It's about femur length, and various proportions (inclusive of reach, hand size/grip, etc.). When pressed, most people (frame designers, coaches, riders...male and female) admit that there's more gimmick to WSD than anything else (Out of all the companies, word is that Specialized is the one with the most research devoted to their WSD line).
Sure, there are some WSD aspects that may work for her, but most likely not much that couldn't be attained on a "male" frame that fits her by swapping the stem, getting the correct fore/aft, saddle and cleat position, etc.

It's all about what feels best to her. I'm not against WSD, just don't think anyone should get sucked into the idea that a WSD is, de facto, better for the female (soon-to-be) cyclist in his/her life.

I like the Italian bikes too. Colnago, DeRosa, Pinarello, Willier, etc. Ordered a Colnago Cristallo a couple of weeks ago and I am waiting for it to arrive. I cannot wait to start riding it.

Congrats on the 4th little one. We are expecting our second any day now

Thanks, and congrats on yours.

Get her on a nice light bike, maybe even one lighter than yours. After all, why should the woman have to drag a heavier bike down the road and up a hill? I always insist that my bikes be lighter than my husband's. Since the lighter bike will cost more $$ it will make her feel compelled to ride it. Just my 2 cents.

absolutely, I will be getting her a nicer bike than I have, and one that is too small for me and in a girly color so it doesn't look like I got me a new bike that I'll let her use ala Homer Simpson's bowling ball.

Is she going to be riding the bike while she is pregnant. If so, you might want to check with your doctor about that.

No. I'd imagine that the fit would be all kinds of different with a 6month preggie belly in front. This is a purchase to be made in the early spring with our Tax Return, same way I got mine.

What was it about your 54 cm Trek that caused her such problems? Was it the reach? Drop to the bars?

Mostly that it was set up for me, and I have a fairly aggresive set up. The one thing she said was that the saddle "violated" her. I think that was because the drop to the bars is so far that she really had to lean forward on the "soft tissue". It seems to me that a bike set up for her with a womens saddle would probably take care of that issue.

2) You just might want to loose the term "The Wife", and replace it with "My wonderful wife". Trust me on this one.

good call. thanks. after 7 years and 4 kids I should be better at this.

good call. thanks. after 7 years and 4 kids I should be better at this.

You need to buy that woman a REALLY nice bike. Your previous hobby needs to be retired and the money you save should be spent on a nice custom something or other. It will certainly be a LOT cheaper than kiddo # 5! :D

My wife asked me the other day, "if I were to get into biking, how would that work?" She is pregnant with our 4th, so time is an issue, but I assured her that we would make it happen. :D The first thing she is going to need, though, is a bike. I figure that this year's tax return is going to that instead of the Cervello I wanted for myself. My question, though, is where to start. What are the good Woman's bikes out there? I know of the Trek WSD and the Cannondale Feminine, they're easy, they come out and say "girls bike" in the title. but other than those, what are the available options for a bike for my wife. She is about 5' 7" and of normal proportions. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks a million. :eek:

The first question probably could have been: What kind of riding do you want to do? Amd Where would you ride?
Is she looking to ride with you? Take the kids out for strolls around the park?
Is she looking into getting into road riding with drop bars, or would she be more comfortable with an upright hybrid or comfort bike (and if she's strong, would she be ultimately pulling kid(s) along in a trailer)?
Is she athletic? Has she ridden before, but stopped when the duties of motherhood made riding too difficult?
Lots of questions to answer before you (and she) can find the right bike for her.

Incidently, just as a point of curiousity: I rode with a friend of mine who was 8.5 mos. pregnant on our last ride (had 9-1-1 on speed dial on my cell as her dear hub was leading the LBS sunday a.m. ride). She was cleared by her DR. to ride - just had to keep the HR below 150, so it meant fairly casual rides and no hills. Oh, she was also pulling 35 pounds of toddler and trailer behind her!

I like the Italian bikes too. Colnago, DeRosa, Pinarello, Willier, etc. Ordered a Colnago Cristallo a couple of weeks ago and I am waiting for it to arrive. I cannot wait to start riding it.
You must post a pic. :)

You need to buy that woman a REALLY nice bike. Your previous hobby needs to be retired and the money you save should be spent on a nice custom something or other. It will certainly be a LOT cheaper than kiddo # 5! :D

I know, playing guitar is really getting me into trouble. But what does that have to do with making babies? I think we need to get to the root cause of that issue before I give up any hobbies. :smilewinkgrin: :smilewinkgrin:

My wife has recently joined me in riding, after a failed attempt a few years ago.

A few years ago (3-4) I asked her if she wanted to try riding with me. I got her a nice carbon bike, but I built it like it was for me. Clipless pedals, Sidi shoes, -10 degree stem. I did at least put a Terry Butterfly saddle on it. After some clipless practice in front of the house, I then proceeded to take her out on the road with a bicycle lane. On the second ride, she hit a curb, crashed into a flower bad and never touched the bike again.

A few months ago she mentioned wanting to ride again. Being 3-4 years wiser, I did things better time. I again got her a nice carbon bike. But this time, the stem is a + 10 degree model. The carbon bike and carbon cranks have very heavy, plastic platform pedals on it. And she has not been close to the road. We drive to a MUT, she is good for about 10 miles, and I then ride home and she drives home.

That way we get time together, we ride her pace, she is not pressured by traffic or trying to keep up with a group and she is able to adapt to riding the bicycle. After she is done, I still get my workout in.

So, my advice is, whether it is a WSD bike or a unisex bike, make sure she is comfortable. I would tend to recommend a WSD bike because they will generally have a shorter top tube and taller head tube. Even if she is proportioned like a male, the WSD geometry works great for a newcomer. You can probably accomplish the same goal in tinkering with the stem, just remember that most people are not used to being bent over the handle bars like us roadies.

A nice saddle and a nice pair of shorts are a must. I again went with a Terry Butterfly saddle, and bought the most expensive, most thickly padded SheBeest shorts available. Again, non roadies are going to be sore from sitting on the saddle and it will take a while for that soreness to go away.

And probably most importantly, don't rush her. Do what she is comfortable with. If it interferes with your riding plans, so be it, you have to work around it.

The difference in my wife's enthusiasm between now and few years ago is night and day. She is riding 2-3 days per week and is coaxing me to go out with her. She looks forward to Sat and Sun morning so she can ride. She likes putting her wheels on her bike after we take the bike out of the car. And she is thinking about trying a group ride near us that is mostly on a trail, partly on a road and paces at about 13-14 mph.

Oh, and as far as being pregnant. In the group I ride with, one of the strongest riders is a female. She was pregnant a few years ago. She still came out to ride, but I think she had to keep her heart rate below 140 bpm. She would start with us and then fall off. Certainly can't do a fast group ride and stay below 140bpm, but you can certainly ride your bicycle.

Good post FLbiker. My wife just started riding with me this year, and she has been riding her mountain bike from college that she is familiar with. I too have a MTB, but I do not enjoy riding it as much as my road bike, and when I do ride it, it is usually on dirt trails. However, when I ride with my wife, we go to paved trails with no vehicle traffic and very little bike/jogger/pedestrian traffic. Not my cup of tea, but I would rather be out riding with her if she wants to ride versus leaving her at home. I am trying to make it as comfortable for her as possible, because when I started riding I know I would have been miserable riding on a cat 2 ride.

She is pregnant now, and she has decided not to ride while pregnant, so I get to go out on the road a lot more often now.

I'm not against WSD, just don't think anyone should get sucked into the idea that a WSD is, de facto, better for the female (soon-to-be) cyclist in his/her life.

My wife had a similar experience to yours. While going through the process of having a custom frame built for her we learned that some WSD bikes have funky front-end geometry in order to avoid ALL toe overlap. For my wife, this resulted in less than stellar handling at speed (crits).

Based on her experience, I would encourge women of normal proportions (whatever that means) to try to find a frame with traditional (perhaps compact) geometry and customize the bike with narrower/shorter reach bars, shorter cranks, shims on the shifters, etc.

All that being said, my wife enjoyed her WSD bike very much.

soup

I would do it right, have a proper fitting done and figure out which bike fits her best. Most women dont require WSD bikes. Alot of the 'woman's' thing is marketing.

My wife rides a kuota kharma with Ult 10sp and such. She loves it and no need for a womans bike.

I think WSD is worthwhile even at her height. Look at the Bianchi Eros Donna. My wife (who has NEVER been a cyclist) took to hers instantly. There wasn't even any tweaking involved-the 47cm frame just fit her like a glove. She even LIKES the stock saddle! Maybe I just got lucky. She regularly kicks my butt, pulling long hills.