Women's Bike for a taller girl

Forum guidelines BT super discount
General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Women's Bike for a taller girl Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply
2009-09-07 10:45 PM

User image

Member
15

Subject: Women's Bike for a taller girl
Hi guys,

I'm currently saving to purchase my first road bike and have started looking at possibilities. At the moment i'm really liking the looks of the Giant Avail 3W. My concern (with any female bike) is whether or not it will be big enough. I'm 175cm/5'9". There's no doubt there are girls out there taller than me but I notice the Avail only goes up to 50cm. Is a bike like that going to be tall enough for me? If not, is it possible to tweak a guy's bike to suit a female? I'm sure it is but as I said...i'm new to all this!

2009-09-08 2:35 AM
in reply to: #2393957

User image

Pro
5892
5000500100100100252525
, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Women's Bike for a taller girl
Since you are fairly tall, you may not need a womens specific bike at all... the biggest advantage of WSD bikes is really that they work for shorter women with a shorter top tube. You may very well fit just fine on a standard geometry bike with woman specific components, such as handlebars (often with short reach to accomodate smaller hands) and saddle.

You really can't tell what size bike you need without a fitting, but I would guess that any size 50cm bike would be way too small!
2009-09-08 12:14 PM
in reply to: #2393957

User image

Extreme Veteran
610
500100
San Francisco CA
Subject: RE: Women's Bike for a taller girl
I'm 5'11" and ride a 55cm men's bike. It's great and fits me very well, the only thing I did to change it when I bought it from my LBS is that I asked them to swap out the saddle for a women-specific saddle. Other than that it works great, I don't think you need a women-specific bike if you are 5'9" tall.
2009-09-08 4:35 PM
in reply to: #2393957

User image

Member
15

Subject: RE: Women's Bike for a taller girl
Thanks for that!
2009-09-09 12:29 PM
in reply to: #2393957

User image

Expert
749
50010010025
Oakland, Fl
Subject: RE: Women's Bike for a taller girl

I was in your shoes not too long ago.  I tried the women's bikes and the men's.  I am 5'10" and ended up with a 56cm Mens Specialized Tarmac.  I am pretty proportionate so I didnt need the shorter top tube. 

Go and ride a few bikes to see how they feel and compare.

2009-09-10 11:10 AM
in reply to: #2393957

User image

Expert
839
50010010010025
Central Mass
Subject: RE: Women's Bike for a taller girl
My wife is 5'8" and rides a 56cm women's Specialized.  Thats the biggest Specialized goes with women's sizes, Trek goes to 58cm.  In theory, an average 6'-0" woman should be able to still buy an off the shelf WSD bike.  I'm sure there are some weird companies out there that make huge WSD bikes, but getting one might be a problem.
It is weird that Giant stops the women's sizing at 50cm.

2009-09-10 11:58 AM
in reply to: #2393957

User image

Champion
19812
50005000500020002000500100100100
MA
Subject: RE: Women's Bike for a taller girl
Get a bike fit before you buy any bike. A 50 bike won't fit you. Shop around and go to as many shops as possible to find which one educates you and you want to work with to have them find a bike that fits you not sell you one they have in stock necessarily.

Depends how you are proportioned..most women are longer legged then men relative to their height so we tend to have long legs and shorter torsos. If you are like this fitting you on men's bike may be difficult.



2009-09-10 10:32 PM
in reply to: #2398851

Member
80
252525
Maryland
Subject: RE: Women's Bike for a taller girl
scorpio516 - 2009-09-10 12:10 PM My wife is 5'8" and rides a 56cm women's Specialized.  Thats the biggest Specialized goes with women's sizes, Trek goes to 58cm.  In theory, an average 6'-0" woman should be able to still buy an off the shelf WSD bike.  I'm sure there are some weird companies out there that make huge WSD bikes, but getting one might be a problem.
It is weird that Giant stops the women's sizing at 50cm.


Well, not really.  Giant bikes are sized differently than other brands.  If you look at the TT of the Giant Alliance W it is 540 mm.  Specialized 56cm Ruby Pro TT is 548 cm.  A bit shorter yes, but comparable despite the size listed.

Back to the topic, a WSD bike may perfectly fit a taller woman just as it may not fit a shorter woman.  At 5'3.5", several shops pushed me right to a WSD bike.  However, with my broad shoulders and ape-like arms, the longer TT and 40cm handlebars on a "men's" bike was much more comfortable.
2009-09-13 2:00 PM
in reply to: #2393957

User image

Master
1332
100010010010025
Vista, CA
Subject: RE: Women's Bike for a taller girl

Aussie_Para_Girl - 2009-09-07 8:45 PM Hi guys,

I'm currently saving to purchase my first road bike and have started looking at possibilities. At the moment i'm really liking the looks of the Giant Avail 3W. My concern (with any female bike) is whether or not it will be big enough. I'm 175cm/5'9". There's no doubt there are girls out there taller than me but I notice the Avail only goes up to 50cm. Is a bike like that going to be tall enough for me? If not, is it possible to tweak a guy's bike to suit a female? I'm sure it is but as I said...i'm new to all this!

Thought I'd throw my $.02 in-- I"m 5'10" and also ride a men's bike. Problem I found with bike shops is they didn't have many WSD large enough for me, although I do believe they make them. Also, most taller women still have shorter torsos so the top tube and the piece that attaches to the handlebars (sorry don't remember the specific term) is a bit longer than what many of us need. I've had to flip them and make it a bit shorter on my road bike and then get a smaller one for my tri bike. I've been fitted on both. Just want to make sure you're not stretched out too much or cramped and hunched over while riding. Agree you'd be wise to get a bike fit  regardless of the bike you pick. I also swapped the seat for a more female friendly one. Good luck with it all. 

2009-09-13 2:43 PM
in reply to: #2393957

User image

Elite
7783
50002000500100100252525
PEI, Canada
Subject: RE: Women's Bike for a taller girl
My wife is 5'11" and just bought a men's bike - a size 58 Cervelo S1.  I'm taller than her and ride a 56, but she has a much longer inseam.  The only thing she switched out was the saddle.  You can visit this website to help determine what size you may need - http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO&INTRO_LINK=NOREDIR&CLEAR_RESULTS=TRUE&SITE.CODE=
New Thread
General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Women's Bike for a taller girl Rss Feed