Where can i buy a road/race bike

[Lemmonie]

For a women or would a mans bike size very small do?

Im looking for a second hand one as funds wont stretch to a new one. Also any makes I should avoid?

And other than ebay are there any bike specific sale sites?

[illmonkey]

Very small for different manufactures means different things. You're best to sit on the bike, even take it for a ride to be sure.

[anonymous-user]

the back of cycling weekly is pretty good for secondhand road bikes. its out every thursday.

dependant upon just how small you are, you may need a frame built for 650c wheels rather than 700c (which are the norm). as a guide, Emma Pooley, a pro rider, is about 5'2" and rides a 650c wheeled frame

bikes of a similar price are largely the same regardless of manufacturer, certainly upto £1K you will get very similar spec and quality.

there will however be changes based on the geometry so fit will vary but its rare that a 55cm frame from brand A will be markedly different from brand B unless its specifically built for long distance comfort and the other for racing. different disciplines obviously require different rider positions.

almost every bike in the world is made in the far east in one of four or five factories, i think Giant make a vast number of bikes for other peoples branding. dont worry about name or origin.

[itsnotarace]

Go and find a local bike shop, and then try a few. Brands like Giant, Specialized and Trek have women's specific geometry bikes.

Have a browse on the internet for:

Specialized Dolce

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCWomenBikesL...

Giant Avail

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bike-finder/wo...

Trek Lexa

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/collections/womens/...

[village idiot]

it's not easy if you don't want to spend big bucks... i've been on the hunt for something secondhand for my missus (under £300), but they are rarer than hens teeth.

the obvious candidates have already been mentioned, but it is also worth considering Raleigh (they do a ladies version of their Airlite) and even Decathlon who do a pretty good sub-£300 bike complete with carbon fork etc. You can then hunt out a pair of shimano R500 wheels secondhand (which should be no more than £50) and you should easily have something good to go.

[yellowjack]

http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_gb/bike/2012/27/Roa...

Merida - they own 51% of Specialised, and make some great value bikes. Above is the cheapest women's roadie I can see on their website, but you may get something cheaper from 2010/2011 in a bike shop. If you are anywhere near Camberley in Surrey, http://www.camberleycycles.com/index.asp may be worth a look. Sadly they will close for good in March (not taking enough money on the bike business) so have reductions on stock bikes, and they deal in Merida amongst others. Sad loss of another LBS, and a lesson in supporting them while they are still there.

ETA: I think it was Specialised that have promised not to just paint their men's bikes girly colours and sell them as 'Women's specific', preferring to design them from the ground up for women's different physiology. This would suggest that some manufacturers do 'pull the wool' when branding their girly bikes, but I wouldn't worry about the 'For Girls' label. Depending on your height and limb length/proportions, you may find that a gent's bike in a smaller size will fit just fine - slap a girl's saddle on it and Robert is your Mother's Brother.

Edited by yellowjack on Saturday 4th February 22:28