Small blokes bike or Ladies bike?

[staceyb]

Looking for a new hardtail bike, but my main question is would I be better off getting a small blokes bike or a ladies bike?

I'm 5' with short legs, even for my height.

Any ideas?

[Doofus]

staceyb said:

Looking for a new hardtail bike, but my main question is would I be better off getting a small blokes bike or a ladies bike?

I'm 5' with short legs, even for my height.

Any ideas?

Are you a small bloke or a lady?

[P-Jay]

I'm assuming lady from the OP's forum name.

Which ever fits you best is the best I can do, my OH tried both a medium ladies bike and a small gents, they're roughtly the same size but have different geo - she prefered the small mens.

[XitUp]

Well you won't be able to ride a mans bike with your long skirt on. Nor do they tend to come with baskets for your shopping or small dog.

Try a few, get what fits.

[offendi]

As said choose which ever fits best . Also get a proper woman's saddle again find 1 that fits you best.

[village idiot]

to give you a serious answer...

leg length isn't really the issue, as most modern frames have compact geometry with plenty of stand-over height. the crux will be the cockpit length and headtube height. a ladies-specific frame will have a shorter top-tube, slightly higher headtube and perhaps slightly shorter chainstays. added to this, you will usually have a narrower handlebar (38 or 36cm c-c) and shorter, more upright stem... oh and don't forget the ladies saddle. the bars, stem and saddle can be bought aftermarket, but this will add about £50 to your purchase price.

the problem is that there are rarely good deals on ladies bikes, so you end up paying a fortune for something quite basic. look towards a mens bike and you have a wealth of options.

i am currently building a bike for my 5'1" gf', but if i didn't have the knowledge, i would simply look towards a Giant is XXS (ladies) sizing. that should fit you perfectly.

keep an eye on ebay as they come up from time to time and you will normally pay up to £300 for something with Tiagra.

[XitUp]

Loads of bikes aimed at the sportive crowd these days have quite tall head tubes.
It can't be that hard to swap over a shorter stem and narrower bars.
Crank length might be an issue too.

[rhinochopig]

I thought all PH'ers were over 6ft even the wimmin ones.

OP my wife is at the other end of the spectrum and she tried some men's frames and found that they just didn't fit. The women specific bikes do definitely fit better but they are all different - some fit better than others.

Given your size do not buy off the net, go to somewhere like Evans and try some for size.

[Gizmo!]

rhinochopig said:

I thought all PH'ers were over 6ft even the wimmin ones.

OP my wife is at the other end of the spectrum and she tried some men's frames and found that they just didn't fit. The women specific bikes do definitely fit better but they are all different - some fit better than others.

Given your size do not buy off the net, go to somewhere like Evans and try some for size.

Are you suggesting my OH is powerfully built?

[rhinochopig]

Gizmo! said:

rhinochopig said:

I thought all PH'ers were over 6ft even the wimmin ones.

OP my wife is at the other end of the spectrum and she tried some men's frames and found that they just didn't fit. The women specific bikes do definitely fit better but they are all different - some fit better than others.

Given your size do not buy off the net, go to somewhere like Evans and try some for size.

Are you suggesting my OH is powerfully built?

Pics?

[village idiot]

XitUp said:

Loads of bikes aimed at the sportive crowd these days have quite tall head tubes.
It can't be that hard to swap over a shorter stem and narrower bars.
Crank length might be an issue too.

i forgot about the crank bit... most mens bikes will be 172.5mm... ladies would want 170mm or even 165mm if it is possible

[XitUp]

I'd say 165 if she's titchy.

[staceyb]

Thanks for all the answers, even the daft ones.

I am very titchy, 28inch trousers are too long for me, that kinda small.

I'm going to have a look at some bikes this weekend and have a try of a few. I already have a saddle so that will be fitted to whatever I get.

forgot to add that I will mainly be using it for xc trails and the like.

[XitUp]

What's your budget by the way?

[staceyb]

£400-£500 ish

[gary71]

Not sure where you are based, but a bike shop near me (south of Nantwich) has an extra small Scott Contessa in stock. I bought a larger version for my wife in at New Year, seems a nice bike for the money.

http://www.audlemcyclesport.co.uk/our-bikes-access...

[Gizmo!]

Failing that try finding a Specialized Myka.

[rhinochopig]

staceyb said:

£400-£500 ish

Stacey you might want up your budget a little so that the bike comes with air sprung forks. Coils will probably be too stiff; even with lightest spring and it 's a pain getting some custom wound.

This is assuming that tichy means you dont weigh much.

[gary71]

rhinochopig said:

Stacey you might want up your budget a little so that the bike comes with air sprung forks. Coils will probably be too stiff; even with lightest spring and it 's a pain getting some custom wound.

This is assuming that tichy means you dont weigh much.

I don't know how true it is but the springs in my wife's bike are supposedly of a lower rate than the men's equivalent.

She quite small, but the suspension appears to be working.

[rhinochopig]

gary71 said:

rhinochopig said:

Stacey you might want up your budget a little so that the bike comes with air sprung forks. Coils will probably be too stiff; even with lightest spring and it 's a pain getting some custom wound.

This is assuming that tichy means you dont weigh much.

I don't know how true it is but the springs in my wife's bike are supposedly of a lower rate than the men's equivalent.

She quite small, but the suspension appears to be working.

They normally are but with physical springs there are typically only two version - sometimes three. Air springs whilst not as good in ride terms are easier to tailor for rider weight.