Advice needed re: 'lady bits'

[groomi]

I'm picking up this Bianchi Via Narone 7 for my wife at the weekend.



It's a 'mens' 50cm frame which should be OK for her, but I need to swap the saddle for a female one and swap to shallow drop handlebars.

Any recommendations for a smallish budget?

[nammynake]

Saddles - take her to your nearest Specialized store and they'll measure her arse to determine the best choice.

Bars - FSA Pro Wing Compact

[Gumstabber]

My other half loves her Spesh saddle (mid range).

[Mr Will]

I'll second the advice on the assometer. My other half needs a very narrow saddle which was the last thing either of us expected (now rides a Charge Spoon).

[Matt_N]

Yep, sorry if it's teaching you to suck eggs, but it's all about the right width not the amount of padding or those rubbish gel saddle covers that just slide around.

[wildoliver]

Mr Will said:

I'll second the advice on the assometer. My other half needs a very narrow saddle which was the last thing either of us expected (now rides a Charge Spoon).

Quoted for posterity!

Go on then explain why you didn't expect her to need a narrow saddle without incriminating yourself

[rhinochopig]

We've - I say we as I've tried my damnedest to make her pedalling as pain free as possible so she comes out more - tried lots of different designs and the best in terms of fit and not weighing a bloody ton is the Bonty stuff. They come in different widths and most LBS stockist have their sitometer doohicky to measure how big their arse is.

My wife has this one http://bontrager.com/model/08750

[S10GTA]

Will she need one of these?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2375038/...

[tigger1]

Is she ok for brake reach too?

S10GTA said:

Will she need one of these?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2375038/...

That sounds like a great idea, if you want to get rid of a lot of female cyclists (they'd all either be dead, or just laid in the garden next to the bike still clipped in)

[Raven Flyer]

Just about all the girls in my bike club use Selle Italia Diva saddles

[thetrash]

nammynake said:

Saddles - take her to your nearest Specialized store and they'll measure her arse to determine the best choice.

This, she needs to sit on the rubbery sit bones measure thing!

Shorter stem?

[Gizmoish]

thetrash said:

nammynake said:

Saddles - take her to your nearest Specialized store and they'll measure her arse to determine the best choice.

This, she needs to sit on the rubbery sit bones measure thing!

Shorter stem?

That.

Ladytypes tend to have wider sit bones, potentially higher Q-factor, shorter reach and smaller hands so may need adjustment of brifters (not sure if those can be adjusted).

Women's geometry bikes usually have slacker head tubes too which make them more stable, but I think that's more patronising than anything.

[Jimbo.]

Gizmoish said:

That.

Ladytypes tend to have wider sit bones, potentially higher Q-factor, shorter reach and smaller hands so may need adjustment of brifters (not sure if those can be adjusted).

Women's geometry bikes usually have slacker head tubes too which make them more stable, but I think that's more patronising than anything.

Slacker head tube may also counter for the reduced wheelbase?

Specialized also used to throw in thinner bars and/or grips IIRC.

[yellowjack]

Jimbo. said:

Slacker head tube may also counter for the reduced wheelbase?

Tell me about it. At 5ft 6in tall and riding a small gents frame, I wish my bike had a slacker head angle, as it might reduce the incidence of damage to the toe area of my shoes due to overlap with the wheel at low speeds. There's something to be said for a more relaxed geometry traditional steel frame and forks with a bit of trail up front.

Edited by yellowjack on Wednesday 7th August 21:02

[groomi]

tigger1 said:

Is she ok for brake reach too?

We'll test this when we have the bike. From the picture, the stem seems relatively short for a modern bike so might be OK, otherwise it's an easy fix.

Another question. She doesn't want to use clipless pedals straight away and she has never got on with toe clips, so what flat pedals would be suitable for a road bike until she has built up enough confidence to go clipless. Anything nicely tapered to improve cornering clearance or just the usual resin bricks?

[Simond S]

I use these on my flat bar bikes

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/shimano-pedals-...

then I can clip in spd trainers or flip over if wearing normal shoes.

[rhinochopig]

Raven Flyer said:

Just about all the girls in my bike club use Selle Italia Diva saddles

Heavy old beasts though - 1/4 of a kilo.

[groomi]

We picked up the bike yesterday and it really is in excellent condition. Maintenance-wise all it needs is new brake blocks and bar tape if I'm being picky. Tyres are as good as brand new and gears work perfectly.

Got to say I'm a little disappointed at the plasticky levers, although they work fine. It has confirmed that I will stick with all my old mid-range 8spd stuff when I build up my EV4 frame as I can't justify forking out for anything other than bottom of the range new stuff.

Anyway, had a little fitting session this afternoon. Saddle obviously needs changing and the reach is a little too long and low. I think a similar length stem but with a bit of a rise would be about right. The bars are OK and she can reach the levers fine, so I'll probably leave them for now and see how she gets on.

I haven't even started to explain how the gears work yet and she hasn't dared ask!

[crisisjez]

Most female specific bikes tend to have 165mm cranks.

[groomi]

crisisjez said:

Most female specific bikes tend to have 165mm cranks.

Interesting point. I haven't checked, but one would assume that is something size rather than gender related - especially considering females tend to have longer legs than males for a given height.