Girly bike design

aquachimp

Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity.
I live in Belgium and have noticed that the womens's races are not on
'women's' bikes.
I've asked a few people why do the women also have to have a cross bar
and the only half decent answer I've got is to minimise the
statistical difference. i.e men use cross bar, so to keep things
'even' women must race with them too.

If that's true, should they alternate every now and then. Just
imagine, a Tour de France on girly bikes.

I've tried doing a search for the answer here, but only found one
amusing thread which didn't really answer the question (apart from how
it might feminise men)

Beyond that my interest in cycling is more like what you might find
on http://www.instructables.com/id/Loc...f-a-cat-basket/

http://www.bikesatwork.com/hauling-...o-capacity.html

(from; http://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trailers/ )

and that from an excellent source of bike related amusement (IMO)
http://www.rideyourbike.com/cargo.html

A R:nen

aquachimp <aquachimp@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> writes:

> I've asked a few people why do the women also have to have a cross bar
> and the only half decent answer I've got is to minimise the
> statistical difference. i.e men use cross bar, so to keep things
> 'even' women must race with them too.

Rubbish. There is no advantage in using a "women's" frame configuration
for racing (or indeed much anything except for riding in a very long
skirt) but rather substantial disadvantages wrt weight and frame
rigidity (and probably aerodynamics) and that's why nobody would
even think about racing with one. Plus nowadays most of them would not
even allowed in road, track and cyclocross races because of the
current geometry rules (article 1.3.020), as the maximum distance from
the highest to the lowest point of the top tube must be under 16 cm.

Paul G.

On May 17, 9:00 am, aquachimp <aquach...@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk>
wrote:
> Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity.
> I live in Belgium and have noticed that the womens's races are not on
> 'women's' bikes.
> I've asked a few people why do the women also have to have a cross bar
> and the only half decent answer I've got is to minimise the
> statistical difference. i.e men use cross bar, so to keep things
> 'even' women must race with them too.

Racing bikes are made to be strong and light. Women's-style bikes are
inherently weaker.
-Paul

Robert Chung

On May 17, 9:00 am, aquachimp <aquach...@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk>
wrote:
> Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity.
> I live in Belgium and have noticed that the womens's races are not on
> 'women's' bikes.
> I've asked a few people why do the women also have to have a cross bar
> and the only half decent answer I've got is to minimise the
> statistical difference. i.e men use cross bar, so to keep things
> 'even' women must race with them too.

Ah. It's a side-effect of doping. When women dope, they need to use
bikes with a top tube. Note that the converse need not be true: you
can't infer from the use of a top tubed bike that a female is doping.
However, since all racers dope, all racers need to use bikes with top
tubes.

Don't believe me? Here's Tammy:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/..._04c0c0494e.jpg

aquachimp

On May 17, 8:08*pm, Robert Chung <rech...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On May 17, 9:00 am, aquachimp <aquach...@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity.
> > I live in Belgium and have noticed that the womens's races are not on
> > 'women's' bikes.
> > I've asked a few people why do the women also have to have a cross bar
> > and the only half decent answer I've got is to minimise the
> > statistical *difference. i.e men use cross bar, so to keep things
> > 'even' women must race with them too.
>
> Ah. It's a side-effect of doping. When women dope, they need to use
> bikes with a top tube. Note that the converse need not be true: you
> can't infer from the use of a top tubed bike that a female is doping.
> However, since all racers dope, all racers need to use bikes with top
> tubes.
>
> Don't believe me? Here's Tammy:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/..._04c0c0494e.jpg

LOL & bitchy (-:

Donald Munro

aquachimp wrote:
>>
>> > Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity. I live in Belgium
>> > and have noticed that the womens's races are not on 'women's' bikes.

Robert Chung wrote:
>> Don't believe me? Here's
>> Tammy:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/..._04c0c0494e.jpg

aquachimp wrote:
> LOL & bitchy (-:

Must be a bitch called Tulip who's in season almost all the time.

Kyle Legate

aquachimp wrote:
> Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity.
> I live in Belgium and have noticed that the womens's races are not on
> 'women's' bikes.
>

That's because they don't race in skirts.

Carl Sundquist

"aquachimp" <aquachimp@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:a1775460-3b34-429e-a17f-50594860b88c@m45g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity.
> I live in Belgium and have noticed that the womens's races are not on
> 'women's' bikes.
> I've asked a few people why do the women also have to have a cross bar
> and the only half decent answer I've got is to minimise the
> statistical difference. i.e men use cross bar, so to keep things
> 'even' women must race with them too.
>
> If that's true, should they alternate every now and then. Just
> imagine, a Tour de France on girly bikes.
>

Old news.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photo...bianchipez2.jpg

Paul G.

On May 18, 2:00 am, Kyle Legate <lega...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> aquachimp wrote:
> > Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity.
> > I live in Belgium and have noticed that the womens's races are not on
> > 'women's' bikes.
>
> That's because they don't race in skirts.

Sure they do:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/2...8e64781.jpg?v=0

Oh wait. Those aren't women. But how about this-
>http://bp0.blogger.com/_BgGI_r2AqhQ.../velocoture.jpg

Those are DEFINITELY women!!!
-Paul

aquachimp

On May 18, 3:31*pm, "Carl Sundquist" <carl...@cox.net> wrote:
> "aquachimp" <aquach...@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
>
> news:a1775460-3b34-429e-a17f-50594860b88c@m45g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
>
> > Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity.
> > I live in Belgium and have noticed that the womens's races are not on
> > 'women's' bikes.
> > I've asked a few people why do the women also have to have a cross bar
> > and the only half decent answer I've got is to minimise the
> > statistical *difference. i.e men use cross bar, so to keep things
> > 'even' women must race with them too.
>
> > If that's true, should they alternate every now and then. Just
> > imagine, a Tour de France on girly bikes.
>
> Old news.
>
> http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photo...bianchipez2.jpg

Well thanks for that little curiosity all the same.
Not quite a 'male bike, not quite a female one either.... but a very
high seat.
Indecisive?
Also a curious stand... at least I think that's what that is front of
rear tyre at ground level.

Kyle Legate

Paul G. wrote:
> On May 18, 2:00 am, Kyle Legate <lega...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> aquachimp wrote:
>>> Hi, my interest in cycle racing is mere curiousity.
>>> I live in Belgium and have noticed that the womens's races are not on
>>> 'women's' bikes.
>> That's because they don't race in skirts.
>
> Sure they do:
> http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/2...8e64781.jpg?v=0
>
> Oh wait. Those aren't women. But how about this-
>> http://bp0.blogger.com/_BgGI_r2AqhQ.../velocoture.jpg
>
> Those are DEFINITELY women!!!
> -Paul

And they are definitely riding 'women's' bikes.