bike sizing for women

"qtq" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know I really should go to my LBS for this, but:

I'm sort of in the market for a road bike to possibly eventually race
on. I have not really ridden a drop-bar bike since I was a teenager,
and for the past six years I've been commuting on a nice steel
MTB-style bike (rigid, db chromoly, 35mm slicks).

I'm confused by the various sizing guidelines for bicycles. I don't
fit into the standard women's bicycle market because of my height
(175cm), but I'm not sure that following inseam sizing really works
either. The main difference is that I have rather long arms, and so
reach is important, but I can't take that much weight on my hands.

Can anyone give pointers to good sizing formulas which work? I can
take any necessary measurements, but I don't know how to assess,
ultimately, how comfortable any bike would be.

-A

The best method is to go to a bike shop that does a good job of sizing their
customers. We might be able to suggest one in your area if you give us a
general location. Also if you give us a price range we might have
suggestions for that price range. For example, the new $200+ carbon
handlebars with large flat center sections are very comfortable. For much
less you can put extra thick foam but then the control is less precise.

At your height I would start with a frame size of 54 to 56cm. That will
come with a top tube of length 55 to 56cm. Most bike come with wide bars
but you might be able to swtich to a narrower bar. The stem will be 10 to
12 cm, and you might want to start with a 10cm or shorter stem to get used
to the position.

You need to have someone watch you on the bike to see how you distribute
your weight. This will help decide the stem length and height, and the
height and fore/aft position of the seat. And you preference might change
the more you ride... so it's good to have a bike where you can adjust them
over time.

Bruce

"qtq" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know I really should go to my LBS for this, but:

I'm sort of in the market for a road bike to possibly eventually race
on. I have not really ridden a drop-bar bike since I was a teenager,
and for the past six years I've been commuting on a nice steel
MTB-style bike (rigid, db chromoly, 35mm slicks).

I'm confused by the various sizing guidelines for bicycles. I don't
fit into the standard women's bicycle market because of my height
(175cm), but I'm not sure that following inseam sizing really works
either. The main difference is that I have rather long arms, and so
reach is important, but I can't take that much weight on my hands.

Can anyone give pointers to good sizing formulas which work? I can
take any necessary measurements, but I don't know how to assess,
ultimately, how comfortable any bike would be.

-A

The best method is to go to a bike shop that does a good job of sizing their
customers. We might be able to suggest one in your area if you give us a
general location. Also if you give us a price range we might have
suggestions for that price range. For example, the new $200+ carbon
handlebars with large flat center sections are very comfortable. For much
less you can put extra thick foam but then the control is less precise.

At your height I would start with a frame size of 54 to 56cm. That will
come with a top tube of length 55 to 56cm. Most bike come with wide bars
but you might be able to swtich to a narrower bar. The stem will be 10 to
12 cm, and you might want to start with a 10cm or shorter stem to get used
to the position.

You need to have someone watch you on the bike to see how you distribute
your weight. This will help decide the stem length and height, and the
height and fore/aft position of the seat. And you preference might change
the more you ride... so it's good to have a bike where you can adjust them
over time.

Bruce

Hi qtq:

Most of the "fit formulas" you find are based on average-sized men and average sized women. There are a lot of us who aren't quite average. As an example, I'm 178cm tall, so I'm way above the average women's height, but close to the average men's height. However, I have longer legs and shorter arms than the average man.

For me, a 55cm frame with a 100mm stem gives me a good reach. The seatpost ends up extended a fair way to accomodate my legs, but that's okay.

Go to someone knowledgeable and get a fit done, then be prepared to experiment a little (especially with reach and handlebar height) until you're comfortable.

Regards,

Suzy

suzyj said:

Most of the "fit formulas" you find are based on average-sized men

and

Quoted message said:

average sized women. There are a lot of us who aren't quite average.

Quoted message said:

As an example, I'm 178cm tall, so I'm way above the average women's
height, but close to the average men's height. However, I have

longer

Quoted message said:

legs and shorter arms than the average man.
For me, a 55cm frame with a 100mm stem gives me a good reach. The
seatpost ends up extended a fair way to accomodate my legs, but

that's

Quoted message said:

okay.

is that 55cm top, 55cm seat?

thanks for the info; it's useful to have datapoints from taller women.

I did the measurements suggested at wrenchscience.com; it gave me
similar numbers for seattube, but the recommended total reach (top tube
+ stem) of 72cm seemed rather wild (and much longer than on my current
bike).

I actually like the fit of my bike very much; the only thing is that I
get the urge on some sections (where the road is smooth and there
aren't any obstacles to dodge) to stretch out and go aero. I can
comfortably rest my elbows on the bars, but I start to panic for lack
of ability to steer rather quickly, and my legs feel cramped and start
digging into my upper body.

Quoted message said:

Go to someone knowledgeable and get a fit done, then be prepared to
experiment a little (especially with reach and handlebar height)

until

Quoted message said:

you're comfortable.

I'd do this, but the sceptic in me says that nobody really understands
that much about bike fit.

qtq said:

I actually like the fit of my bike very much; the only thing is that I
get the urge on some sections (where the road is smooth and there
aren't any obstacles to dodge) to stretch out and go aero. I can
comfortably rest my elbows on the bars, but I start to panic for lack
of ability to steer rather quickly, and my legs feel cramped and start
digging into my upper body.

Steer quickly? In my experience, at least, when I'm turning at speed, my
wheels actually stay _straight_ -- the turn comes purely through the
shift of my weight, causing the bike to lean, and the angular momentum
does the rest. Every time I've looked at my front wheel at the same time
as making a fast turn, it's been dead in line with the frame -- or so
close to it, I can't tell the difference.

If you're not turning at speed, I find it difficult to believe that
you'd be stretched out like that.

Just my observations. YMMV, and all that.

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qtq said:

I actually like the fit of my bike very much; the only thing is that I
get the urge on some sections (where the road is smooth and there
aren't any obstacles to dodge) to stretch out and go aero. I can
comfortably rest my elbows on the bars, but I start to panic for lack
of ability to steer rather quickly, and my legs feel cramped and start
digging into my upper body.

Steer quickly? In my experience, at least, when I'm turning at speed, my
wheels actually stay _straight_ -- the turn comes purely through the
shift of my weight, causing the bike to lean, and the angular momentum
does the rest. Every time I've looked at my front wheel at the same time
as making a fast turn, it's been dead in line with the frame -- or so
close to it, I can't tell the difference.

If you're not turning at speed, I find it difficult to believe that
you'd be stretched out like that.

Just my observations. YMMV, and all that.

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My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@ to usenet".

Stuart Lamble said:

Quoted message said:

comfortably rest my elbows on the bars, but I start to panic for

lack

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of ability to steer rather quickly, and my legs feel cramped and

start

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

digging into my upper body.

Steer quickly?

you're misparsing my sentence. it can also be rearranged to:

"I start to panic rather quickly for lack of (perceived) ability to
steer..."

Quoted message said:

If you're not turning at speed, I find it difficult to believe that
you'd be stretched out like that.

I'm stretching out because it feels better, not because I'm turning.

qtq said:

Stuart Lamble said:

Quoted message said:

comfortably rest my elbows on the bars, but I start to panic for

lack

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of ability to steer rather quickly, and my legs feel cramped and

start

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

digging into my upper body.

Steer quickly?

you're misparsing my sentence. it can also be rearranged to:

"I start to panic rather quickly for lack of (perceived) ability to
steer..."

Ah. The joys of an education in computing. You're guaranteed to attach
exactly the wrong meaning to a sentence at the worst possible moment. 🙂

The rest of my statement follows on from my misparse. Excuse me, I have
a foot to pull out of my mouth.

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My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@ to usenet".

"qtq" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know I really should go to my LBS for this, but:

I'm sort of in the market for a road bike to possibly eventually race
on. I have not really ridden a drop-bar bike since I was a teenager,
and for the past six years I've been commuting on a nice steel
MTB-style bike (rigid, db chromoly, 35mm slicks).

I'm confused by the various sizing guidelines for bicycles. I don't
fit into the standard women's bicycle market because of my height
(175cm), but I'm not sure that following inseam sizing really works
either. The main difference is that I have rather long arms, and so
reach is important, but I can't take that much weight on my hands.

Can anyone give pointers to good sizing formulas which work? I can
take any necessary measurements, but I don't know how to assess,
ultimately, how comfortable any bike would be.

I don't think formulas will be all that helpful. Being a tall woman, you
probably have somewhat disproportionably long legs. Most bike will be
longish in the top tube for you. If you compensate with a shorter stem, an
already twitchy bike might get too much so.

If you want to keep weight off your hands, you'll want to keep your back
angle a little higher, which means you don't want a large drop from saddle
to bars.

One way to get a short top tube is to use a smaller frame, but this also
means a long seatpost and more drop to the bars, which is bad for you, so
you'll have to find a frame with shorter top tube by design.

I think you want a frame with "relaxed angles". This will give you a higher
back and allow a short stem without quickening the steering response too
much.

It really all boils down to what you find comfortable, so try a bunch of
bikes and rely on that more than the formulas.

"qtq" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

thanks for the info; it's useful to have datapoints from taller women.

Here's another data point from a 'taller woman' of somewhere between 178 and
180 depending who's measuring.... .I'm on a '56cm' bike which actually
measures 56 centre-centre seattube (60cm c-top) and 56.5cm top tube, with a
110mm stem but with bars with not much reach or drop. I've got very long
legs and pretty long arms and not a very long body. Very big hands and
feet.
When you go frame shopping you'll probably find as I did that generally
italian frames were 'taller' that others with identical top tube lengths.
ie If I was on a Trek I'd need a bloody long seatpost and an ugly upside
down riser-type stem. Helps justify an italian bike anyway!
Just don't fall into the trap of sitting too far over the bottom bracket so
you can reach the bars, you'll find it takes a lot of weight off our arms if
you sit back a bit......
Hope this helps,
Gemma