male and female bike difference

[Julia Goolia]

Hi,

Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes? The difference seems very stupid to
me. It also seems like the female bike should be for a male because of the cross bar. Is it
ok/normal for a male to ride a female bike and vice versa?

thanx, julia

 

[Ken]

[email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes? The difference seems very stupid to
> me. It also seems like the female bike should be for a male because of the cross bar. Is it
> ok/normal for a male to ride a female bike and vice versa?

There are 2 different kinds of "female" bikes. The old fashioned womens' bikes have a low top tube
to allow women to wear skirts while riding. You don't see many of these any more, except maybe on
commuter bikes. If a man wants to ride a bike like this, why not? Modern mountain bikes are often
designed this way.

Newer "female" bikes are designed to give shorter riders more fit options. Traditional road bike
geometry works well for people 5'6" and taller, but not so well for most adult women. Modern women's
bikes use non-traditional frame geometries to accomodate shorter riders, especially those wanting a
shorter top tube.

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On 19 May 2003 11:47:54 -0700, [email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote:

>Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes?

Sheesh! Where do you think all the little bikes come from?

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

 

[Doug Kanter]

"Julia Goolia" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes? The difference seems very stupid to
> me. It also seems like the female bike should be for a male because of the cross bar. Is it
> ok/normal for a male to ride a female bike and vice versa?
>
> thanx, julia

This is very obvious. Traditional mens' bikes were designed by a woman who caught her husband doing
naughty things with his secretary. The idea was to punish men for all eternity, by putting their
huevitos at risk.

 

[Pat]

"Julia Goolia" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes? The difference seems very stupid to
> me. It also seems like the female bike should be for a male because of the cross bar. Is it
> ok/normal for a male to ride a female bike and vice versa?
>
> thanx, julia

When I was in Europe, I noticed most of the men rode what we in the US called "ladies bikes." Those
bikes with lower top tubes were more versatile for commuters and people who rode at slower speeds.
But, today, the only difference between "male" and "female" bikes is that sellers can market twice
as many bikes! If you look closely at the children's bikes, you will see it is the same bike--just
with different paint for girls and boys. The diamond frame is stronger than the old "ladies bikes"
because those frames had a lot of lateral sway (because of the missing top tube) and thus pedaling
energy was being lost. Unless you plan to wear a skirt, get a diamond frame bike. BTW: why worry
what other people think?

Pat

 

[R.White]

[email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi,
>
> Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes? The difference seems very stupid to
> me. It also seems like the female bike should be for a male because of the cross bar. Is it
> ok/normal for a male to ride a female bike and vice versa?

The *female* bike frames are carryovers from the past when women wore dresses while riding. They are
now mostly seen on department store bikes, but are still availiable from the higher quality
manufacturers. Many womens bikes today use the *male* frame are made with different size frames and
componenets to better fit a womans body. My wifes mountain bike is a * mans* frame (for lack of a
better word) but sized to fit her body type. Some men use the *womans* frame for city riding. Use
what best fits you.

 

[Tom Sherman]

Pat wrote:
> ... Unless you plan to wear a skirt, get a diamond frame bike....

Or a Y-frame upright, suspended beam seat upright (e.g. Softride), a recumbent bicycle, a
recumbent trike...

Traditionally dressed Scottish men would also find a bike without a top tube convenient - I do not
suggest referring to their kilts as skirts, however.

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Tom Sherman]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
>
> On 19 May 2003 11:47:54 -0700, [email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote:
>
> >Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes?
>
> Sheesh! Where do you think all the little bikes come from?

Brought by storks, of course.

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Zoot Katz]

19 May 2003 11:47:54 -0700, <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes? The difference seems very stupid to
>me. It also seems like the female bike should be for a male because of the cross bar. Is it
>ok/normal for a male to ride a female bike and vice versa?
>
>thanx, julia

There's also the 'mixte' frame that is sometimes mistaken for a womens bike. It has two small top
tubes that run all the way from the head tube to the rear drop outs. French postmen rode them.

A step-through frame is convenient around the city when you've high and heavy loads, like a baby
seat, on the rear rack. I ride a womens bike with mens handlebars and saddle.
--
zk

 

[Erik Freitag]

[email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes? The difference seems very stupid to
>>me. It also seems like the female bike should be for a male because of the cross bar. Is it
>>ok/normal for a male to ride a female bike and vice versa?
>>

why ask why? ... and vive la difference! ... besides if we didn't have both kinds, where would all
the little bikes come from?

 

[Pat]

Men have "little eggs"?

>
> This is very obvious. Traditional mens' bikes were designed by a woman who caught her husband
> doing naughty things with his secretary. The idea was
to
> punish men for all eternity, by putting their huevitos at risk.

 

[Bernie]

Zoot Katz wrote:

> 19 May 2003 11:47:54 -0700, <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote:
>
> >Hi,
> >
> >Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes? The difference seems very stupid
> >to me. It also seems like the female bike should be for a male because of the cross bar. Is it
> >ok/normal for a male to ride a female bike and vice versa?
> >
> >thanx, julia
>
> There's also the 'mixte' frame that is sometimes mistaken for a womens bike. It has two small top
> tubes that run all the way from the head tube to the rear drop outs. French postmen rode them.
>
> A step-through frame is convenient around the city when you've high and heavy loads, like a baby
> seat, on the rear rack. I ride a womens bike with mens handlebars and saddle.
> --
> zk

There's also the "women's specific geometry" bikes. My GF rides a Specialized sumthinorother with
women's specific geometry. It fits her very well, and was a good choice IMHO. She rides it in
comfort and loves it. BTW it looks like a "man's" frame, eg DF. Dontcha hate acronyms? Best
regards, Bernie

 

[Matt O'Toole]

"R.White" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> The *female* bike frames are carryovers from the past when
women
> wore dresses while riding. They are now mostly seen on
department store
> bikes, but are still availiable from the higher quality
manufacturers.
> Many womens bikes today use the *male* frame are made with
different
> size frames and componenets to better fit a womans body.
My wifes
> mountain bike is a * mans* frame (for lack of a better
word) but
> sized to fit her body type. Some men use the *womans*
frame for
> city riding. Use what best fits you.

Surfers like womens frames because they're easier to get on and off with a surfboard under your arm.
If you ride a mans bike, you're not a real surfer. Old womens "beach cruisers" with a healthy patina
command a premium in southern CA.

Matt O.

 

[Van Bagnol]

In article <[email protected]>, Ken <[email protected]> wrote:

> [email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
> > Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes? The difference seems very stupid
> > to me. It also seems like the female bike should be for a male because of the cross bar. Is it
> > ok/normal for a male to ride a female bike and vice versa?
>
> There are 2 different kinds of "female" bikes. The old fashioned womens' bikes have a low top tube
> to allow women to wear skirts while riding. You don't see many of these any more, except maybe on
> commuter bikes. If a man wants to ride a bike like this, why not? Modern mountain bikes are often
> designed this way.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Well, not for wearing skirts while mountain biking.

The reason mountain bikes have a low top tube is to provide more standover clearance, which is
important if the rider has to dismount (often unplanned) in uneven terrain.

> Newer "female" bikes are designed to give shorter riders more fit options. Traditional road bike
> geometry works well for people 5'6" and taller, but not so well for most adult women. Modern
> women's bikes use non-traditional frame geometries to accomodate shorter riders, especially those
> wanting a shorter top tube.

Actually, the modern "Women's Specific Design" bikes are sized for the difference in women's limb
proportions, not for shorter height. Trek, for example, makes a 19" WSD mountain frame -- hardly
for petites.

Women tend to have longer legs in proportion to their torsos, so WSD bikes have a shorter
seat-to-handlebar dimension relative to the seat-to-crank dimension. Often WSD models are fitted
with a different saddle to accommodate wider pelvic anatomy, and/or smaller-diameter handlebar grips
and shorter-reach brake levers to fit smaller hands.

There's nothing at all wrong with women riding regular "men's" frames nor men riding WSD frames,
provided that the frames fit the riders' proportions and riding styles.

Van

--
Van Bagnol / v a n at wco dot com / c r l at bagnol dot com ...enjoys - Theatre / Windsurfing /
Skydiving / Mountain Biking ...feels - "Parang lumalakad ako sa loob ng paniginip" ...thinks - "An
Error is Not a Mistake ... Unless You Refuse to Correct It"

 

[Karen M.]

Tom wrote: ...
> Traditionally dressed Scottish men would also find a bike without a top tube convenient - I do not
> suggest referring to their kilts as skirts, however.

My long-time favorite MAD magazine cartoon (in pantomine): two guys outside a bar, see a pair of
no-top-tube bikes, imagine that they belong to a couple of lucious babes inside drinking. They go
in, and are aghast to see a pair of burly lads in plaid.

Once you buy the bike, it's no longer a "mens" or a "ladies" (who decided that those terms are
antonyms, anyway???) but it's yours. If it fits your frame and your lifestyle, who cares?

--Karen M.

 

[Robin Hubert]

"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> "Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
> >
> > On 19 May 2003 11:47:54 -0700, [email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote:
> >
> > >Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes?
> >
> > Sheesh! Where do you think all the little bikes come from?
>
> Brought by storks, of course.

No, its "forks".

--
Robin Hubert <[email protected]

 

[Doug Kanter]

Yeah....I have been informed by my excellent girlfriend (a native of Puerto Rico) that "huevitos"
are an affectionate term for testicles. Sometimes.

"Pat" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Men have "little eggs"?
>
>
> >
> > This is very obvious. Traditional mens' bikes were designed by a woman
who
> > caught her husband doing naughty things with his secretary. The idea was
> to
> > punish men for all eternity, by putting their huevitos at risk.
> >
>

 

[Luigi De Guzman]

Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Pat wrote:
> > ... Unless you plan to wear a skirt, get a diamond frame bike....
>
> Or a Y-frame upright, suspended beam seat upright (e.g. Softride), a recumbent bicycle, a
> recumbent trike...
>
> Traditionally dressed Scottish men would also find a bike without a top tube convenient - I do not
> suggest referring to their kilts as skirts, however.

"shirt" and "skirt" come from the germanic root, and anciently refered to just a garment, without
reference to the gender of the wearer, as I recall.

and Latinists will remember that for the Romans, it was considered the very height of barbarity to
wear trousers. barbarian nations were referred to as the nationes (or gentes) braccatae: nations
which wore trousers.

hauling this thread back on-topic, I wonder why 'skirt protectors' aren't more common--these are the
bits which prevent skirts from flapping into the rear wheels of bicycles. They can go so far as to
nearly cover the rear wheel entirely. One, they look pretty cool. two, they make cycling in a long
coat possible. (along with the drop-frame)

I'll vouch btw for the flexiness of the mixte frame. I'm a big fat ******* and my cheap hack mixte
that I use for getting around town flexes noticeably when I stand on the pedals...

-Luigi

 

[ØYvind RøTvold]

"Robin Hubert" <[email protected]> writes:

> "Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >
> > "Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
> > >
> > > On 19 May 2003 11:47:54 -0700, [email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote:
> > >
> > > >Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes?
> > >
> > > Sheesh! Where do you think all the little bikes come from?
> >
> > Brought by storks, of course.
>
> No, its "forks".

tsssk, please. Remember, americans may be reading this group.

--
__o | Øyvind Røtvold _`\(, | http://www.darkside.no/olr/index.html (_)/(_) | ... biciclare
necesse est ...

 

[Doug Kanter]

"Øyvind Røtvold" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "Robin Hubert" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > "Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > >
> > > "Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
> > > >
> > > > On 19 May 2003 11:47:54 -0700, [email protected] (Julia Goolia) wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >Why is there a difference between male bikes and female bikes?
> > > >
> > > > Sheesh! Where do you think all the little bikes come from?
> > >
> > > Brought by storks, of course.
> >
> > No, its "forks".
>
> tsssk, please. Remember, americans may be reading this group.
>

Yes. Here, small things, like babies and small bikes, are brought by pelicans.