LisaG said:
Hi - I am looking at the WSD bikes for a very specific reason. I am torn between that and a hybrid so I am hoping someone may have advice.
I am new to riding and what I found while riding my son's old moutain bike was 2 things - terrible pain in my knees (fixed that somewhat with a seat and an adjustment) and a recurring (first) urinary then kidney infection. This only happens when I ride a bike. So.... I am convinced (or hoping) the WSD will alleviate the problem with a correct seat postion. Can you recommend either bike specifically??
I'm not sure a WSD bike will fix either of your problems any better than any bike that fits you well. WSD bikes are made speficially to alleviate some of the problems that women have with bike fit. We tend to have shorter torsos and arms, smaller hands so WSD bikes have shorter top tubes, more narrow handelbars, short reach levers etc. The problems fixed are usually more back/shoulder/neck related. If you are small or have a shorter torso these things can help incredibly, but many women fit fine on bikes that are not designed specifically for one sex or the other.
That said I do own a WSD designed bike and I have found it to be 10x better than my old one, but I am small 5'0" and have short arms.
Knee pain can have a variety of causes but the most common are:
having the saddle to high or too low, so again a bike that fits well will help
poor foot position on the pedals,- clipless pedals can help here- if you are afraid of clipless pedals there are a number of toe-strap options you can try out.
pushing in a gear that is too large -especially uphill. Having low gears to use uphill will help as well so a bike with a triple chainring in the front may be useful to you.
I've never had a UTI so I don't really know how biking and UTI's are related although I can make some educated guesses. A saddle with a cutout in it will help to relieve pressure and provide ventilation which may help. A hybrid bike (upright style handlebars) may be worse as you tend to put more pressure on your seat and less on your arms than with drop style handlebars.
Of course there are all of the standard warnings too - to prevent saddle sores and other problems, use cycling shorts and always always wash them between wearings (some are available with an antibacterial chamois, but I don't know if this works or how long the treament lasts), change out of your cycling clothes and shower as soon as you can after working out, use chamois cream if you tend to chafe especially on long rides.
Lastly find a good bicycle shop where they are willing to listen to you and don't just try to sell you the first thing off of the self. A good person who will take the time to fit you well and find a bike that you will like to ride is invaluable.
