Originally Posted by demoncyclist

Generally speaking, for the same height, a woman will have longer legs and a shorter torso. A women's specific frame will have a shorter reach to the bars, narrower bars and shorter reach brake levers than the men's version of the same bike. I know that Trek, Specialized and Cannondale all make women's specific frames- there are others. Terry makes great (and IMO pricey) bikes, generally for very petite women. At one time they were really the only game in town, but not any more. Again, your wife may not need that specific geometry, but it is nice to know that it is an option if she does. The better the bike fits (especially if it fits well without having to swap a lot of parts right out of the box), the happier she will be, and the more she will actually ride it.