Recreational & Family - Men's Frame vs. Women's Frame Question...

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saabcaptain
07-26-04, 07:49 AM
As I posted in another frame my wife and I are getting Trek Hybrids soon. The Trek Hybrids have women's frames with a low top tube like I remember on younger girls bikes. I always heard it was for riding with a skirt. I somehow assumed that in adult bikes the difference between men's and women's frames was geometry and it seems to be the case in some instances but in this case the Hybrid simply has the "classic" low top tube.

My wife seems to want the women's frame with low top tube and of course that is fine. Is there some logic to having a low top tube on a women's frame other than the classic "ride with a skirt" and is there any disadvantage. I suppose I just always assumed my wife would want a high top tube as an adult...

Silly question I know, I just don't get the "point" of the frame and wonder if it won't make the ride harsher or something.

TechJD
07-26-04, 02:43 PM
Silly question I know, I just don't get the "point" of the frame and wonder if it won't make the ride harsher or something.

I think it's the easyer mounting step through
beside if they didnt then we would be riding a unisex bike not a male frame

my wife prefers the male style anyway she says the higher bar dont bother her
but likes the looks better

besides who knows what women think or why :)
most males dont thats for sure lol
jeff williams
07-26-04, 02:56 PM
My take is, 1990 Tom Ritchey the major bike frame designer in MTB, altered his racing frames, inclining the toptube. This alters the torsion of the frame (more ridged) and lowers the frames center of gravity...and its lighter with the alteration.

Almost all Japan production bikes followed Ritcheys geometry. These are the Rockey Mountain etc bikes.

Anyway, Ritchey and then Brodie made racing bikes with incline tubes.

Now it's standard for MTB. It's also now found it's way into ALL frame building, road, XC etc.

IMO, or a factoid.

Good stuff, I don't like horizontal level toptubes at ALL.

>jef.

Ohio Trekker
07-27-04, 11:11 AM
My wife seems to want the women's frame with low top tube and of course that is fine. Is there some logic to having a low top tube on a women's frame other than the classic "ride with a skirt" and is there any disadvantage. I suppose I just always assumed my wife would want a high top tube as an adult...

Silly question I know, I just don't get the "point" of the frame and wonder if it won't make the ride harsher or something.

You might get more and accurate response if you ask this question in the women's forum. I bet they'd have some opinions.
Kathleen
07-31-04, 01:22 AM
Don't ask me why but I have always use a boy's frame until I got my TREK 7200. I think I always used a boy's frame as I was the youngest and always inhereted my brothers stuff. A women's frame is a lot saver. I've been told a lot of middle aged men get women's frame.
P.S.: There is no such thing as a silly question.