Mountain Biking - Trek WSD vs regular frame geometry

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acecil
03-27-02, 09:08 AM
Hi, I'm new to the forum and was just wondering if anyone has any advice on bikes with a "women's specific design" frame? I'm close to purchasing a new mtb, and really like the Trek 6700. I'm unsure what the benefits would be, if any, for a women's bike. I'm average height (5'5") and weight (?? lbs). I've never ridden a women's specific bike before, and haven't had any luck finding any other gals who have either. To be sure, I certainly don't want to compromise handling or power by buying a women's bike, if that is actually an issue. Thanks for your help in advance!

a2psyklnut
03-27-02, 11:46 AM
Most companies are just now realizing that women actually ride too! And heck they're not built like the average man! Go figure!

Anyways, women "generally"(not all) have longer legs and shorter torsos (sp?). They also "generally" have smaller hands, and narrower shoulders. Companies like Santa Cruz, Trek/Gary Fisher and "the original" Terry make their bikes with this in mind. The top tubes are shorter, handlebars are narrower, and the grip diameters are smaller. Oh yeah, they also include a WSD saddle since womens "sit" bones are a little wider than mens. The components and materials used are usually all the same. If you haven't had to opportunity to ride a WSD, it may be worth your while to do so. I've know quite a few women who just haven't felt "right" on their bikes, but when they tried the WSD, they fell in love.

Good Luck
L8R:beer:
MichaelW
03-27-02, 01:11 PM
Most companies publish geometry charts on their websites. They are a bit tricky to understand, but hide some interesting information:

I had a look at the length of the top tube as a % of frame size, in the Trek 4900 (decent hardtail MTB)
Largest mens = 100.8%
smallest mens =160%
largest WSD = 123%
smallest WSD = 145%

What this means is that the biggest guys are riding a bike which is a lot shorter than their special short womens design. Go figure.

Also check out the height of the bottom bracket. This varies very little from big to small sizes, but it should be much lower for small people.
Crank size is also remarkably constant across the range (cranks are the metal bits that pedals attatch to, and define the diameter of your pedalling circle) . A 5'5" woman should be riding about a 165mm crank, and using this, can achieve safe pedal clearance with the bottom bracket 10.5 cm of the ground, rather than 11.5
The worst designs make frames "smaller" by simply raising the bottom bracket higher.

On the whole, Trek WSD seems OK, but look for cranks of 165 (or 170 at the biggest).

Myra Vaninwegen has the best womens cycling resources on the web, with lots of sound advice for beginers at:
http://simon.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/bike/tips.html