Jagg

Hi.

I am going to buy my first "good" mountain bike for christmas, and after watching me all excited, my girlfriend decided to pick one too.

I think I am going to get the 2015 Trek X-Caliber 9 and my girlfriend wants something very very similar (She is super competitive) so we can go ride together. Problem is that Trek doesn´t have any WSD in that range. I looked at the 2015 Specialized Jett Expert that is for women but we prefer Trek just because we have a Trek retail store where we live.

How much of a difference would be to get an "unisex" bike rather than a woman specific design?

Thank you very much.

Zephyr11

It's a geometry thing. If she has long legs and a short torso, she might be happier on a women's specific bike. But not every woman fits better on a women's bike...Specialized's women's bikes fit me like crap, and all my mountain bikes are unisex. Have her try the Treks at the store and see how they feel, and then decide.

Raiden

Many mountain bikes don't come in WSD because frame geometry matters a whole lot less on a mountain bike, than on a road bike (where the WSD thing started, and where it matters a little more).

jbenkert111

[QUOTE=Jagg;17402316]Hi.

I am going to buy my first "good" mountain bike for christmas, and after watching me all excited, my girlfriend decided to pick one too.

I've got to ask Jagg, when you got excited was it like in "When Harry met Sally". :-))

jimc101

Women specific bikes normally have prettier colorways on them, other than a shorter stem/narrower handlebars could change most bike if the right frame size to fit the rider.

Would look at the saddle as a key point to get right, all the women I ride with have female specific saddles, as this is a major contact/comfort point.

Lanovran

If you're looking at Treks, then check out the Skye SLX or Cali SLX. Those are both WSD mountain bikes in the range of the X-Caliber 9. As of right now, Trek also still has a handful of 2014 Cali SLX available for shops to order in (in 14", 15.5", and 17" sizes - all 29ers, because this model predates Trek's current "smart wheel size" principle), and the specs and price of that one are both pretty darn close to the current X-Cal 9.

As for WSD in general, it does mean more than just a different paint job (though the women's bikes do typically have more visual style to them than the men's bikes). For MTB, the primary differences are going to be in the frame geometry, to take into account differences in average proportion and center-of-gravity between women and men, and WSD contact points, i.e. the saddle and handlebar/grips (different saddle shapes, and typically a narrower handlebar width). The goal of WSD is to make bikes which are more comfortable and responsive to female riders; however, there is always a chance that a "men's" bike may be a better fit, depending on the individual rider.

osco53

The Era, the Rumor Evo + other highlights from the Specialized 2015 launch | Kath Bicknell

Whats out there In our LBS Is often limited.

The bike to rider weight ratio is off for women riding a mens bike,,
180 pound man on a 30 pound bike,, Bike is 16% of his weight
130 pound woman on a 30 pound bike,, Bike is 23% of her weight.

A 23 pound bike is 17.5% of that 130 riders weight,, follow me ?
Here is where equal footing begins,,,

Seek above all else proper fit:
[saddle fore and aft, and height, Handle bars, rise, pull back, etc, Stem length, rise]
Lower stand over is good and,,
Spend extra for lower weight..

That 130 pound woman will do so much better on a 23 to 26 pound bike,,,,,, okay, if she is committed spend ALOT more !

I've ridden with and talked to more than a few women who once they moved to a significantly lighter bike were suddenly able to keep up with the boyz and often with that weight advantage out climb many, Including me XD

Once the bike takes 10 pounds off her bod your gonna get spanked out there, your gonna have to get stronger to keep up with her

happyscientist

How tall is your girlfriend? I am 5'4" and have found that most women my height and shorter fit better on men's bikes because our torsos are longer. We get together and complain that the men who work in the shops keep pushing us to WSD because they are told to without understanding that the bikes don't fit. Then we all point out how the saddles on our women's bikes are pushed all the way back in order to give us the reach we need. I know one woman who is 5'2" and got so tired of trying to find a bike with a long enough top tube that she decided to have one custom made.

I ride a men's mt bike, but I had the shop put a women's specific saddle on it before I picked it up. That is an uncompromising, gender specifc contact point. After riding it for a couple months, I realized that the handle bars were too wide, so I had them cut down. Now it fits perfectly.

Zephyr11

Interesting. Never looked at this. I'm 5'2 and my women's road bike fits fine, but as I mentioned before, I ride a unisex mountain bike. Tried two women's mountain bikes and both fit awkwardly.

I <3 Robots

If you're under 5'3"...then maybe look into a WSD. IMO...if you're not super small...you don't really need to look into a "WSD" frame. The WSD bikes come with a ladies paint job and is slightly more upright in the riding position. Key is to find the right frame. The rest can be adjusted by the contact points like the bar, stem, and saddle. Only real issue I see it the standover height of the frame. Thats why on WSD bikes...the top tube is super sloped or has a curve as it goes towards the seat tube.

A WSD kinda limits you to the bikes in a manufacturer's line up. If you go with the unisex models...that opens you up to the entire line...not just a specific line.

There are also companies that don't have a WSD bike...they instead make a XS model that serves the same purpose.

The WSD is nothing more than marketing. There are short men also...it just happens that the "shorter" people are more commonly women. If you're a woman thats 5'4' and up...I don't see the point of getting a WSD...unless you want the purple, pink, and flowers your bike.

My GF is 5'6"...and she fits perfectly on a small Niner.

biker128pedal

Also Trek WSD bikes have control which may be for smaller hands. Bet the cranks are shorter too.

SlowJoeCrow

This is one of those impossible to generalize questions. The two important considerations are the prospective rider's size and proportions and how "woman specific" the bike in question is.
Some bike companies make women's models with significant frame geometry and fit component differences from men's models and some companies just paint the small size pink and change out the saddle and handlebars. Also some women have typically female proportions and some don't. From personal experience my wife is 5'1" with short arms and legs so her bike often need tweaking to match her low standover and short reach. On the other hand our daughter is 5'2" with long arms and legs and is more comfortable on a men's geometry bike.
I advise you to find a shop or shops with a decent selection of bikes and a good fitter and either demo or rent until you know what works.

fietsbob

Test rode any? yes the smaller wheels may let there be shorter Top Tubes, but for MTB, bars the tendency is to be Longer ..

any shops Carry Terry Bikes? Bikes For Women Is Her business .

bikeme

I'm late to the party here but Liv/Giant makes some great WSDs: the Tempt series for hard tails and the Lust for full-suspension. My wife and daughter are on a 2014 Tempt 2 and a Tempt 0, respectively. Easy stand over, narrower bars, WSD geo...

ddeand 

I think you'll have to get her on a number of different bikes to see what works best. None of the bikes know what the rider's gender is, so the women's-only geometry is little more than a generalization by the bike companies (graphics notwithstanding). I have had men in our shop who have been most comfortable on a "womens" frame and I had a 5'1" woman who was suited perfectly for a mens framed 29er. If she's very competitive, you'll want her to be on the type of frame that suits her the best.