My new 2012 Trek 7.6 WSD

[tahoe_girl]

IMG-20120505-00232.jpg

I finally did it. After a few posts on this site seeking advice on bikes, I bought the 2012 Trek 7.6 WSD. Love the bike. I did go to my LBS for a fitting and to place the order, however, I'm skeptical on the size. I'm 5'8/5'9 with a 32 1/2 inseam, and they have me on a 17" frame. The past 2 years I have been on a men's 20" 7.0 frame.. This is the first women's bike I've ever had so I assume the size differrence is more in my head than anything else. What do you think? I'm taking the bike in on Sunday for my "first week bike owner" minor adjustments hoping that will help with my comfort level.

Thanks so much and I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

[Dunbar]

I'm skeptical on the size. I'm 5'8/5'9 with a 32 1/2 inseam, and they have me on a 17" frame. The past 2 years I have been on a men's 20" 7.0 frame...

I would exchange it for a 19" WSD or 20" mens frame. It's not clear if that's your pant inseam or cycling inseam but either way a 17" frame is going to force you to ride a lot of saddle-to-bar drop when you set the saddle height up properly. BTW, nice looking bike

[Igo]

I've been wanting to ride Lake Tahoe for years. I had a week of reservations for the week of July 4th but had to cancel because I have a house in escrow and need teh time to close and move.
I hope you get the bike fit squared away.

[tahoe_girl]

I've been wanting to ride Lake Tahoe for years. I had a week of reservations for the week of July 4th but had to cancel because I have a house in escrow and need teh time to close and move.
I hope you get the bike fit squared away.

I rode around the Lake for the first time this past 9/11. It was an amazing ride. It was by far the longest ride I had ever done all at once, but so worth it. I would highly recommend it. I hope to do the ride again in June and then again in September of this year.

[ChowChow]

I think that's about right. A 17 inch frame should be fine. I'm 5ft10 and I ride a 19 inch men. I think with a 19 inch frame, you'll be leaning down a lot. Causing hand numbness etc. You're kind of in between them two sizes. I would rather go a bit smaller, than a bit larger. If they have a 18 inch frame, it'll be about perfect.

[tahoe_girl]

I think that's about right. A 17 inch frame should be fine. I'm 5ft10 and I ride a 19 inch men. I think with a 19 inch frame, you'll be leaning down a lot. Causing hand numbness etc. You're kind of in between them two sizes. I would rather go a bit smaller, than a bit larger. If they have a 18 inch frame, it'll be about perfect.

Thanks so much. They guys at the shop told me I was right in between sizes, but I decided to go with the smaller of the two. Someone else told me that when you are in between sizes that you should go with the smaller. Thanks again

[Dunbar]

I think with a 19 inch frame, you'll be leaning down a lot. Causing hand numbness etc.

Actually the larger size would place the bars higher relative to the seat so there would be less pressure on the hands. Reach can become an issue on a larger frame but the OP has ridden a 20" Trek FX so they should be OK. I'm very similarly proportioned to the OP and could not get comfortable on 17" frame without putting riser bars on it.

[Tom Bombadil]

IMG-20120505-00232.jpg

I finally did it. After a few posts on this site seeking advice on bikes, I bought the 2012 Trek 7.6 WSD. Love the bike. I did go to my LBS for a fitting and to place the order, however, I'm skeptical on the size. I'm 5'8/5'9 with a 32 1/2 inseam, and they have me on a 17" frame.

Very nice bike. Congrats!

I am surprised by their size recommendation, for I accompanied a woman into a Trek store 2 weeks ago to look at bikes. She's 5'7" with a 32" inseam and they found the 17" too small for her. This was on a 7.5FX. They put her on a 19" and it seemed to fit almost perfectly.

[Igo]

Is there that much difference between men and women in torso/inseam ration? I'm 5'10" and have a 31 inch inseam and thought I was all leg and no torso. I always feel like I'm stretching for the bars.

[Tom Bombadil]

Is there that much difference between men and women in torso/inseam ration? I'm 5'10" and have a 31 inch inseam and thought I was all leg and no torso. I always feel like I'm stretching for the bars.

Actually being 5'10" with a 31" inseam is average for a man. It certainly isn't disproportionate. The smallest inseam that many manufacturers make for men's pants is 30". I have a 29" inseam and I have to search and search to find pants cut to 29.

Women do tend to have slightly longer legs and shorter torsos than do men of the same height.

[Igo]

Thank you. I wasn't sure. I'm still not positive my new bike is fitted as best it could be.

[Dunbar]

Women do tend to have slightly longer legs and shorter torsos than do men of the same height.

I read somewhere that when this theory was tested (bunch of men and women measured) that women were not found to have larger inseams than men relative to their height. I have no idea if women specific frames are actually designed with this assumption (longer legs, shorter torsos) but you could find out pretty easy by studying some manufacturer geometry charts. Women, obviously, are shorter on average so you tend to get a selection of smaller frame sizes in women specific bikes.

[a1penguin]

I think that's about right. A 17 inch frame should be fine. I'm 5ft10 and I ride a 19 inch men. I think with a 19 inch frame, you'll be leaning down a lot. Causing hand numbness etc. You're kind of in between them two sizes. I would rather go a bit smaller, than a bit larger. If they have a 18 inch frame, it'll be about perfect.

I am 5'7" and we 30" jeans. The measure of floor to my crotch is 32". I purchased a non WSD 17.5" 7.5FX. The seat on my bike is pretty high and I have plenty of room over the top tube. The bike has a really long wheelbase and feels "bigger" than my road bike. If the bike in the pic fits you, I think it's the right size. You have to be careful comparing raw bike sized. With sloping top tubes, the measurement from bottom bracket to top of the frame on the seat post is going to be shorter than on a bike with a traditional horizontal top tube.

[Tom Bombadil]

I read somewhere that when this theory was tested (bunch of men and women measured) that women were not found to have larger inseams than men relative to their height. I have no idea if women specific frames are actually designed with this assumption (longer legs, shorter torsos) but you could find out pretty easy by studying some manufacturer geometry charts. Women, obviously, are shorter on average so you tend to get a selection of smaller frame sizes in women specific bikes.

Let's look at Trek's frame geometries for 15" FX mens vs 15" FX WSD

Effective top tube length: Men's 54.4 cm; 15" WSD is 53.3 cm. 1.1 cm shorter for women.
Standover: 15" 69.3 cm; 15" WSD 69.7 cm. So slightly higher stand over for women.

So it does appear that Trek has slightly adjusted the frame in their WSD's to have a shorter top tube (for shorter torso or arms?) and a very slight taller stand over.