Originally Posted by foxden
I am planning on buying my wife a hybrid bike so she can join me on some of my rides. I was curious as to whether most women prefer the traditional female style or ride a mens bike. The wide range of frame sizes in the men's are more likely to provide a good fit as opposed to the only two sizes in the women's model, but I don't know how much difference it makes regarding the women's preference. My wife has ridden in years and is fit for a 50+ person, but she still is a 50+ person. Suggestions?
Don't get hung up on the womens frame. They are built differently, but that is to accomodate the shorter torso length and longer legs that is different to male frames. My wife tried both and finished up with a male frame in a size to suit her body length, and then raised the saddle to suit. Longer seat post was swopped at the shop and the Handlebar stem to give her a higher bar position. That was 12 years ago and the bike still fits, is still a good bike and is even suitable as a spare for me when I forget to service my bike.