Gary Fisher Genisis or regular Geometry for a woman?
03-31-05, 03:04 PM
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Gary Fisher Genisis or regular Geometry for a woman?
Hello all. From what I read the best ban for the buck bikes that I can obtain would be the Fishers. I myself will probally get a Marlin but my wife dosen't wan as much spent on hers so the $670 Tassjarra WSD (Womens Specific Design - Shorter crannk arms, slightly different frame, different saddle, thinner grips, differnet handlebar size a position) and Trek wants $500 fro thier WSD. I am wondering if I get her a Wahoo if she will like it. I know all will say have her ride it but I have to get these ordered tonight and she is working so there really is not a chance it will work. So I am going in about 3.5 hours to get the bikes, any thoughts? A quick response would be appreciated, I will do a followup if anyone wants to know the results. Thanks.
03-31-05, 03:58 PM
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Gotta gotta gotta test ride, especially when you're not sure.
A new rider's brain can't possibly compute what the differences in stem length, ETT, and chainstay length really mean. But when a new rider rides two bikes one after the other and can feel the difference in steering quickness, stability, and the overall "sense" of how the bike feels, they'll know very quickly if they prefer one over the other.
There is an old rule of thumb that taller riders tend to prefer Genesis geometry more than shorter riders, but there are many exceptions to this rule and I've never heard it apply specifically to women. Since women tend to have shorter torsos relative to their inseam, I suspect a WSD Genesis frame may somewhat resemble a small non-Genesis standard ("mans") frame.
Really, a test ride is the best way to inform yourself and avoid making a purchase mistake.
Barring a test ride, any bike can be tailored to fit through seatpost, stem & handlebar changes (if need be). But why rush a purchase she'll be riding for (hopefully) years to come?
A new rider's brain can't possibly compute what the differences in stem length, ETT, and chainstay length really mean. But when a new rider rides two bikes one after the other and can feel the difference in steering quickness, stability, and the overall "sense" of how the bike feels, they'll know very quickly if they prefer one over the other.
There is an old rule of thumb that taller riders tend to prefer Genesis geometry more than shorter riders, but there are many exceptions to this rule and I've never heard it apply specifically to women. Since women tend to have shorter torsos relative to their inseam, I suspect a WSD Genesis frame may somewhat resemble a small non-Genesis standard ("mans") frame.
Really, a test ride is the best way to inform yourself and avoid making a purchase mistake.
Barring a test ride, any bike can be tailored to fit through seatpost, stem & handlebar changes (if need be). But why rush a purchase she'll be riding for (hopefully) years to come?
03-31-05, 05:13 PM
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Gotta second that last reply. It's all about the test ride. Back to back test rides are absolutely critical. I may have missed this piece of info, but how tall is your wife? The women's specific geometry starts to become less critical when the rider is medium to tall (in height). My wife is just a hair over 5 feet-tall and the whole women's specific frame geometry is critical to her, but I've sized plenty of taller women correctly on "mens" bikes. Both Fisher and Trek make good models, but it really does boil down to what her chamois tells her.
03-31-05, 05:29 PM
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Originally Posted by SuperWheel
The women's specific geometry starts to become less critical when the rider is medium to tall (in height). My wife is just a hair over 5 feet-tall and the whole women's specific frame geometry is critical to her, but I've sized plenty of taller women correctly on "mens" bikes.
It's that site that suggested the Marin Mount Vision for my 5'6" wife, a 15.5" non-WSD model. But again, unless you like rolling the dice, the test ride is still important.
04-02-05, 12:35 AM
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Originally Posted by crashnburn
Hello all. From what I read the best ban for the buck bikes that I can obtain would be the Fishers. I myself will probally get a Marlin but my wife dosen't wan as much spent on hers so the $670 Tassjarra WSD (Womens Specific Design - Shorter crannk arms, slightly different frame, different saddle, thinner grips, differnet handlebar size a position) and Trek wants $500 fro thier WSD. I am wondering if I get her a Wahoo if she will like it. I know all will say have her ride it but I have to get these ordered tonight and she is working so there really is not a chance it will work. So I am going in about 3.5 hours to get the bikes, any thoughts? A quick response would be appreciated, I will do a followup if anyone wants to know the results. Thanks.
Go to Gary Fisher's website (www.fisherbikes.com). Look in the technology section and it will explain what's different about the Geni-SISTERS geometry.
