help: what to look for in a road bike
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help: what to look for in a road bike
I am a 21yo female riding a Avanti Monza comp series road bike. I am looking to upgrade my bike and was wondering if anyone had any tips they could give me, eg, should I go for womens specific? what gearing, particular bikes/brands recommended.
Any help would be great!
Thank you
Any help would be great!
Thank you
#2
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as far as gearing, look at what you use now and base it on that.
-Do you wish you had more "tweener" gears (such as 19-20-21, instead of 19-21-23?)
-Do you frequently find yourself running on only one half the cogset, or not using all the rings in your crankset?
-Do you end up hurting on climbs due to not having a low enough gearing?
Now for fit, that I can't give much advice for, since I suck at coherent thought on things like this.
here's some of my thoughts I go through when fitting myself (the bike is the right size, but during adjustments of the saddle, bars, etc:
-is there pinching, and where?
-is there rubbing, and where?
-is one leg working better than the other (a good sign your saddle is cocked to one side, I often end up somehow accomplishing this after long rides)
By the way, I'm a guy, so my fitting criteria could be rather different, so that has part to do in my rather thin advice in that category.
However, for bike makers, any reputable maker should do fine. Just be sure to test ride it first...not all frames made of material "X" will feel the same. Actuallly a frame that's too stiff for a lightwieght rider could feel perfect to someone 20lbs heavier, then too flexy to someone else. My bike fits in like that...lots of complaints about a overly stiff frame, but for someone my weight, it fels great. For that reason alone, test rides are pretty much a must.
I would highly reccomend something with ether STI or Ergopower shifting though, if you don't have it already. It's pretty nice being able to easily change gears without having to let go of the bars.
-Do you wish you had more "tweener" gears (such as 19-20-21, instead of 19-21-23?)
-Do you frequently find yourself running on only one half the cogset, or not using all the rings in your crankset?
-Do you end up hurting on climbs due to not having a low enough gearing?
Now for fit, that I can't give much advice for, since I suck at coherent thought on things like this.
here's some of my thoughts I go through when fitting myself (the bike is the right size, but during adjustments of the saddle, bars, etc:
-is there pinching, and where?
-is there rubbing, and where?
-is one leg working better than the other (a good sign your saddle is cocked to one side, I often end up somehow accomplishing this after long rides)
By the way, I'm a guy, so my fitting criteria could be rather different, so that has part to do in my rather thin advice in that category.
However, for bike makers, any reputable maker should do fine. Just be sure to test ride it first...not all frames made of material "X" will feel the same. Actuallly a frame that's too stiff for a lightwieght rider could feel perfect to someone 20lbs heavier, then too flexy to someone else. My bike fits in like that...lots of complaints about a overly stiff frame, but for someone my weight, it fels great. For that reason alone, test rides are pretty much a must.
I would highly reccomend something with ether STI or Ergopower shifting though, if you don't have it already. It's pretty nice being able to easily change gears without having to let go of the bars.
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First off, good luck.
I would post to this thread asking a mod to delete it, then start a new thread that will attract ♀ cyclists.
"Ladies, I need your help. Woman looking to purchase a new road bike" or something
you will get a lot more posts
again, good luck. there are some very helpful and experienced female cyclists on this forum. A better thread title will attract their attention.
I would post to this thread asking a mod to delete it, then start a new thread that will attract ♀ cyclists.
"Ladies, I need your help. Woman looking to purchase a new road bike" or something
you will get a lot more posts
again, good luck. there are some very helpful and experienced female cyclists on this forum. A better thread title will attract their attention.
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Originally Posted by Loz
I am a 21yo female riding a Avanti Monza comp series road bike. I am looking to upgrade my bike and was wondering if anyone had any tips they could give me, eg, should I go for womens specific? what gearing, particular bikes/brands recommended.
Any help would be great!
Thank you
Any help would be great!
Thank you
#5
Senior Member
Originally Posted by Loz
I am a 21yo female riding a Avanti Monza comp series road bike. I am looking to upgrade my bike and was wondering if anyone had any tips they could give me, eg, should I go for womens specific? what gearing, particular bikes/brands recommended.
Any help would be great!
Thank you
Any help would be great!
Thank you
Bianchi has a good article about gender and fitting here
#6
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WSD bikes are usually for riders below about 5'4". Most taller women find std bikes OK. If you are currently riding a bike, does it fit you well? If yes, measure up the dimensions*, if not, figure out where you want to change.
Check out
https://www.myra-simon.com/bike/tips.html
www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
and a fine custom-builder by/for women
https://www.lunacycles.com/why.html
* when measuring a bike for comparison or for setting up a duplicate, it is much easier to measure distance than angle. Use a 2D grid, with the origin [0,0] at the bottom bracket. Measure the points of contact pedals/saddle/bars, in [x,y].
Check out
https://www.myra-simon.com/bike/tips.html
www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
and a fine custom-builder by/for women
https://www.lunacycles.com/why.html
* when measuring a bike for comparison or for setting up a duplicate, it is much easier to measure distance than angle. Use a 2D grid, with the origin [0,0] at the bottom bracket. Measure the points of contact pedals/saddle/bars, in [x,y].