Tall girls: men's or women's frame?

[landlockedtri]

I'm 5'10" and buying a new road bike. In addition to crazy long legs, I have a really long torso and wide shoulders. I have walked into a couple bike shops and had the salesman take one look at me and tell me to get a men's bike. I walked another, and the guy was hard selling a 56cm women's specific bike. I have always had men's bikes, and in my experience, "Women's Specific" stuff is chronically too small, so I am skeptical about buying a women's bike. However, I realize that bikes have come a long way recently, so I don't want to dismiss a good bike just because of my preconceived prejudices...SO my questions to all tall women:

What kind of bike do you have?
Men's or Women's?
Why?
Love it? Hate it?

[Becky]

Truthfully, I wouldn't get too hung up on "men's" vs. "women's" bikes. Buy what fits. Based on your self-description of long torso and wide shoulders, I'd probably steer you towards a "man's" bike, because as a rule, it will be longer in the top tube than a "woman's" bike with similar standover height. Also, women-specific bikes (especially the smaller sizes) often have shorter crankarms and narrow handlebars, which are great things for more petite women, but don't fit everyone.

I would try a bunch of different bikes, mens and womens, and see what feels better. Pay attention to things like reach, crankarm length, handlebar reach and width. You'll begin to get a sense of what feels "normal", and that will help steer you towards the right ride.

FWIW, I'm 5'5" with a ~33" cycling inseam, and I ride a "men's" 49 cm Bianchi that fits just fine.

Good luck bike hunting- post an update when you find your new ride! :)

[kat_h]

I tried some women's bikes and they didn't fit me. I tried some men's bikes that didn't fit me either. Finally I found one that's a pretty good fit.

Every bike will be different - different height, different top tube length, different stem length, different angles between each of them. Even once you find one that mostly fits you may still want different handlebars or a different stem or different angle to the seat.

[spokewench]

I'm not particularly tall - 5'4", but I have never owned a women's specific bike. But, I'm not the what they quote say is a typical woman vs. men's body, (Woman - short torso, longer legs, shorter arms) (Man - Longer torso, shorter legs, longer arms)

I have a fairly long torso so I fit a men's frame just fine - I, however, do spec the bike for things like, narrow shoulders (narrow handlebars) small hands, shorty reach brake levers, women's saddle, for my wider pelvis and wider seatbones.

You really just need to go somewhere where they fit you well and you need to feel comfortable and not cramped up - so if that WSD bike feels cramped, don't buy it, or if it feels only slightly cramped maybe it is for you with a longer stem. It is so variable, you just have to look, try and get some really good advice if you are new to all this.

[tulip]

Try alot of different bikes and go with the one that fits, regardless of to whom it's targeted.

[KnottedYet]

I'm 5'8" with long legs, longish torso, and long long long arms. I have 4 bikes.

All are "men's" bikes, but honestly, that means nothing. If you have the inclination, it might be a good idea to get a Serrotta fit where they set you up on this crazy adjustable faux-bike until you feel fabulous. Then they take the measurements of the faux-bike and from there figure out what real bikes would fit you (or how to make them fit).

Some shops deduct the cost of the Serotta fit from the final cost of whatever bike you eventually buy from them.