WSD road bikes - your opinion

[fretwes]

HI everyone - I'm new to these forums and relatively new to serious cycling. My husband and I have had road bikes for a while but just this year got into it in a serious way. We're in Western PA so our rides (usually in the 35 mile range) involve a lot of climbing. I have a Trek 2000 that's about 5 years old and I inheritied from my husband when he got a new bike. I got professionally fitted to the bike but now that I"m spending alot of time riding and climbing, I'm wondering about at some point upgrading to a WSD bike.

I'd love to hear your comments, thoughts, experiences on this topic. I'm 5 feet 6 inches and 130 pounds with longish legs and arms - so I"m not a small woman by any means that needs a tiny bike.

[Pedal Wench]

WSD designs aren't just for small women - even us bigger ones sometimes can benefit from WSD. You're self-described long legs makes you an ideal candidate. WSD takes into account that 'in general' women tend to have longer legs and shorter torsos, compared to a man of the exact same height. So, you might benefit from one, but you can only tell by getting a pro fit. I have two WSD that I loved, but without a hitch switched to a standard (albeit compact) geometry a few months ago, and they both fit well.

[shadon]

I'm in the short range....5'2", with more of my height in my legs, short torso and short arms (buying shirts is tough!). The WSD bikes I've test ridden have made all the difference...for me I think it's the narrower handlebars.

My road bike will definetely be a WSD, it's toss up btwn the Trek 1500 and the Specialized Dolce Elite

[bikerchick68]

absolutely try a WSD bike... go and take one (or 2 or 3... as many different brands as you can find!) for a spin... as mentioned with longer legs and a shorter torso the geometry of a WSD may work really well for you... they typically have a shorter top tube designed with womens shorter torsos in mind...

I tried WSD bikes and they did NOT fit me. I have short legs for a woman and a longer torso. So at 5'7" I am on a man' 49cm bike... I rode everything I could get my hands on before buying a bike... much like test driving to buy a new car!

After riding a bike that truly fit I had the shop "WSD" it for me! The put on smaller handlebars, short reach levers and a womens saddle of my choosing. Suddenly I had the perfect bike... no regrets whatsoever. Great bike that is comfie and works perfectly for me!

[bluerider]

I love the WSD. It's anatomically more geared for women which I felt right away when I tried a non-WSD bike. I have a 1500 WSD and have the opposite body type of yours. I have a long torso and arms and short legs. I'm 5'2 and ride a 47cm which fits me perfectly. I love the WSO so thumbs up from me.

[SalsaMTB]

It's definitely worth checking out, but make sure you ride as many bikes as possible before deciding, both WSD and non-WSD. I have a WSD MTB and it's OK but I have a non-WSD road bike and LOVE the fit. I didn't try that many bikes prior to my MTB purchase and now know that the frame is a little tight (I have a really long stem on it but it's still a tad tight). I definitely think there are some people who WSD is best for, but be sure not to limit yourself!

[bcipam]

The key is to have a proper fitting done. The person fitting you can then tell you if a WSD bike will work or be right. It's not for every woman. The bikes are designed (as previously stated) for a woman with longer legs than torso and shorter arms. If you legs and arms are both long, then the WSD bike may not be right. The proper size "man" bike, with alittle tweaking here and there, maybe better.

Bottom line for me, before spending the money, I would have a fitting. Get it right the first tme around.

[Trekhawk]

The key is to have a proper fitting done. The person fitting you can then tell you if a WSD bike will work or be right. It's not for every woman. The bikes are designed (as previously stated) for a woman with longer legs than torso and shorter arms. If you legs and arms are both long, then the WSD bike may not be right. The proper size "man" bike, with alittle tweaking here and there, maybe better.
Bottom line for me, before spending the money, I would have a fitting. Get it right the first tme around.

The girls are right try out plenty and see which fits best. I have a Trek "man" bike and love it. The only thing I have done to it is add shims to bring the brake levers a little closer. Im 5' 4" and ride a 50 frame. Works for me. :)

[littleblue]

I'm a relatively new rider - got my littleblue almost one year ago. It's a men's Specialized Roubaix, fit perfectly to me by my genius friend Laura at our LBS. Shims in the brakes and a seat that fits. Find someone who knows what they're doing and have them fit you to your favorite bike. I LOVE my bike. My hubby got me going after he was bitten by the bug. Anyway, find the bike you love (regardless of whether it's a man's or woman's) and have it fit to you and give it a go!

[Hammer]

I currently have a hybrid, and I really enjoy riding. I just got it in July. I'm thinking about getting a roadbike sometime next season. But, I'm not certain. I've already spent my tax return in my head a million times. :D Anyway, I thought that over the winter months I could spend some quality time shopping for a bike without pressure to buy it now.

I'd be skeptical trying it out in the parking lot when it's winter... but can you get an idea for the basic fit of a bike inside on a trainer? Narrow the selection down to 3-5 or so or 2-3 and then come back later and take them for a spin?

Also, for a total rookie question, how do you shift on a roadbike? I've noticed the little switches near the brake levers on some bikes... how does that work? I'll feel like a total putz trying to shop for a roadbike having never been on one in the first place, but I don't know anyone in my local club well enough to ask to try theirs.

[profàvélo]

Ditto everything that has been said, with an emphasis on fit.

I am very close to you in size. I rode for several years on a (man's) LeMond. I loved the bike, but I always had neck/shoulder pain. We moved, and when I started really riding again, my husband took the bike and me to a guy at a LBS that he had come to trust. The guy put me on the trainer for a while to check the fit. He recommended yet another stem--longer, I think--and said that it would be the best we could do. (He was not trying to sell us a bike, honestly.) So hubby said I could get a new bike for my birthday. I tried out a few and ended up with the Specialize Dolce Elite, which has compact geometry. I have loved it and have been riding like crazy ever since (Feb. 2004). And no more neck/shoulder pain.

Bottom line: Find someone you trust to check your fit. We thought the guys at the bike shop that sold me my first bike knew what they were doing, but they didn't, and I didn't know any better because I had never ridden a road bike before.

[Grog]

Also, for a total rookie question, how do you shift on a roadbike? I've noticed the little switches near the brake levers on some bikes... how does that work? I'll feel like a total putz trying to shop for a roadbike having never been on one in the first place, but I don't know anyone in my local club well enough to ask to try theirs.

If they are STI shifters (of which most bikes are equipped nowadays) you shift with the same device with which you brake. Instead of pulling them towards you (for braking), you push them towards the in-side of the bike. There is a black plastic lever that is smaller (if you have Shimano it's black plastic, if you have Campagnolo shifters they're metal but still shorter) and the brake lever itself which can also be pushed sideways. On the right hand side, the black lever upshifts and the silver one downshifts. It's the other way around on the left hand side.

I'm not sure my explanation is very clear, but just try playing with them, nothing can explode, really... When my road bike kind of landed on me (I didn't buy it in a store so I had nobody to ask questions to), I turned it on the saddle and handlebars in the living room and played around with the shifters for a while until I figured out how they worked. You can always do that too...

(Actually STI is the name of the shifters for Shimano. Campy uses another name, but it's the same basic principles.)

Enjoy!

[Trekhawk]

If they are STI shifters (of which most bikes are equipped nowadays) you shift with the same device with which you brake. Instead of pulling them towards you (for braking), you push them towards the in-side of the bike. There is a black plastic lever that is smaller (if you have Shimano it's black plastic, if you have Campagnolo shifters they're metal but still shorter) and the brake lever itself which can also be pushed sideways. On the right hand side, the black lever upshifts and the silver one downshifts. It's the other way around on the left hand side.
!

Hey Grog - that is really clear. Wish I had that explanation when I first got my bike. My husband explained it too me but not as clearly and in the end I was just like yeh Ill work it out. Well I took off and made the first mistake by turning right instead of left and heading straight up a huge hill. Well of course I needed to change down but oopps idiot me changed up to my biggest gear and of course nearly fell off. I still laugh when I go up that hill now remembering the onset of panic when the bike just stopped and me trying to unclip. :D :D
Reading this would have been a whole lot easier.

[fretwes]

Thanks everyone. I think I will try a few WSD bikes out on trainers over the winter and see how they feel. I'm in no rush. The bike I have is working for me. I do notice when I do a lot of climbing my lower back gets sore, and I also can't reach the brakes when I'm down on the drop bars, which makes me nervous. But possibly smaller handle bars could solve that.

I've been drooling over some of the new WSD 2006 bikes on the Trek site. But, I don't want to rush into anything. Thanks again!

[wingding]

I bought my first road bike this past spring. I bought a Specialized Dolce. It's 44 cm and fits. I'm 5 feet 1.5 inches tall. This bike fits me really well. The only thing I regret is not buying the next model up of the Dolce with better components, but that's another topic.

[fixedgeargirl]

I am lucky enough to have a custom bike builder in the house, so my road bike was WSD before anyone came up with the term. It has all the features here the ladies are talking about: shorter relative top tube, short-reach brake levers, narrow handlebars. I love, love, love it :D!

One thing no-one has brought up is short cranks. I know Trek is spec'ing "shorter" cranks on their WSDs, though I don't know what length. I have 165cm cranks on both my road and mt. bikes. For the record, I'm 5'3" and have size 6.5 feet. I bring up foot size, because that is a part of the total leg length that you use to get the pedals around. I experience greater efficiency in turning a smaller circle. When I have ridden a longer crank (since being on 165s) I feel a loss of power and efficiency, like my leg has to go too far and gets out of its power zone. Not exactly a scientific explanation, but it is something I have perceived. Just another thing to consider if you do wind up with a *men's* frame which you then customize to fit you.

[caligurl]

my dolce has shorter cranks: 167.5....

[Trek420]

fixedgeargirl notices "One thing no-one has brought up is short cranks."

my first road bike got customised with 165 cm cranks.

my road bike now has 170 cm.

I never had both bikes at the same time I have not compared the two. According to my shop and builder with 170 I get more power on flats and downhill, with 165 the cranks turn over quicker, may be easier spinning up hill.

What is odd is on my old bike, a Trek 420 when I switched to 165 cm I felt an imediate sense of "Aww, not it fits!". But I did not even notice that I had 170 cm cranks now till Adventure girl pointed it out to me on a ride. She's about my height, I'm 5'1" and she has 165 cm. But on this bike 170's's felt "right" to me.

Would I be faster uphill (or at least GET uphill) on 165's? Probably.

Would it fit me less well on this frame? Probably.

It's part of what makes this sport so fascinating, eh?

PS: Happy Birthday Spazzdog

[Adventure Girl]

But I did not even notice that I had 170 cm cranks now till Adventure girl pointed it out to me on a ride. She's about my height, I'm 5'1" and she has 165 cm.I rarely get to ride any other bikes that come close to fitting me. So when Trek420's bike called my name, my (almost) 5'0" body answered! Her bike is SOOOOOOOOOO different from mine. Her bike is a steel bike with Campy Record and 700 wheels. Mine is a carbon bike with Shimano DuraAce and 650's.

I only rode it around a little on the flats. But one of the first thing I noticed was the crank lengths. All my bikes have 165's (road and mountain). So that feels "right" for me. It doesn't seem like I should be able to tell the difference in 5mm per crank (10mm overall), but they definitely felt different.

I think the bottom line of WSD or not is get what fits your body. Women with longer legs, shorter torso blah blah blah is just generalization. I bought a WSD bike only because they didn't make my bike in a "MSD" (aka "man bike") in my size. The smallest "man frame" for that bike was 50cm. I ride a 47cm.

[Trek420]

Adventure Girl "I rarely get to ride any other bikes that come close to fitting me. So when Trek420's bike called my name, my (almost) 5'0" body answered!"

Called your name? She almost followed you home :) :D

And silly me not trying your OCLV :confused:

those of you 5'4" or over may not understand the almost irrational need to try or even buy anytime you see a bike your size it's "I'll never find one again!" ;) :rolleyes:

[RedCanny]

those of you 5'4" or over may not understand the almost irrational need to try or even buy anytime you see a bike your size it's "I'll never find one again!" ;) :rolleyes:

Well, we do, but for another reason. When I find a pair of size 11 shoes, footwear of any kind, I do indeed feel a quite irrational need to buy them. At least shoes are usually a little less expensive than bikes. However, currently I'm on the hunt for snowboard boots. They may end up costing as much as my Trek 7200FX!

So, while my 5'9" long-legged short-bodied, long-armed frame may never need a WSD bike, I do sympathize, and I am glad that the industry is adapting.