scared I made a bad purchase for my girlfriend

[jimmy]

I'm concerned that I may have bought my girlfriend too small of a bike. She's a smidgen over 5'7".

We were looking around for a few days as I really wanted to make sure she was sized correctly and got the proper fit. At the first LBS, we first tried a 15.5" Wahoo WSD which we were told was too small for her. The 17.5" Gary Fisher Wahoo WSD seemed a little large (she was stretched out a little too much).

At another LBS, we found a 17" 2010 Kona Lisa HT and ended up picking it up for a decent price. I love the frame and the components, but I have a feeling it might be a bit small for her now that we've taken it out for a ride. The top tube length on the 17" kona and wheelbase are identical to that of the 15.5" Gary Fisher Wahoo WSD which we were told by another bike shop that it was soo small for her.

She's just starting out and not a good judge of fit, and I'm not great at eyeballing it. I'm feeling really bad now as I wanted her to have the perfect fit and this is a big investment. Does a 17" 2010 Kona Lisa HT sound small for someone who's around 5'7"?

I'm not really sure what to do - should I see if I can return the bike and have them order a current year 17" Kona Lisa HT since the new one has a slightly longer top tube and wheelbase?

Edit: the 17" is the medium frame in 2010

[Grog]

Hi Jimmy and welcome to TE. It's nice that you care about the fit of your girlfriend's bike. I am sure that you are passionate about cycling and that you are looking forward to her joining you in your passion. Did I get that right?

I'm afraid she will be a much better judge than you are about how this bike fits, even if she is a beginner. I have ridden tens of thousands of kilometers on the road and I have been on bikes that fit "by the book" (according to my expert bike fitter) but that were not comfortable to me. Who cares if in theory it fits if, in practice, it's not what I need?

Also, there is a lot more than height in how a bike fits. Take me for example: I have long arms and legs (and feet and toes and hands and fingers) but a very short torso. You could have another woman the same height as me but with different proportions, and she would need a different bike. "WSD" is just an indication that the geometry will be oriented to average female proportions... which doesn't mean it's the solution for your girlfriend.

Finally, I don't know if a first bike can be the perfect fit. I wouldn't put too much pressure on yourself or on her for that. Maybe you'd be better off looking for a "good fit" (in HER opinion), and buy a less expensive bike (or second hand) to reduce the pressure of getting *perfect*? The important part is that she feels comfortable on the bike. If she doesn't, she won't ride it, so what's the point? (Or she will ride it, feel insecure on it, and get into a fight with you. You don't want that I'm sure!)

Get a bike that she feels fits about right, go ride and have fun. She needs to become empowered about cycling and soon she'll be making her own decisions about what is right for her.

And: SEND HER HERE!!

[zoom-zoom]

According to this chart (http://bicycling.about.com/od/howtoride/a/MTB_sizing.htm) (of course, these things are always YMMV) the 17 sounds in the ballpark.

Of course, every person and every bike/mfgr. is different, but I am a skoosh under 5'4" and have a 16" mtn bike that I never ride...because it's definitely a hair too big for me. I would have been happier on a 15, but when I was fit it was by a kid who didn't know what he was doing and we didn't know that he didn't know what he was doing. We've learned a lot in 15 or so years.

[Cataboo]

17" for a mountain bike for a 5'7 inch person seems fine or a little big. I'm 5'1 & ride a 13-14" mountain bike, while a friend is 5'6 & rides a 15/16" mountain bike - they have a 33" inseam though. So in general, I'd say a 17" frame should be fine for her, but there's variations given specific geometry of that frame and your gf's specific measurements, which we don't know.

Anyways. For mountain biking, you want a smaller frame with more standover that you can kind of throw or haul around easily. You can fit a road bike frame much bigger.

You could have her professionally fit to the bike. is she complaining about anything on long rides? You can change the length of the stem to make the top tube longer (or at least the handlebars further away). You can change the handlebars and how much rise or sweep they have. You could put a setback seatpost on it as well. But before you do all that, I think you should find someone who knows about fit.

If you post pics of what your gf riding the bike, we can give you more comments... but once she starts doing longer rides, I'm sure she'll give you feedback on what hurts

[Irulan]

There are many variations in body proportion and fit. If the LBS isn't very useful, my suggestion is

1. understand what WSD is and is not. It is most definitely NOT for every woman out there, but for some women, of a very certain body type, it's very beneficial. SO don't buy WSD just because it exists,
2.Try two bikes, same model, different sizes. Example, a 15 and a 17. Try them both, understand the differences and nuances of the fit. Get to feel what too big and too small feel like, so that you can take a stab at "just right".
3. chances are first bike will not be a perfect fit, so just accept it. Getting close is good though. Most mountain bikers don't understand what they need until they've been riding for a while.

FWIW i'm 5'3 and have a 16' mtb a 15' mtb, another 16' mtb and a women's med FST.


But before you do all that, I think you should find someone who knows about fit.


What she said.

[Aggie_Ama]

Yes, some companies put care and thought into their WSD. You will look at the geometry chart and see a very distinct change in the numbers from the same size non-WSD. Some companies just "shrink it and pink it" they may use shorter cranks, narrower bars and short reach brake levers but overall it is the same bike as their men's bikes. True WSD works great for me (short torso, long legs) but my mountain bike is an unisex. The company (Specialized) uses shorter top tubes so it just worked for me. My previous mountain bike was a true WSD (changes in many parts of the geometry) and fit awesome. So find a good fitter and make sure what she needs if you are pretty worried.

I learned to ride on a "good enough fit" now on my third mountain bike I am strating to find preferences in bars, stems, suspension, tube lengths. Fit isn't as key as a road bike just don't want to be too off.