Average sized rider can't find the right fit

Hi. I am narrowing down options for my next bike purchase. I am leaning toward a Specialized WSD because (some of you may object to this) it is just the easiest option. Best bike shop in town carries them, feelings of loyalty, dislike of other shops, good deal offered. Here's the deal: I am 5 feet 5.5 inches. I understand this to be among the most average sizes of women across America. Yet the 51 feels small and the 54 feels big. Can this be solved through proper fit (of course the shop says so)? Or should I make the painful switch to another brand. Most other brands still have the 51/54 problem, however.

I'm not familiar with Specialized bikes. My road bike is a Trek regular (not WSD). Over the years I've had various changes made to the stem to try to get it to fit better, most recently switching to a very very short stem that angles up in order to bring the handlebars closer. Frankly, I'd prefer to just get another bike that doesn't have such a short stem.

So I would look at other brands to see if I could find one that fit better.

What's your inseam? The problem with WSD is that - if you are a female that has long legs and a short torso, it'll probably fit you great. If you don't have long legs and a short torso, you're usually better off getting a unisex or men's geometry bike.

You might try a non-WSD version of the same bike or determine what, if anything, can be changed up to make either the 51 or 54 WSD fit. What, precisely, feels too big or too small on the bikes anyway? The reach? It's easy enough to tweak that via the stem.

If you do look at other brands, take a look at their actual specs to see how the geometries compare. The size only tells you so much.

I am long-waisted, with a long torso and average legs. I have tried twice to get on a men's bike and twice was re-directed to the WSD. It is the reach that feels too short or too long. The bars feel very close with the 51. They're better with the 54 but I worry about my neck, which is my problem spot.

I would try a longer stem on the 51. I'm long waisted and 5'4. I have one bike that's a 50 and another that's 49, so a 51 for your height doesn't strike me as "wrong." You can lengthen your reach, too, with different bars.In the end, it's easier to make a bike bigger than it is to make it smaller.

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Originally Posted by etack

I am long-waisted, with a long torso and average legs. I have tried twice to get on a men's bike and twice was re-directed to the WSD. It is the reach that feels too short or too long. The bars feel very close with the 51. They're better with the 54 but I worry about my neck, which is my problem spot.

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Have you managed to get on the mens bike to try? I'm 5'1 with short legs/long torso - I have been sold WSD bikes before that I ended up not riding jus because they didn't fit right. I do a lot better on a mens bike. Shops aren't always great at realizing that WSD isn't for all women. At 5'1 - I can ride a men's 50 cm, but generally end up riding a 48 cm bike. So with your height, I think you should be on a 51 or a 50 instead of a 54. The bf's 5'6 and he rides a mens 53 - which is border line too big for him (he's 5'6 with a 33 inch inseam, and should probably be riding WSDs)

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Originally Posted by etack

I have tried twice to get on a men's bike and twice was re-directed to the WSD.

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If your shop won't even let you try a standard bike, I'd switch shops.

(I'm also a chickie with a very long torso, and WSD don't fit me at all. Exactly as you describe.)

I agree with Knot, if you aren't able to try a standard size bike... I'd have to look elsewhere. I am 5'5" and ride a standard bike. Like some of you, I have a long torso and short legs. Anytime I have tried to ride a WSD it simply isn't comfortable... at least for me.

Like so many others have suggested, try several bikes/brands BEFORE buying. The bike should fit YOU and not be something that someone is trying to sell because it's a carryover or the one and only. NOt all women fit on womens bikes.... we certainly don't wear all of the same brand of shoes, helmets, etc... so shops shouldn't assume that we all can ride WSD bikes comfortably.
Good luck!:D

I am 5'3'' and ride a standard (a.k.a. not WSD) geometry 520. I used to own a WSD bike and hated it - my hands went numb because the top-tube wasn't long enough and too much pressure was being exerted on my arms/shoulders. If your torso is longer than your legs WSD might be wrong for you. Hop on all types of bikes - WSD or not. That is the only way to ensure that you'll be satisfied in the end. :) Best of luck to you!

I am 5'5" (half-inch shorter than you). I ride a Trek WSD 7.3FX 17". It fits me very well, except I got a longer stem for it and my wrists were grateful. Good luck finding the right fit!

edit: I have the opposite proportions as you: long legs and shorter torso.

Thank you for all your replies. It seems like WSD bikes are really best for women with short torsos, which I do not have. I bought into the WSD concept because of the lighter weight and the smaller proportions for my hands. My problem is that my local shops don't have a lot on the floor. No 51 Roubaix to try. I have traveled around some, but I have troubled a lot of salespeople along the way in my search for a WSD bike. "Not her again!"

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Originally Posted by etack

Thank you for all your replies. It seems like WSD bikes are really best for women with short torsos, which I do not have. I bought into the WSD concept because of the lighter weight and the smaller proportions for my hands.

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I have a relatively long torso compared to my legs, but my arms are short, too, so a WSD ended up working well for me when all of my stats were assembled. I'm pretty happy with my Cannondale WSD (Féminine) and don't really find that I feel it's too big or too small. Like you, I appreciate the smaller brake/shifter set-up. If you haven't checked out a Cannondale, perhaps the proportions would work well for you, since it sounds like you and I are proportioned similarly. Mine is a 48 (I am 5'3.5"), so maybe a 51 would be comfy.

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Originally Posted by etack

the smaller proportions for my hands.

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I think I'm missing something here.
Every bike I've bought, the LBS has been willing to switch the bars and shifters across the board to fit my hands before I even left the shop (and at no extra charge).

The only time a shop hasn't done that is when I've specifically said I liked what the bike came with.

Am I just leading a charmed life? Doesn't every shop do this? Are women being fed a line and forced to buy WSD frames that don't fit just to get bars and levers that do?

(My LBS even did this for me on a $350 Kona Smoke, and I've never bought a bike over $1,000, so it's not a "high end bike" thing.)

I think it depends on where you are, how much competition your LBS has, and just their general personality.

I had to pay to swap my cranks from the 170 mm that came on the frame that fit me, to the same crankset in 165 mm. They acted like they were doing me a favor by not charging me for the labor. My bike wasn't super expensive, but it wasn't the cheapest thing on the shop floor, either, a far cry from your Kona.

Also, the short-reach Shimano shifters are Ultegra-grade and Ultegra price. If they were swapping them out on a bike that came with 105 or less, honestly I'd expect to at least pay the difference.

I don't find that shops are all 'that' willing to accommodate women. I have to really push to get things the way I want them and usually they act like I'm rude but I don't care when I'm spending that much money. Unfortunately there aren't that many options so like Oak said prolly not as much competition here so they get away with more crap like that.

I suggest you try out the men's (non-WSD) bike in a couple of sizes. If the overall bike feels good, but the levers or bars seem too big, the bike shop should work with you to change them out. At least try the non-WSD bikes before making a decision.

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Originally Posted by etack

I am long-waisted, with a long torso and average legs. I have tried twice to get on a men's bike and twice was re-directed to the WSD. It is the reach that feels too short or too long. The bars feel very close with the 51. They're better with the 54 but I worry about my neck, which is my problem spot.

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If you have a long torso and average legs a WSD bike was not made for you. You can probably make one fit (especially if they came in a 52 or 53), but there is no reason you shouldn't be also riding "men's" bikes (especially since, at least in Specialized the corresponding men's line fills that needed 52 gap).

If the shop is refusing to let you test ride "men's" frames they don't truly understand fitting. I'd run for the hills. In fact *I* would never set foot back in the store actually.

Stand your ground. Insist on being able to test ride the "men's" 52. Or walk away and find another store with another brand whose sizing fits you better (either in "men's" or "WSD").

THIS is why I hate these terms!!! Screws people out of bikes that would fit better, especially if the shop is less than stellar.


Side note: Small stem length/angle changes and bar swaps can make a large difference in the feel of the bike. A GOOD bike shop will swap stems around for you during test rides especially if something is feeling just a hair long or short to you.

Sounds like you really might be in between sizes in the WSD specialized stuff, however.

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Originally Posted by etack

My problem is that my local shops don't have a lot on the floor. No 51 Roubaix to try. I have traveled around some, but I have troubled a lot of salespeople along the way in my search for a WSD bike. "Not her again!"

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I'm not sure if I'm reading the tone right here -- but you shouldn't feel guilty about insisting on finding a bike that fits. You aren't "troubling" them -- they are there to help you, and you will be helping to keep them in business in return. When my boyfriend bought a bike a few years ago we must have tested a dozen bikes (between two shops), making many repeat visits over maybe two months. I've been quicker to decide in most cases, but with my commuting bike I probably tested 6-8 between the two shops. It's part of the business, I think.

I wonder, have you had a bike that fits in the past? Is part of the problem that you're not exactly sure what you should be feeling?