Which bike do you ride & why?

[lilred]

I'm really curious to know how many of you ride women specific frames.
What do you ride and why did you choose it? Are you still happy with your choice? Is it a women's specific frame?
Just curious.

[TrekJeni]

I ride a WSD Trek 6700 for mtbing. My cross bike is a Fuji Cross Pro (not women's specific) and my road bike is a lowly little Trek 1000 (also not a WSD).

Although I am only 5'4", I've got decently long legs and fit mens bikes okay. I like the fit of all of my bikes. The boyfriend (who's family owns a local bike shop) says, "They work".

My advice is to ride everything, take notes, narrow down your list, and ride some more.

I didn't help did I?

Jeni

[mimitabby]

I ride a custom bike. I guess it's WSD because I'm longer in the leg and shorter in the torso and I'm less than 5'4"
My bike was made by guys who live in my town. I like that very much. There are things I don't like about my bike, but they are minor; and today when i was sailing down the road at 19mph (tailwind ) there wasn't a bike in the world I'd rather have!

[bike4ever]

I'm currently on a Salsa Ala Carte - nice regular steel frame. I've regularly been on men's frames due to my body geometry.

[Irulan]

I have four mountain bikes. Only one is wsd frame, and that is only because it was the right bike at the right price at the right time at the right shop. I did not "intentionally" go looking for wsd.

[crazycanuck]

I just ride a Scott Scale 40..

[KnottedYet]

I have four bikes (Waterford X12, Surly Crosscheck, Giant RS940, Kona Smoke).

None are WSD.

All are steel. And I love them all.

[NbyNW]

Kinda wordy, but I hope it answers your questions --

I would probably consider a WSD bike if I were shopping for something new, as I get the impression that they seem to be designed for short torso/long legs. Not that my legs are particularly long (I'm 5'1"), but I think my torso is short based on how clothes fit, or don't. What I struggle with is that some of the LBS' that I've been to that carry WSD bikes . . . often don't have them in a size that is small enough for me to test ride!

I think my MTB pre-dates the concept of WSD . . . at any rate, I don't recall the term being tossed around when I bought it in 1998. It was the only thing that fit me in my budget at the time. It's a GT Rebound, size 12.5". I'm still happy with it . . . but to be honest I haven't had a chance to take it off road in 5 years (I blame grad school and injury), so recently it has become my neighborhood/utility bike. The knobby tires are going back on this summer, though. This is the cheapest, heaviest, ugliest bike I own but it holds the most sentimental value. The longer I have it the more I love it.

For years I thought my MTB was the tiniest bike ever, but then I met my road bike, which is a Rodriguez Rainier, size "S1" which is their smallest standard size (I measure it at 43cm) but I can't say for sure if it's WSD. I'm told that the frame design is based on measurement data they've collected from years of building custom bikes for petite riders who are mostly women. Love it. It does all the work for me on hills. Chose it b/c Rodriguez has excellent customer service and they make bikes for small riders, and they're 10 minutes away from me. And a good chunk of it was paid for by an insurance claim.

My folding bike that I commute on is a Dahon SpeedPro TT. Dahons are one-size-fits-most. It fits me just fine, it's peppy, I love the color, and it stays safely under my desk while I work. And I wanted to support my friend's company, because I think it's going in a really good direction.

[BluePeace2]

I ride a Radon Mid season, we got it because it fitted, was in my price range and had what I wanted on it. I found the breaks that I wanted and was going to have those breaks! I looked at a women's specific but it cost more and had lower components on it oh and they had run out of my size so mens bike it is
M road bike was hand made for the girl who had it before me so I guess you could say it's women's specific

[Eden]

I have an '05 Specialized Ruby Pro. It is a WSD and in general there are no unisex bikes that are made to fit a 5' nothing like me. Not only am I short, I am the stereotypical longer legged, short torso build, so WSD does fit me better.

I went with the Ruby as it was the only high end stock bike I could get that year that would actually fit me properly.... I had been racing for a year and was looking for an upgrade from my relatively heavy aluminium Fuji. I think since then a few more companies have brought out a small high end model. I am very happy with my bike and I don't regret it at all.

[7rider]

My mtb is a '03 Klein Palomino. It's not WSD, but I generally can't fit WSD frames. I did swap out the stem for something a little shorter and with a bit more rise. For the all of about a half dozen times I use it a year, it seems to work fine. It's a better bike than I am a rider.
My commuter and road bike are also not WSD. My road bike is custom, so it is specific to me.

[Aggie_Ama]

My mountain bike is a Scott Contessa 30 (WSD) because it was a steal on Craigslist ($200 minimal wear). Seems to fit pretty well and is teaching me mountain biking, very happy with this choice.

My road bike is a Cannondale WSD because it fit me well (longish legs, short short torso). I know I made the right decision on this one, it fits like a glove.

My commuter is a KHS Flite Road bike (men's) because it was cheap and fit good enough. I wish this one fit me a little better but it is a commuter so it works.

[ima_bleeder]

I ride a 29" HT (Niner e.m.d.) mountain bike, and a Specialized Tri-Cross 'cross bike.

Neither of my bikes is WSD, although I'd consider it in a future bike. I'm 5'4" and have the smallest possible stem on the mountain bike. And I ride a stretched out position (more XC racing than DH/Freeride). So maybe my legs are longer than I think they are.

I'm restricted by budget, but when it's possible I'm interested in picking up a FS mountain bike, and possibly a road bike. And when I finally have the cash I might still end up with a "regular" men's frame for my next bike, but I think it's a good idea to test ride as many bikes as possible before committing, and that will include the WSD options.

[SadieKate]

I have three mountain bikes - Titus Racer X, Marin Mt Vision and a Litespeed Unicoi - each for a difference use. None are women specific, but none are stock bikes. Even at 5'3", I've found that finetuning things like bar width and suspension settings gets you what you need for performance. Choosing components like brake levers for reach adjustment is critical. But none of these things are "woman" specific. There are lots of men who have the same issues.

Fit on a mtb is not the micromillimeter measurement demand that a road bike can require. I like all my bikes for what I do with them.

[Crankin]

I have a mid level FS Norco mountain bike. It's a size small (15"). I think I could have bought the extra small, but it's fine for the little bit of mountain biking I do. I'm 5' 1", with short legs, a petite sized torso, and average hands for short arms. I had 2 wsd road bikes and now I have a Kuota that is essentially too big for me. Don't ask. I told the shop owner I had stupid written all over my face. I have had the brakes shimmed and a shorter stem put on, but I still don't feel comfortable descending in the drops. He said he would take the frame back and work with me, but after 2 years of riding it, I guess I am used to it. And, I am embarrassed that I bought it.