Does anyone sell womens specific frames only?

[skunk]

Longer top tube doesn't mean more stretched out. It just means longer. Unless I've missed it, this is the first time you've mentioned her size which, I agree, can limit your choices. You'll need to actually look at geometry, the drawings, to really get an idea of headtube length and necessary rise of the stem to get the saddle/bar drop.

There's lots of bikes out there with 51cm top tubes but maybe not low end AL and carbon as a frame-only. Which begs the question why that material?

It's sounding like she's new to cycling? You want her to be comfortable, have fun and fall in love with cycling? Sorry, I'm just reading between the lines here.

Have you considered something like a Gunnar Sport?
http://www.gunnarbikes.com/sport.php

That would be a fabulous first bike with a Campy build. At least one of our TE members has a Roadie and I've heard her (and others) comment on the comfort over and over.

Doesn't longer make you more stretched out since your arms are going to be further away from your butt (if all other measurements stay the same)?

I myself prefer Al,Ti or Carbon. I'm not a big fan of steel, and it's not easy to come across cheap Ti bikes with womens geometry so thats why I'm looking for Al or Carbon.

[SadieKate]

Sorry about that. I edited my post to say what I meant. Longer doesn't mean lower.*

And steel can be just as wonderful as the other materials and in your price range provide a lot more options. What kind of ride does she like?

*PS - if you don't quote the entire thread directly above your response, those of us who type too fast and don't proofread won't have our mistakes documented for perpetuity.

[skunk]

Sorry about that. I edited my post to say what I meant. Longer doesn't mean lower.*

And steel can be just as wonderful as the other materials and in your price range provide a lot more options. What kind of ride does she like?

*PS - if you don't quote the entire thread directly above your response, those of us who type too fast and don't proofread won't have our mistakes documented for perpetuity.

I found a 50 cm 2005 Specialized S-Works E5 frame thats on ebay right now for $100 that has 52.5 cm top tube. I'm not sure about the geometry though since it's a race bike.

I don't know what type of riding she likes since she hasn't ridden a bike in a long long time. I'd assume that she prefers a relaxed ride with minimal traffic and no climbs.

[SadieKate]

"kind of ride" - as in the type of ride the frame material can provide.

Many of the manufacturers will keep old frame spec info on their websites.

1.5 cm is a lot of difference in reach. You'll need to take into account stem length, the reach of the bar and the length of the hoods.

[skunk]

"kind of ride" - as in the type of ride the frame material can provide.

Many of the manufacturers will keep old frame spec info on their websites.

1.5 cm is a lot of difference in reach. You'll need to take into account stem length, the reach of the bar and the length of the hoods.

At this point I think she'd want something that was comfortable. The Specialized she tried has a 51.8 top tube and a 12.5 head tube. The E5 has a 52.5 top tube and a 10 head tube. I should be able to match that by getting a shorter stem with a big rise or using spacers. I'll be getting her shallow drop, reach bars with campy shifters.

[Grog]

Just to relieve SK for a moment here...

Just become your girlfriend is, well, a girl, doesn't mean she needs a women-specific bike. Actually, women-specific bikes are just different frames, with different measurements, and a lot of marketing. What she needs is a bike that fits, no? That will depend on the length and size of her various body parts relative to each other, of her ease on the bike, etc. Just because she has not ridden in a while doesn't mean she'll be into comfort or low-traffic or racing or something else. This suggests playing it safe in getting a "simple", not too expensive first bike, yet good enough (avoiding cheap, frustrating components if possible), giving her chances to experiment and to decide what she really wants for her second bike.

I understand that doing things yourself might be a big difference in cost in the end, especially if you have parts at hand, plus: you're pouring a lot of love in the project which I am sure will be noticed but I would suggest getting help from people who know their stuff about fitting, and getting her as involved as possible in the process, so she really feels that it's HER bike, and it really fits like it's meant for HER (not for the "generic woman" out there, whoever that is).

Thanks for doing this, we all wish we had a special person building a bike for us.

ETA: Although at this stage I'd rather build one myself.

[skunk]

Just to relieve SK for a moment here...

Just become your girlfriend is, well, a girl, doesn't mean she needs a women-specific bike. Actually, women-specific bikes are just different frames, with different measurements, and a lot of marketing. What she needs is a bike that fits, no? That will depend on the length and size of her various body parts relative to each other, of her ease on the bike, etc. Just because she has not ridden in a while doesn't mean she'll be into comfort or low-traffic or racing or something else. This suggests playing it safe in getting a "simple", not too expensive first bike, yet good enough (avoiding cheap, frustrating components if possible), giving her chances to experiment and to decide what she really wants for her second bike.

I understand that doing things yourself might be a big difference in cost in the end, especially if you have parts at hand, plus: you're pouring a lot of love in the project which I am sure will be noticed but I would suggest getting help from people who know their stuff about fitting, and getting her as involved as possible in the process, so she really feels that it's HER bike, and it really fits like it's meant for HER (not for the "generic woman" out there, whoever that is).

Thanks for doing this, we all wish we had a special person building a bike for us.

ETA: Although at this stage I'd rather build one myself.

I've been to a couple of shops around me and have yet to find one with great knowledgable service. Most of them don't carry many womens frames and most don't carry mens frames small enough for my girlfriend to try. They tell me to go home, do my research on the internet to figure out what size would fit her and then they can order the bike for me...

My experience so far has been worse than that of buying a car. Stores would rather tell me what I should buy instead of sell me what I want. The worst part is some of these sales people don't seem like they know anything about bikes at all. I understand that these people are trying to make a living but when they try to tell me things like "oh, swapping out ultegra components for 105 won't save you much money" or persistently try to sell me a race bike for a girl who hasn't ridden a bike with gears, I get a little offended and would rather build my own bike.

You are 100% correct in me not wanting to get her a super nice bike but not a total crap bike. This is why I'm looking for a low end frame with medium range components. This way if the frame doesn't fit or she wants to upgrade I can just swap out the frame and I won't lose a big chunk of change.