Does anyone sell womens specific frames only?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Luna makes only steel bikes. She wants aluminum or one of the less expensive carbon frames.

[skunk]

I just looked over the Kona Lisa Rd and they are on sale on a couple of online shops for $1200 - $1300. I think I might get her that if I can't find a frame, it has pretty nice specs

[ridebikeme]

Although this is not a WSD... I have a Cannondale CAAD 7 frame and fork. It has never been built up, carbon fork, and weighs 2.9 lbs! I'd sell it for $700. a size 50cm

[SadieKate]

skunk, since no one has asked yet, why do you want WSD?

[SJCzar]

My WSD Madone frame was ordered by my LBS and built up in their shop. Mine was a Project One paint job, but I'm fairly certain it can be done with a stock frame as well.

[skunk]

skunk, since no one has asked yet, why do you want WSD?

My girlfriend is a girl so I assume she'd be better off with WSD geometry. I don't want her to hate cycling because the bike geometry is to aggressive.

My WSD Madone frame was ordered by my LBS and built up in their shop. Mine was a Project One paint job, but I'm fairly certain it can be done with a stock frame as well.

I know it can be done for the higher end frames but for the low end frames I don't think everyone will do it and I'm not even sure if Trek sells just 1000 or 1600 frames. I'm having a shop look into that right now. The shop owner told me he might be able to get one through warranty. We'll see what happens.

[SadieKate]

My girlfriend is a girl so I assume she'd be better off with WSD geometry. I don't want her to hate cycling because the bike geometry is to aggressive.

Nope, not true. Last I checked, WSD has to do with fit not performance.

How are you determining size and fit of the bike? WSD is not for all wimmen-types.

Ooh, boy, have I just opened a can of worms.

[skunk]

Nope, not true. Last I checked, WSD has to do with fit not performance.

How are you determining size and fit of the bike? WSD is not for all wimmen-types.

Ooh, boy, have I just opened a can of worms.

Doesn't a mens frame have a longer top tube than it's equivalent womens frame? Which would mean she's lower and more stretched out? I had her fitted on a Specialized Dolce with a 51 top tube and it's been a struggle to even find a mens frame/bike with a 51 top tube.

[SadieKate]

Longer top tube doesn't mean lower. 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.

[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.