Women's Specific Designs

[spazzdog]

I've never ridden a WSD... but that's niether here nor there. Whatever the bike, I have rarely experienced a bike shop that paid women much mind in the fit department. It's like "sell it and roll her out", unless you pepper them with questions and prove you know something. I've had shops try to sell me a bike, saying it was a "great" fit just because my grrl-bits had a smidge of clearance on the top tube.

Whomever the manufacturer, they should demand that the shops representing them become proficient in properly fitting the customer. A happy customer is a return customer.

[Ali]

I totally agree with spazzdog's comments. I rarely visit my lbs (only a mile away) because of their sales attitude. If they have it on the shop floor and you can stand over it, they tell you it fits. I got my first mtn bike from them and it was way too big (16"), unfortunately I didn't know any better at the time.

I now have an XS racer-X that I built up myself choosing components that I wanted like SID SL fork that my next lbs (TX) kept saying would be awful, they had a lot of flex and I should buy a Mazochi (sp?). And I'm stood looking at these guys saying I weigh just over 100lbs, how am I ever going to flex anything.

That being said, I got a WSD road bike last fall and I love it. I test rode a lot of 48 cm and 50 cm men’s frames, but they were too long, even with shorter stems. Too wide and deep in the handlebar, and I could only get my finger tips on the brake levers. However, most WSD bikes were a major disappointment as far as components were concerned. I didn't want dura-ace but I definitely didn't want sora/tiagra. I also wanted 700cc wheels as for our biking household; it’s easier to keep stock tubes and tyres readily available.

In general, I think WSD is a good idea, as it may enable more people to have bikes that fit them. However, I find that component wise, most WSD does not offer a wide range of options and that often WSD are priced higher than a comparably equipped men’s frame. Women should not be penalised because of our smaller size and mass - we deserve the same wide range of options that are available to men at no greater cost.

[Masiguy]

Ok, the cat is out of the bag...

I am Tim Jackson, the Brand Manager and "head" of Masi Bicycles. Susan was kind enough to post the thread on my behalf so that unbiased replies could be generated by all of you. Your feedback has been wonderful and I greatly appreciate all of it. I was formerly the Inside Sales Manager at Canari Cyclewear and worked with Susan quite a bit and she is wonderful, so I came to her (and you) for feedback to my questions.

I could post for hours here as there is so very much to reply to, from all of your comments. So I don't know where to begin or what to say exactly. However, I would like to offer a direct link to me so that this forum does not become biased as a sales tool by me. Let's face it- I do need to sell bikes.

I maintain a blog site and would like to invite you to visit so that you can cast a vote there. I have a poll right now about WSD bikes and your votes would give me "hard numbers" to be able to back my plans and goals. Also, I would like to share my email address with you so you can contact me directly- tjackson@masibikes.com.

Again, I do not wish to abuse Susan's wonderful generosity, so I will refrain from posting further.

Susan did give me permission to say "thank you", so thank you for your invaluable feedback on this issue.

Sincerely,
Tim Jackson
Brand Manager
Masi Bicycles

[Irulan]

LOL, there aren't enough options on your poll.

*wsd needs to have better component options
*train lbs peeps to understand parameters of WSD

[sarahkonamojo]

I am 5'2", 28" inseam, longish femure, short arms. I ride a terry Symmetry which has been a good entry level bike. It has allowed me to experience long distance rides in (mostly) comfort. But certainly, it is time to upgrade. And, oh yeah, the 24" tire is a pain.

It is frustrating because I know I want more of a bike, but being able to test ride/find it is difficult. the idea of ordering custom is scary because I could be wrong... Locally, small bikes sell fast and/or are a special order.

I did have the opportunity to test ride a Trek Pilot 5.0 (47cm) for 65 miles in Colorado terrain and really enjoyed it. I was amazed that with even a larger frame, it rode well. But I want to test ride more bikes, so that I can learn more about what can help me go faster and smoother with more comfort.

All road bikes are rooted upon the young male racer paradigm. Bike design has changed recently to accommodate more of the average population with various riding styles. Seems to me a lot more could be done regarding efficiency and comfort for women on bike, regardless if they can fit a "standard" frame or not.

thanks,
skm

[massbikebabe]

Tim:

Bring back that old steel red Masi like the one used in the movie Breaking Away, make it wsd, and you will have a fan(s) for life. I loved that bike!

karen

[Bluetree]

*wsd needs to have better component options

+ zillion

As if women don't think they're good enough for DA/Record/Red, lightweight frames, carbon cranks or fierce paint jobs. Stop the patronizing already!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well Bluetree- now that you've bumped up this 3 1/2 year old thread (I thought it was new for a minute!), the question becomes....
Did he and his company wind up going ahead with the WSD bike, and if so, what did they come up with that is specifically for women?

[uforgot]

Well Bluetree- now that you've bumped up this 3 1/2 year old thread (I thought it was new for a minute!), the question becomes....
Did he and his company wind up going ahead with the WSD bike, and if so, what did they come up with that is specifically for women?

Actually, I've been following the Masi blog since I ordered my mixte in Sept. They have added a few bikes. First there is the Soulville Mixte which I have and was introduced in 2008, and then if you follow this link there are pictures from Interbike where they introduced the Masi Alare Bellissima and the Vincere Bellisima. The road bikes are in part 1 and my mixte is in part 1. Not sure about the availability of the road bikes, but it looks like they are on the way, which is good news for stumpy armed long legged women like me.

[Eden]

+ zillion

As if women don't think they're good enough for DA/Record/Red, lightweight frames, carbon cranks or fierce paint jobs. Stop the patronizing already!

As long as its been bumped.... This is why Specialized, no matter what anyone else thinks about them or their business practices, has my loyalty.... At the time I bought my bike it was the *only* nice carbon frame that was sized to fit me. And yes it came with full DA and a very purty paint job (its the original deep burgundy, good looking without being overly girly).

[OakLeaf]

+ zillion

As if women don't think they're good enough for DA/Record/Red, lightweight frames, carbon cranks or fierce paint jobs. Stop the patronizing already!

As long as we're reviving this thread, it's now 2009, and things are very different from what they were when the thread started. (And very, very different from 1987 when I had a custom frame built because there was no such thing as a WSD bike.)

The "Big 3" now offer WSD bikes with full DA. Cannondale offers Red as well. Orbea can be had with Super Record, DA or Red.

Giant and Bianchi still don't offer the same level of componentry on their WSD bikes, but I'm having trouble thinking of any more mass-marketers who offer WSD frames at all.

Honestly, I really think this is a non-issue. If you're spending that much money, why aren't you building your bike up yourself? I'm more likely to believe that the sexism works the opposite way. A guy is a lot more likely to just lay down $8,000 for a complete bike, without putting any independent thought into the componentry, "because his friends told him it was the best one." When a woman's ready to spend that kind of money, she'll have a frame built, or buy an off-the-rack frame and build it up herself with whatever level of componentry she wants.

[mariacycle]

Sorry to resurrect this topic again, but I feel like many of the pro-WSD women have small frames (under, say, 5'3") and have difficulty finding a men's bike that fits their needs. I am just shy of 5'6" and am currently riding a 17" Fuji Absolute. I want to buy a decent road bike (maybe in the ballpark of $1k-$2k) and I'm trying to decide whether or not a WSD is worth it for me. I don't know whether or not the WSD make a big difference for a woman that is 5'6"+

Thoughts? Thanks everyone for your patience on the WSD debate