Quote Originally Posted by mariacycle View Post
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
I'm 5'7" and I have a regular (not WSD) frame. When I bought my road bike in 2002, they did a fit kit at the LBS and said I could go either way. I don't think I even tried out a WSD bike.

However over the years I've had to make various adjustments to deal with aches and pains in my neck and shoulders, most recently switching to a very short stem that angles up in order to shorten the reach. If it was in my budget, I would have tried out some different bikes and seriously considered getting a WSD frame.

So, I would say (1) height is not the only measurement to consider and (2) try out several bikes, including WSD and non-WSD and see which one feels best.

BTW if you're near Reston, VA, I highly recommend seeing Adam at the Bike Lane for a fitting. He's done a great job making my bike way more comfortable.