Question about bike geometry?

[Beane]

I have also been wondering about head tube and seat tube angles and what they mean. When you say steeper = more aggressive, does that mean higher numbers? And then slacker = more relaxed = lower numbers?

[oz rider]

The genuine WSD models will have shorter top tubes because women on average have shorter torsos relative to men. So it's about proportions rather than height. For example a friend of mine who is the same height has short legs so her critical issue is standover height, whereas I have short reach and therefore (effective) top tube is a key number for me. If you have a longer torso and fit unisex bikes, great. You'll have a wider choice of models. Just so long as it fits and feels right, cool. And both geometry and frame material (as well as components) will affect how they feel.

And yes, steeper seat tubes means higher numbers. Most women's production bikes are 75ish, not necessarily for fit but for production economics while a tri bike can be 76-78.

[zoom-zoom]

Yep, in hindsight I wish I'd gone with a men's frame, since I have stubby legs and longish torso, but I like the smaller-reach Shimano shifters on my WSD bike. My next bike will be men's/unisex and have SRAM with adjustable-reach shifters, so it won't be an issue.

[Seajay]

ZZ.. We have frequently been ADDING stem length to "WSD" bikes to get them to set up properly. Maybe an option for you to get the smaller bike you need AND add a bit of "cockpit" length?

One thing to keep an eye out for with top tube length is that a manufacturer can "cheat" their way to a short top tube on the specs page by making the seat tube angle steeper. This is ineffective b/c we just end up needing to slide the saddle back to get you over the pedals correctly....Negating the shorter tube.