Quote Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama View Post
From my experience, Trek and Cannondale "shrink it and pink it". They put shorter reach shifters, narrower bars, usually shorter cranks and a women's saddle then say it is WSD. Specialized uses a different geometry. I cannot ride Specialized women's mountain bikes even though I am the "typical" WSD build. I like a longer top tube on my mountain bike and yes the WSD is also much more upright which I didn't like. My Specialized mountain bike is my first unisex bike.

So yes, some people it is marketing BS. Some companies actually put thought, resources and engineering into a different geometry but some men should ride the WSD geometry.

I got totally duped when I bought my Cannondale thinking it was a different geometry, then when I found all the aches and pains I was having I looked at a geometry chart and realized I hadn't done my homework and was paying the price with an ill fitting bike. On a road bike I like a shorter top tube for comfort I don't like aggressive geometry road bikes, my plan is to sell my Cannondale at some point (when I can afford a replacement) and will likely go Specialized WSD.

If you like a Trek and hate the women's scheme get the "unisex" and you can swap the bars, shifters and saddle then you're pretty much at WSD.
There's some difference between the unisex Madone and the Madone WSD models I was looking at, to the point where I'd need different sizes. (But they're not huge differences, and I'm a long-legged freak ) Cannondale and Giant seem to have minimal differences between the unisex and women's, at least, for the last couple of years. It's like half a centimeter of top tube length and they call it good. Either way, I can't afford the componentry swap, so unless my only option in that regard a pink bike (sorry, westtexas!), I'm going for the WSD.
I do like the Specialized WSD, though.