How tall are you? (Women only, please)

[frnz]

I'm 5'10". It's nice, I can reach top shelves and see over most people in crowds.

[silver]

5'8"

currently ride a 58 cm trek madone 5.0 (2007 model)

was currently fitted and the 54cm trek madone 5.5 pro fit was recommended.

My inseam is about 33.5" I have very long arms too.

[BadgerGirl]

5'11". It is a pain sometimes when I am trying to find nice pants! Otherwise, it is great!

[KnottedYet]

5'11". It is a pain sometimes when I am trying to find nice pants! Otherwise, it is great!

For jeans, may I respectfully recommend Diamond Gusset jeans? Loooong inseams available, and the fit is very kind to cyclists' bodies. www.gussetclothing.com

[BadgerGirl]

Thank you Knottedyet! I love this website because everyone is so helpful!

[KnottedYet]

Thank you Knottedyet! I love this website because everyone is so helpful!

I finally got around to writing my review of these jeans: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=23285

[three]

5'3" and a tad...

My past professional fit taught me that I don't need WSD due to my long reach and flexibility. Since the fitting, I started working at a bike shop (so I can get a nice big discount on a new road bike)...and I have yet to see a female customer shown anything but WSD bikes. I also have yet to see a female customer come in for road bikes who doesn't say something to the effect of "I heard there are bikes specifically for women".

I think this is a result of: a) great marketing of the notion that "women need women-specific bikes", and b) a push from the bike companies for shop employees to push the WSD stuff. My opinion is that this has resulted in a lot of women riding cute bikes that don't allow for their most optimal positioning. Remember, bike folks work on commission. During the training for my shop, it was repeatedly stated that if a customer has their heart set on something - you sell it to them, regardless of whether or not it's the best bike/shoe/____ for them. Couple that approach with commission, and you get lots of employees pushing WSD bikes and lots of female customers thinking they need them. And no, this is just not my shop - this is at a lot of bike shops around the country.

If I go lingering around to other shops in town and act like I don't know what I'm doing, they always focus on WSD. The only two times I've been shown non-WSD bikes were with the two shops where I had a personal connection with an employee.

It drives me nuts. I've chatted about it with 3 different (locally well-known) professional fitters and they all said that only about half of women are ideally sized for WSD bikes. These are guys who fit for local competitive teams and have worked with national/international teams. If I look at the notable women racers in town, none of them ride WSD (and one of the top local racers, who also competes nationally, is not even 5'2").

Yes, some women fit better on WSD - but if you have above-average reach or flexibility (as many athletes and women do), the compact geometry of WSD doesn't make sense to me...unless you're never using the drops.

Don't buy into the marketing hook, line and sinker - please. Make sure you really need the compact geometry. What is most important is not that the bike "is made for women", but rather - that you are on the right bike for you. If you fit better in men's jeans...do it. Jeans are jeans, right? Bikes are bikes.

Side note: thanks for letting me vent. This topic touched on a pet-peeve of mine and I had to let it out.

[RoadRaven]

Very interesting to read the different heights and bikes.

Interestingly, one of my training buddies is about 5'2/5'3 and she has a Specialised Ruby Pro, and she has absolutely adored it form the first moment she sat on it.

I am 5'9" and I have:
Time Trialling: a Giant TCR2, small (53 top tube)
Road Racing: an EMC2 FemmetapePro, medium (54 top tube)
....(this is about to become my training only bike)

New addition/purchase but not in stable yet...

Road Racing: an EMC2 TeamEquipPro, medium (54 top tube)

I don't know what size my MtnBike - Avanti Black Thunder is... a medium I think...

[sgtiger]

I'm 5' 1 3/4" with an inseam of 27" and wear a size ~8 shoe. I think my arms are kinda long, but I'm not sure. I definitely have broad shoulders(broader than Dh even!) and big hands. Nothing about a WSD bike works for me. I felt cramped on my Terry that I bought because it was the first bike I found that I could comfortably straddle and rode like a dream compared to anything I'd ridden before. I used to have a low end road bike in middle school that fit pretty well but I had to hang my leg over the top tube on stops(I had to give it up when we moved. Boohoo). Then I had a piece of crud mtn. bike in high school that was just not fun to ride so I stopped riding. Unfortunately, when I purchased the Terry, I did not realize it didn't fit in other ways until I tried to ride more than 10 miles on it. I wanted to stretch out but there was no where to go except over the handle bars. I did that a couple of times, I don't recommend it. Most of my weight was over my front wheel so it made for a less than stable ride for me and killed my wrists.

Dh got fed up with trying to make the Terry fit and trying to find another bike that would work for me, so he cajoled me into getting a custom bike. Definitely more than I ever wanted to spend on a bike that I would probably only ride occasionally, but he was convinced I'd want to ride more if the bike fit. Heehee! Boy, was he ever right. But don't tell him I told you that.

[Nansel]

I'm 5'2", with a long body but really short arms and legs. Shopping for bikes is a nightmare.

I have a 50cm Giant OCR1 with a short stem. I can just barely, sort of, stand over it. But it fits and feels great while I'm riding.

My last road bike, in the late '80's was a Norco LadySport, which had great standover for me, but my head hung out over the front wheel. It was never comfortable.

[cyclinnewbie]

I have a 50cm Giant OCR1 with a short stem. I can just barely, sort of, stand over it. But it fits and feels great while I'm riding.

I have no standover on my cannondale. I mean NO standover at all....I hit my bits. Is that bad?

[AutumnBreez]

5 ft 8 in.
55 frame Bianchi

I like being tall, the way I like to eat I wish I were taller

I am finishing my first Body for Life Challenge after this week. 18th is my
success day. Work out 6 days a week for 12 weeks. Tomorrow is first day ofweek 12. So far I have not missed a single workout past 11 weeks.
I lost inches more than the scale showed pounds. Start weight 183 now 172.

I am doing another challenge starting the 19th. More riding this time. I plan to stay on it for life. Body for Life is an awesome plan.
www.bodyforlife.com
You don't have to buy the book necessarily if you look on the site it has alot to offer. I only purchased the Eating for Life book. The recipes are good and easy to follow, it uses everyday items not "oh I have to go to a special store"

[tctrek]

I am 5' 1/2" and I have a 47cm Trek 2.3 WSD. I have short arms and short legs and it took only a few minor adjustments to get this to almost a perfect fit. Plenty of room for me and a decent standover too.It's my first road bike I was surprised at how easy it was to get the fit given that I am vertically challenged.

[lauraelmore1033]

I'm 5'8" and ride a 56 cm Specialized tricross sport which fits me more or less perfectly. On the few occasions I have entered a bike shop looking to purchase a bike, I have encountered male sales associates at least a head shorter than me and the option of a wsd frame was never even mentioned.

[Bike Goddess]

Autumn Breeze- Congrats on your accomplishments! I suspect you are getting muscle which, as we all know, is heavier than fat!

Yes, eating management is also important. I lost my weight by going on long rides and working out at the gym. Now I usually do spin class once a week (great cardio and interval training).

Keep up the good work. You will see results, just takes time.