riderideride
Likes Dirt
Oh no, not pink! hehe. I get really annoyed that all the girls stuff is either pink or has butterflies and flowers on it. Yuk! but I guess there are those out there that like it 
Girls on boys bikes
- Thread starter riderideride
- Start date
My $0.02
I ride one women's specific bike (an Orbea Onix Dama) and one men's (A Giant Trance). I tried the Giant Cypher, but it felt too short and really twitchy to me. I liked the slightly longer TT length of the Trance... in my roadie however, the women's specific fit me much better.
I don't think there's any right... there's just right for you.
steff
I ride one women's specific bike (an Orbea Onix Dama) and one men's (A Giant Trance). I tried the Giant Cypher, but it felt too short and really twitchy to me. I liked the slightly longer TT length of the Trance... in my roadie however, the women's specific fit me much better.
I don't think there's any right... there's just right for you.
steff
I reakon the fastest, easiest and cheapest (mostly) way to improve a (store-bought) bike is tyres. Some nice lightweight tubes, or even better - tubeless - and some fast rolling tyres will save weight, improve traction T4 performance and confidence, and are the kind of item that eventually wears so you won't be over-capitalising...
Then a nice fancy set of race wheels...
And improve/upgrade parts as they wear out, rather than replacing like for like.
Good on you for getting your lady into riding and showing so much support. Make sure you tell her that you think she rides well and is improving. Chicks dig that kind of stuff ^_^
Then a nice fancy set of race wheels...
And improve/upgrade parts as they wear out, rather than replacing like for like.
Good on you for getting your lady into riding and showing so much support. Make sure you tell her that you think she rides well and is improving. Chicks dig that kind of stuff ^_^
Everard
Likes Bikes
Heya Icky. Thanks for the advice. Love it. Yes I took Stacey out for a 3hr ride on pure single track yesterday and she was flying. The way she rides she deserves a PIVOT Mach4 ladies! And should keep her Cypher for big jumps and downhill fun. I've also been looking at the Santa Cruz Juliana, but I think the Mach4 has a better pivot system with the DW link.
And you are Ben's wife then?! Glad he got the frame ok. I managed to send it through work and I posted him some pics of me packing it (for a laugh).
Is Ben also on this site? Still working out how to use it. But thanks for saying hello. It's always nice to have new friends and get messages
Hi All,
I am looking to buy a new women's specific FS bike for my gf.
So far i'm leaning toward the 2010 Giant Anthem XW. I noticed a couple of the ladies on the forum said they had the 2009 Anthem Elite, and apart from positive responses on fit, how do they feel on the trail? Also, for a women's specific bike, how do you find them weight wise? (I guess the lower spec 2010 will be heavier). Any other suggestions in this price range would be appreciated too.
I noticed you live in Perth. We're about to move there in Dec/Jan and as part of buying a bike we need to consider what's around for us to ride! My gf really enjoys the trails and tackles some easier DH stuff with me too, but what sort of riding is around Perth bearing in mind we have no car? Is that singletrack near the city? This will probably influence whether she gets a more AM bike (like the Cypher) or a more XC orientated bike (like the Anthem). How does your gf find her Cypher for climbing? Do you have a weight for it? I'm 'happy' hauling my 17kg FR bike uphill, but I want to avoid bikes on the heavier side as my gf is little. Sorry for all the questions...
Thanks!
I am looking to buy a new women's specific FS bike for my gf.
So far i'm leaning toward the 2010 Giant Anthem XW. I noticed a couple of the ladies on the forum said they had the 2009 Anthem Elite, and apart from positive responses on fit, how do they feel on the trail? Also, for a women's specific bike, how do you find them weight wise? (I guess the lower spec 2010 will be heavier). Any other suggestions in this price range would be appreciated too.
Hi Everard,
I noticed you live in Perth. We're about to move there in Dec/Jan and as part of buying a bike we need to consider what's around for us to ride! My gf really enjoys the trails and tackles some easier DH stuff with me too, but what sort of riding is around Perth bearing in mind we have no car? Is that singletrack near the city? This will probably influence whether she gets a more AM bike (like the Cypher) or a more XC orientated bike (like the Anthem). How does your gf find her Cypher for climbing? Do you have a weight for it? I'm 'happy' hauling my 17kg FR bike uphill, but I want to avoid bikes on the heavier side as my gf is little. Sorry for all the questions...
Thanks!
I ride a the anthem elite 09 and am really only just getting use to it, but I do like it. Weight-wise I think it comes in just a hair under 12kg which isn't bad for a dually although I have changed the bars, saddle and pedals which probably alters things. The 2010 XW comp is lower spec so probably a bit heavier.
In terms of the female specific thing - well mine is PINK but apart from that I don't notice much except that it fits. The Anthem is more XC race bike so the position is less upright than the Cypher, I've also put a flat bar on mine so it's even less upright. So I guess it depends on what type of riding position your gf would like. If you're doing some DH stuff the cypher might be more suited as it has the extra travel (??? I'm not into DH so I don't know what I'm talking about there).
The things I've noticed on the anthem - it climbs well, especially coming from a hard tail I get great traction on climbs, my weight seems very well balanced and I can get up steep stuff without wheel spin. I do find the flat bar helps here tho as the low rise bar made it hard to weight the front enough. It has a low centre of gravity - great for cornering but more likely to hit the BB on stuff. Um that's about all I can think of.
If your looking at the anthem/cypher it might also be worth looking at the specialized era/ safire. It's also worth ringing around to see if there's any 09 stock still around because there were some pretty good deals around about a month ago. I guess in the end it comes down to what fits her and suits her riding style.
In terms of the female specific thing - well mine is PINK
but apart from that I don't notice much except that it fits. The Anthem is more XC race bike so the position is less upright than the Cypher, I've also put a flat bar on mine so it's even less upright. So I guess it depends on what type of riding position your gf would like. If you're doing some DH stuff the cypher might be more suited as it has the extra travel (??? I'm not into DH so I don't know what I'm talking about there). The things I've noticed on the anthem - it climbs well, especially coming from a hard tail I get great traction on climbs, my weight seems very well balanced and I can get up steep stuff without wheel spin. I do find the flat bar helps here tho as the low rise bar made it hard to weight the front enough. It has a low centre of gravity - great for cornering but more likely to hit the BB on stuff. Um that's about all I can think of.
If your looking at the anthem/cypher it might also be worth looking at the specialized era/ safire. It's also worth ringing around to see if there's any 09 stock still around because there were some pretty good deals around about a month ago. I guess in the end it comes down to what fits her and suits her riding style.
Everard
Likes Bikes
Hi there,Hi All,
Hi Everard,
I noticed you live in Perth. We're about to move there in Dec/Jan and as part of buying a bike we need to consider what's around for us to ride! My gf really enjoys the trails and tackles some easier DH stuff with me too, but what sort of riding is around Perth bearing in mind we have no car? Is that singletrack near the city? This will probably influence whether she gets a more AM bike (like the Cypher) or a more XC orientated bike (like the Anthem). How does your gf find her Cypher for climbing? Do you have a weight for it? I'm 'happy' hauling my 17kg FR bike uphill, but I want to avoid bikes on the heavier side as my gf is little. Sorry for all the questions...
Thanks!
The Cypher is a heavy bike for Stacey. Around 14 kilos and she is only 52 kilos. But she can climb well and she is very fast on the downhills and single track. Faster than some of my mates! I just feel for her on the climbs. In terms of getting a womens specific bike? I am not so sure any more if there is any advantage? However the girls may like to comment.
But every bike shop is telling me there is not much difference. And even Pivot Mach4's are only different in colour schemes. I picked up a Giant Anthem x2 and it weighed 11 kilos at my local bike shop. And thought that would be perfect for Stacey.
For perth a trail bike all mountain will be fine for everything. There are no real extreme downhills. All the trails are far away from the city. Check out the Perth Mountain Bike website. They have maps on there. Closest one is about 30 min from the city. You wont be able to ride there unless you're pro fit. If you're buying something for Perth, then wait till you get to Perth.
If you want to live near the trails, then live near Kalamunda. The city is not the place to live in Perth, contrary to other states. It's the Beach, the river or the hills, depending on your lifestyle.
All the best
Thanks for the responses pinkbike & Everard.
What seems to be a shame is the lack of women's bikes in the off-road market, and moreso the fact most offerings are much lower spec than the male counterpart. I think a lot of pro women ride male/unisex bikes for that reason?
That's a great rap on the Anthem pinkbike. I'd say it would make the shortlist.
Thanks for the info Everard. I'll be working at QV1 so Kalamunda seems a bit far away - I was thinking somewhere near Scarborough so hope there's some riding around there. I get the same impressions from bike shops - just ride a men's bike and swap parts out to make it fit. On the surface it makes sense - no matter how good your bike is, if it doesn't fit well, you won't ride well. My only doubt is that everyone who has said this has been male, and the best opinion is going to come from a woman. It's like a man selling bras.. you might know how it should work, but how do you know til you've tried?
btw. It's a fair ask hauling up near 30% bodyweight so Stacey must be doing well!
Cheers
What seems to be a shame is the lack of women's bikes in the off-road market, and moreso the fact most offerings are much lower spec than the male counterpart. I think a lot of pro women ride male/unisex bikes for that reason?
That's a great rap on the Anthem pinkbike. I'd say it would make the shortlist.
Thanks for the info Everard. I'll be working at QV1 so Kalamunda seems a bit far away - I was thinking somewhere near Scarborough so hope there's some riding around there. I get the same impressions from bike shops - just ride a men's bike and swap parts out to make it fit. On the surface it makes sense - no matter how good your bike is, if it doesn't fit well, you won't ride well. My only doubt is that everyone who has said this has been male, and the best opinion is going to come from a woman. It's like a man selling bras.. you might know how it should work, but how do you know til you've tried?
btw. It's a fair ask hauling up near 30% bodyweight so Stacey must be doing well!
Cheers
Everard
Likes Bikes
Good point about Stacey lifting 30%! She is a really toughy then! haha.Thanks for the responses pinkbike & Everard.
What seems to be a shame is the lack of women's bikes in the off-road market, and moreso the fact most offerings are much lower spec than the male counterpart. I think a lot of pro women ride male/unisex bikes for that reason?
That's a great rap on the Anthem pinkbike. I'd say it would make the shortlist.
Thanks for the info Everard. I'll be working at QV1 so Kalamunda seems a bit far away - I was thinking somewhere near Scarborough so hope there's some riding around there. I get the same impressions from bike shops - just ride a men's bike and swap parts out to make it fit. On the surface it makes sense - no matter how good your bike is, if it doesn't fit well, you won't ride well. My only doubt is that everyone who has said this has been male, and the best opinion is going to come from a woman. It's like a man selling bras.. you might know how it should work, but how do you know til you've tried?
btw. It's a fair ask hauling up near 30% bodyweight so Stacey must be doing well!
Cheers
Well I know Jo and Tim Bennett over here and she is an Australian Champion. And she told me the same news. So that is what got me looking at mens bikes for Stacey. But do continue your research.
Scarborough is a great area. I live in the nearby Suburb of North beach. And there is another rider also. But our nearest trail is 30-40 minutes away.
So unfortunately it is a bit of a drive. But never fear we all ride 3-4 times a week and night ride 1-2 times a week.
Good luck
One thing I found interesting is that the listed geometry for the female anthem frame is very very similar to the old Trek 4500 (mens) frame I used to ride. So women's specific fits are not always necessary to get a particular geometry.
The main difference with female geometry is normally a shorter effective top tube for frame size, because women generally have longer legs and shorter torsos than men so their reach effective from seat to handlebar is shorter. So to make male bikes fit a lot of women shorten the stems and put seats forward however this can effect steering and handling of the bike... it can also change weight distribution and make it hard to keep weight well distributed over wheels.
But there's no rule to say that men's bikes will definitely be too long - and not all men's bikes are the same geometry. So you might not need to change anything...
The main difference with female geometry is normally a shorter effective top tube for frame size, because women generally have longer legs and shorter torsos than men so their reach effective from seat to handlebar is shorter. So to make male bikes fit a lot of women shorten the stems and put seats forward however this can effect steering and handling of the bike... it can also change weight distribution and make it hard to keep weight well distributed over wheels.
But there's no rule to say that men's bikes will definitely be too long - and not all men's bikes are the same geometry. So you might not need to change anything...
I ride a small santa cruz Blur xc and it fits great. I'm 160cm tall, I just swapped out the stem for a shorter version and i love it. No problem with geometry, at just over 12kg it's a sweet ride! I almost went a Juliana at the time, but felt too squashed on it, best thing to do it take a test ride if possible.
burnside97
Likes Dirt
There are definately fantastic womens specific duallys around but they wont be ideal for every lady. The things that make it a womens specific bike are going to be, slightly narrower bars, a shorter toptube, womens specific seats, sometimes womens specific grips and sometimes a fork and or shock that will be valved sligtly differently for smaller ladies.... BUT these bikes are not always going to be the right bike for every lady.
Try the 'UNISEX' bikes out also and ask to be properly fit up and set up for a test ride. As stated earlier things like stem lenghts, hights, seat positions can and should be adjusted by the guys at the shops to make you feel comfortable. And if you decide to buy a unisex bike you could lop the ends of the bars to accomodate narrower shoulders and a good ladies seat could make all the difference. Anyway, explore all possibilities and im sure there will be the perfect bike out there.
Also now is the end of the 09 stock which means you could probably pick up a bargin and spend some of the money you save from the full price on kitting your bike out bit a good ladies seat and some other parts that might be more sutiable for your body frame/size
Try the 'UNISEX' bikes out also and ask to be properly fit up and set up for a test ride. As stated earlier things like stem lenghts, hights, seat positions can and should be adjusted by the guys at the shops to make you feel comfortable. And if you decide to buy a unisex bike you could lop the ends of the bars to accomodate narrower shoulders and a good ladies seat could make all the difference. Anyway, explore all possibilities and im sure there will be the perfect bike out there.
Also now is the end of the 09 stock which means you could probably pick up a bargin and spend some of the money you save from the full price on kitting your bike out bit a good ladies seat and some other parts that might be more sutiable for your body frame/size
osmund
Squid
Just to weigh into this discussion at a late point...
In 2007 I bought a men's hardtail as the women specific bikes seemed such a bad deal (crappier components for more $$). It is an aggressive ride which causes me shoulder pain so not quite the right fit.
A year later after having a baby, I test rode a dualie and fell in love so decided to get a new bike. I ended up getting a pink bike too (Giant Anthem XW Elite 09) - pity about the colour. However, like other's have complained, I wasn't able to give it a proper test ride and this bike too gives me shoulder pain (not as much as the hardtail). I did test ride a couple of other bikes properly (BMC Shiver 01 and Specialized Sapphire) but neither of these bikes were not racey enough for me (ie couldn't corner fast on them).
Interestingly now that I have become more confident on the bike again (post time off after having baby), I have started riding my hardtail again and am loving it. I hadn't ridden my pink bike for a couple of months, it was feeling very neglected.
Anyway, I think the Giant Pink bike is good value for money and a great ride. I have changed a few things in the set up so far (and still wanting to tweak it some more): cut the ends off the bars (quite substantially) and moved spacers down so the position is less upright. Someone on here mentioned replacing the riser bar with a flat bar - how did that go? Did you move the spacers too?
In 2007 I bought a men's hardtail as the women specific bikes seemed such a bad deal (crappier components for more $$). It is an aggressive ride which causes me shoulder pain so not quite the right fit.
A year later after having a baby, I test rode a dualie and fell in love so decided to get a new bike. I ended up getting a pink bike too (Giant Anthem XW Elite 09) - pity about the colour. However, like other's have complained, I wasn't able to give it a proper test ride and this bike too gives me shoulder pain (not as much as the hardtail). I did test ride a couple of other bikes properly (BMC Shiver 01 and Specialized Sapphire) but neither of these bikes were not racey enough for me (ie couldn't corner fast on them).
Interestingly now that I have become more confident on the bike again (post time off after having baby), I have started riding my hardtail again and am loving it. I hadn't ridden my pink bike for a couple of months, it was feeling very neglected.
Anyway, I think the Giant Pink bike is good value for money and a great ride. I have changed a few things in the set up so far (and still wanting to tweak it some more): cut the ends off the bars (quite substantially) and moved spacers down so the position is less upright. Someone on here mentioned replacing the riser bar with a flat bar - how did that go? Did you move the spacers too?
Hi Osmund,
Yup I replaced the bar with a flat bar from Wiggle (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Easton_EA70_XC_Handlebar/4000000102/) which is about 10cm shorter than the standard bar. The standard low rise bars are a whopping 68cm wide which is not female specific at all - in fact most guys would chop that down on an XC race style bike. The flat bar moves your hands forward and down slightly so it does change your body position, this means I naturally have more weight over the front wheel when cornering and climbing. I haven't moved any spacers yet as the bar changes the position quite a bit anyway. I don't have the shoulder pain problem though so can't say if a flat bar would help.
Yup I replaced the bar with a flat bar from Wiggle (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Easton_EA70_XC_Handlebar/4000000102/) which is about 10cm
shorter than the standard bar. The standard low rise bars are a whopping 68cm wide which is not female specific at all - in fact most guys would chop that down on an XC race style bike. The flat bar moves your hands forward and down slightly so it does change your body position, this means I naturally have more weight over the front wheel when cornering and climbing. I haven't moved any spacers yet as the bar changes the position quite a bit anyway. I don't have the shoulder pain problem though so can't say if a flat bar would help.
Everard
Likes Bikes
btw. It's a fair ask hauling up near 30% bodyweight so Stacey must be doing well!
Well I forgot that I put thorn proof tubes in Stacey's Cypher. Not realising they weigh so much.. Since then I have upgraded her bike to XT wheel set, tubeless Crossmax and Larsens and upgraded her cassette to a nice SRAM pink one. There is a massive weight difference in the cassettes even. And I have also changed her disc rotors over to some high end ones that I had spare from building my Firebird up. So all it all it feels so much lighter. It is still in the shop going through the modifications. But with that I would like to see what the weight reduction is from its original 14 kilos.
All up it cost me around 650 bucks! So she had better love me after this!
Well I forgot that I put thorn proof tubes in Stacey's Cypher. Not realising they weigh so much.. Since then I have upgraded her bike to XT wheel set, tubeless Crossmax and Larsens and upgraded her cassette to a nice SRAM pink one. There is a massive weight difference in the cassettes even. And I have also changed her disc rotors over to some high end ones that I had spare from building my Firebird up. So all it all it feels so much lighter. It is still in the shop going through the modifications. But with that I would like to see what the weight reduction is from its original 14 kilos.
All up it cost me around 650 bucks! So she had better love me after this!