What women need to know to make cycling more comfortable
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Women tend to have different proportions to men and as such need bikes that fit differently. My wife is the perfect example of this. Long legs, short upper body and short arms means she needs bike set up with a higher seat, short reach to the bars and the handle bar higher in relation to the saddle. When I put a new mountain bike together for her last year, we used a narrower handle bar, shorter cranks, short stem, a bike frame with a shorter top tube and saddle that properly supported her sit bones. Bike fitting is as much an art as science.
While your proportions are different than men, the general principles of bike fit are the same. You want to end up in a balanced position on the bike with no undue pressure points. In some cases this can be accomplished on a unisex bike with some parts changes, but a women's specific frame may be the only answer. Women's specific frames will usually have shorter top tubes and longer headtubes allowing for the shorter reach to the bars that is needed.
Saddles
While there are many women's specific saddles on the market, just because you are a woman doesn't mean they are the best seat for you. The key is to get a saddle that is the right width and shape to support you pelvis and get it positioned properly. I've seen many women set up with their seat too far forward with puts more pressure on the nose of the saddle leading to crotch pain or numbness. Saddle positioning is one of the keys to comfortable and fast riding.
Cranks
As women are generally shorter than men, it stands that as the length of the legs decreases so should the crank length. In many cases, stock bikes come with cranks that are too long for smaller riders limiting the ability to spin smooth circles. Cranks that are too long also increase the loading on the knees at the top of the pedals stroke. If your legs are 30″ or shorter your bike probably has cranks that are too long.
Road Racing Bike
Problems tend to happen with frames at the top end and wheels at the low end. The first issue is that "race only" equipment is being sold to the public as everyday riding gear. The top end carbon fiber frame of just about any companies line will be paper thin. The bikes stand up to riding but a stone chip can crack the frame. This sort of thing isn't covered under warranty.
The other is simple economics. Your going to get more durable wheels on a $1500 bike than on a $800 bike. The nice thing about wheels though is that it is an easy and relatively affordable upgrade. Cheaper bikes tend to have lower quality bearings in the hubs and cranks which you don't know to look at but make a big difference in durability.
With the aim of giving pros the lightest and stiffest frames to win races the limits of carbon fiber construction are really being pushed. For the most part they stand up to riding well but in the real world, stuff happens. If you watch the Tour de France you may have seen shattered bikes from crashes. Heavier, tougher frames have a better chance of surviving the wipe outs that will happen. Stone chips, the bike falling over, car racks and wipe outs can write off one of these frames which of course isn't covered under warranty. When you spend this kind of money (usually over $5000) it's fair to expect some durability.
If you have the budget for a high end race bike, buy a companies mid range carbon road frame such as the Kuota Kharma and put the money you save into wheels, drive train and cockpit controls. You will have a bike that is the same weight or lighter and a frame that will stand up to day to day use much better. In a carbon frame, an extra couple hundred grams means a huge difference in toughness. The plus is that the slightly heavier carbon frames are much lower priced. As an example the Kuota Kharma frame is around 200 grams heavier than the top end KOM. The Kharma frame set is half the price of the KOM. With the money you save you can cut way more than 200 grams off the overall package. Some people would argue that the higher end frames ride better or are stiffer but the big secret is that the wheels make much more of a difference in over ride quality than the frame does.
And don't be brainwashed into thinking Carbon or aluminum are the only options. A nice steel road bike like the Soma Smoothie is a great balance between bike fit (18 sizes between the Smoothie and Smoothie ES), ride quality, durability, cost and weight. If all other things are equal, the extra weight from a steel frame will not affect your speed but is much more forgiving.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not dumping on carbon bikes. But they aren't the instant speed boost that companies would have you believe. Lighter weight matters but mainly going up hill, which when you do the math, isn't a huge percentage of a given ride.
And while faster, most carbon fiber rimmed wheels are for racing and special occasions, not everyday use. If you are looking for an everyday riding wheel that you can also race on Spinergy Stealth Carbons are a great riding wheel that isn't overpriced like Zipp wheels. The price of the Zipp wheels keeps going up making them a poor value regardless of performance. If you are looking at top performance regardless of price I recommend the Edge Composites rims and wheels as they are built better than just about any carbon rims on the market. As a test to their toughness, they make mountain bike rims that stand up to real world riding conditions so their road rims are going to as close to bombproof as you can get.
If you want a fast road bike but can't afford to replace it if it breaks, follow my guidelines and spinning bike manufacturer you will be on your way to a high performance bike that will survive the real world.