Speaker: You asked and we listened. I received a message on Instagram asking if we can make
a video on women's specific bikes. I think it's a great topic to cover and it's a really
interesting one too, plus, we love hearing your ideas and suggestions. Do women need
women's specific bikes? What are the differences between them all and what are my experiences?
I'm here to answer all those questions. [music]
Bikes come in all shapes and sizes just like of people who ride them. You can't put 50%
of the population in one category purely based on gender, so why do we still have men's and
women's bikes? Historically, the step-through frame was designed. As women riding standard
bikes in full-length dresses was highly impractical. As clothing styles changed over the decades,
we were left with this strong association between frame design and gender. In road bikes,
you don't really get this design but sometimes the top tube will have more of an extreme
slope than say a men's frame would. I'm just going to start with my experience
of riding bikes, never throughout my professional career have I ever ridden a women's specific
bike and I never felt like I needed to. I've always been comfortable on the bike I've ridden
and if you look on the manufacturer's website these bikes are labeled men's. Well, at least
they're not labeled women's bikes. We are also now talking about road bikes, that includes
gravel bikes too. Bikes with a road-based geometry and drop bars. In my opinion, regardless
if it's a men's or women's specific bike, there are changes that you need to make to
the bike to make it fit you best. That could be the saddle, the handlebar weight,
the stand, that sort of thing. Regardless of where you get your bike from, you will
have to make these changes to make the bike more comfortable for you, so the idea is find
the bike that fits you best. It doesn't matter how is marketed as long as the geometry fits,
it serves the correct purpose and then you can tailor it from there. I know when I get
a new bike there are a few changes I need to make.
I'd like to have 38 centimeters bars on there, 138 millimeters stem and 170 cranks but I
do find it does change a from bike to bike. One bike I might be a 49 centimeter and then
other bike I might be a 51, it just does change from bike to bike with different manufacturers.
What makes a woman's specific bike? People come in all shapes and sizes and bike plants
have tried to make a varied range of bikes to fit everyone. The majority of women have
a shorter torso and longer legs than men, also have a narrow shoulders and small hands.
The main feature on women's bikes is having a smaller frame. Having a shorter top tube
means the reach from the saddle up to the handlebars is a lot less, meaning you can
reach the handlebars a lot easier, this could be great for some women. I generally have
something, I mean I prefer a bit more of a stretched out position. I have really long
arms or maybe I'm just used to riding race bikes.
Narrower handlebars also feature on women's bikes, but these can be easily changed. Everyone
will need different sized handlebars depending on your shoulder weight and what you find
more comfortable. A female-specific bike will often come with a female saddle, but this
doesn't necessarily mean the saddle will work for you. You might need to change it for a
saddle that works for you better. Frustratingly, women's bikes often come in pink or baby blue.
Come on, we don't all want pink bikes, stealthy black it's the way to go.
I do like a metallic bike now like the metallic folks I have, I might go look at them for
a bit, be right back. [music]
Should female bikes not be labeled something else so men can use them too? Men could be
putting off using women's bikes because of the name but some men might be shorter than
others, and a woman's bike might be better. There is nothing about a woman's specific
bikes that should stop a man from using it, maybe the saddle but that can be easily swapped.
Shorter, smaller men, and maybe teen boys might find that women's bikes are fit them
bests. At the end of the day, it all comes down to what fits you best, and if it's a
woman's bike as a man, go ahead and use it. Bought arts and best women's teams in the
world using, Canyon have a wide range of women's specific bikes. The top-end bikes are used
by the Canyon and Trimble women team. Now we spoke to Canyon and they said it was less
about gender and more about finding a bike that fits and handles as well for people of
all dimensions. Especially. people in the smaller end of the spectrum. They fit 650b
wheels to their triple extra small and their double extra small sizes frames in their women's
range, catering for riders from a meter and a half upwards.
I ride a small men's frame, but Emma used to ride the 650b version which you can see
here. A 650b wheel is a wheel that is slightly smaller than your average road bike wheel.
The cool thing is Canyon have taken what they've learned and they've applied it to some of
their unisex range, like the Inflite and the Grail, meaning now you can get 650b in smaller
sizes. It's a trend they think will develop into the future, less about gender-specifics
and more choice for riders of all sizes. We spoke to Orbea and they said they don't make
women's bikes, they make bikes women ride. The women who race for Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling
use exactly the same Orbea's raced by the men on Foundation Skadi. Two-times cross-country
world champion, Catharine Pendrel of Clif Pro Cycling Team, never requested a women's
bike. The most important aspect of custom-fit according to Orbea is at the contact points.
The components you touch whilst you're riding, Orbea now offer a narrow handlebar to accommodate
for slender shoulders. They also have longer and shorter spans to accommodate for shorter
torso and longer arms. They also have women's specific saddles which
tend to fit women better and shorter and longer cranks. This follows a trend of producing
a whole host of different frames sizes and component options to match riders and their
preferences. [music]
At the end of the day, choose the bike that fits you best. Just like people, there are
more to bikes than gender. Some women might be more suited to women's bikes, but don't
assume you need one. Women's specific bikes out of the box might be a good time-saver
for a new cyclist on a budget, but remember, we're all different shapes and sizes. We're
all going to have different shoulder length or different leg length regardless of gender.
Why not head to your local bike shop and try and get a bike fit or even just sit on some
bikes, things can always be changed and tweaked. The main thing that will make the bike more
comfortable for you is having the right size handlebars, a comfortable saddle to sit on,
and make sure the bike is set up correctly for you and make sure you can reach all the
brakes and the gears to have control over the bike. I hope you've enjoyed this video
on women's specific bikes and I hope it's answered some of your questions. We're going
to do a poll over on the GCN app. "Do we really need women's specific bikes?" Head over to
the GCN app and get voting. They are used-- Regardless of where you get
your bike from, there will be need-- A frame with road-based geometry-- In my opinion--
I'll need to put a-- What was I doing right? Best. Forgot the rest. You might want to play
around with that bit too. If it fits them better, then-- Maybe the saddle. I'm very
handsy today. [00:08:37] [END OF AUDIO]