{"id":192096,"date":"2023-02-22T16:41:05","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T16:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=192096"},"modified":"2023-02-22T16:41:05","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T16:41:05","slug":"do-you-need-a-womens-specific-bike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/02\/22\/do-you-need-a-womens-specific-bike\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Need a Women\u2019s-Specific Bike?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re a woman who\u2019s new to cycling or you\u2019ve already been riding for a while, you might be wondering whether you need a women\u2019s-specific bike. The answer, in short, is no. But if you want the best experience on your bike from the minute your foot hits the pedal, then a women\u2019s-specific bike is something you may want to consider.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the \u2018shrink it and pink it\u2019 model for creating bikes specific to the female form (and just about anything) is fading into the distant past. Once upon a time, bikes for women would also be lower spec, and those looking for a high-performance bike would opt instead for a unisex bike. While this is definitely still an option, the range is much better and there are now many choices for a women\u2019s-specific bike. The question is, which suits you best?<\/p>\n

There are two different types of women\u2019s-specific bikes on the market:<\/p>\n

1) A unisex frame with parts altered slightly to better suit a woman’s physical form.<\/strong> There may be a smaller size on offer to cater to the range of female cyclists, with different parts available or that can be altered, such as the saddle, handlebars and suspension, when compared to a men\u2019s bike. Brands such as Trek and Specialized suggest that the data from their own bike fits show that there is not enough of a difference between the genders to warrant an entirely different frame, so this is the route they tend to go.<\/p>\n

2) Women\u2019s-specific frames and components built from data using women\u2019s bodies.<\/strong> These bikes take into consideration the differences in limb lengths and weight distribution, resulting in a frame which is more suited to the female form. Brands such as Liv and Canyon<\/a> work with this model in mind.\u00a0If the bike you want isn\u2019t available in a women\u2019s-specific fit, then there are certain adjustments you can make to a unisex bike so that the bike can suit your body. So, we\u2019ll consider the things that a bike should have tailored to enable the most comfortable fit.<\/p>\n

Frame<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You will probably want to start by ensuring you have the correct-sized frame. Brands will often provide a height range for each size of bike, but it\u2019s worth sitting on one and going for a test ride before you buy.<\/p>\n

Saddle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The difference between men\u2019s and women\u2019s genitalia is the most obvious of physical differences, and the shape of your saddle<\/a> should reflect this. It\u2019s worth remembering that every woman is different too, so what works for one might not be comfortable for another. It\u2019s worth trying different saddles to see what works for you. Most bike shops will offer a saddle-mapping service to determine the best fit.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Like most other cycling gear and components, the majority of standard saddles were designed to best accommodate the needs of an average male body. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brake levers and shifters<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Women tend to have smaller hands than men. Riding a unisex bike with brakes and shifters built for the male form can leave those blessed with shorter fingers feeling as though they\u2019re stretching and struggling to shift or brake. Long descents with extended fingers can feel like hard work, so it can pay to move your levers closer to the handlebar to enable quick and easy braking and shifting.<\/p>\n

Handlebars<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Handlebars on men\u2019s and women\u2019s bikes are likely to be slightly different due to men generally having broader shoulders than women. This means for the optimum comfort, a woman will want to have her hands closer together, enabling better control over their bike.<\/p>\n

Cranks<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Cranks can come in varying lengths between 160mm up to 185mm and will vary depending on the size of the bike. It\u2019s likely that the smaller the bike, the shorter the crank length. But you may want to test different sizes to see what works best for you.<\/p>\n

Suspension<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On a mountain bike, you may want to look at adjusting the suspension. The average woman is lighter than the average man and so suspension adjustments can help cater to this difference. This can help if the suspension feels too hard and isn\u2019t reacting as well as it could.<\/p>\n

Ultimately the answer to whether you need a women\u2019s-specific bike<\/a> is entirely unique to the individual. To get the bike most suited to your body, you should choose one exactly for that, for you, whether female or not. Test-riding both unisex bikes and women\u2019s-specific bikes will give you an answer, but you at least know now the kind of subtle differences you\u2019re looking for to help fine-tune your perfectly fitting bike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re a woman who\u2019s new to cycling or you\u2019ve already been riding for a while, you might be wondering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":192098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[328,329,334],"tags":[538,2264,6979],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-192096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outdoor-mountain","category-road-cycling","category-socialising-and-culture","tag-women-cycling","tag-womens-cycling","tag-womens-specific-bike","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nDo You Need a Women\u2019s-Specific Bike? - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whether you\u2019re a woman who\u2019s new to cycling or you\u2019ve already been riding for a while, you might wonder if you need a women\u2019s-specific bike.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/02\/22\/do-you-need-a-womens-specific-bike\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do You Need a Women\u2019s-Specific Bike?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Whether you\u2019re a woman who\u2019s new to cycling or you\u2019ve already been riding for a while, you might wonder if you need a women\u2019s-specific bike.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/02\/22\/do-you-need-a-womens-specific-bike\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-22T16:41:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2023\/02\/Step-Through-Bike-profimedia-0757734559-CVR.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"990\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tereza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Charlotte Murray\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/02\/22\/do-you-need-a-womens-specific-bike\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/02\/22\/do-you-need-a-womens-specific-bike\/\",\"name\":\"Do You Need a Women\u2019s-Specific Bike? 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