Hi

As the title suggests I am looking at getting the Mrs a new bike. She has a very nice but getting on a bit 26″ Cube Access Pro.

I would like to get get her a small unisex bike but she likes the compact geometry of the women specific bike. But… it appears that as soon as you mention women in the title of the bike the specification drops through the floor and the price through the roof.

Ideally I would like to get her a trail / XC hardtail, quite happy to spend upto £2k if it was worth it. Best I have found is the Liv Obsess Adv or the Cube Access C62 Sl, both very XC race orientated. Anything I have missed?

Ta.

Depending on the brand the whole “women’s specific” geometry thing is either complete guff or a valid theory or the same bike as a “men’s” but painted a prettier colour, ignore all of that and just get her the one that fits her the best (change saddle and maybe to thinner grips as necessary), this will require her dedicated input though rather than you deciding what she wants

Find a bike that fits, find out the stack height, virtual top tube and head angle. Make a shortlist of bikes with the desired spec and those measurements.

Doesn’t matter what gender it’s marketed at?

I would like to get get her a small unisex bike but she likes the compact geometry of the women specific bike.

Seriously, what does that even mean? Small frame and shorter bars perhaps? Less reach than is now the norm?

Personally think men’s vs women’s razors is the same analogy. Ie. Pay more for a women’s razor…. because it is a women’s razor and possibly pink.

All that said, buying a bike based on your own wants, logical or not, for someone else can always be a minefield.

Id get her what she likes and finds comfortable.

Will she mind if the hubs are a lower spec or such? That’s a genuine question and not based on sexual stereotypes. Ie. For me it’s all about the frame and current standards, the rest just gets changed as it wears out anyway.

Juliana? But agree, crazy colours and prices is why most of my kit is men’s small. I know men who ride ‘women’s bikes’ and women who ride ‘men’s bikes’- it’s all down to the feel rather than the labelling. Contact points (bars and saddle) are easy and cheap to change, other than that it’s the usual test ride as many as you can and see which is most fun for the razzle dazzle.

Thankfully “women’s specific geometry” has been shown to be a false claim, grips and saddles can be changed and bars cut down.

Thanks guys, yep I agree, just need to get her on a few more bikes. I think that we have not found the right small frame for her to try yet.

The initial sit on the bike can be immediately off putting when the bars are 800m after being used to a short top tube and narrow bars, plus all the new bikes we are looking at are a lot slacker and more travel, which can make it feel quite alien after: http://www.2012.cuberussia.ru/models-access_wls_pro/

2k will get a full XT groupset some bling forks and lightweight wheels. Probably have change to pay someone to fit it all.

My wife rides a “men’s” bike, and I ride a “women’s” bike 😀

Like everyone else has said, just get a bike that fits and swap contact points as required.

It sounds like the issue is more the feel of a more modern bike rather than men’s Vs women’s anyway….

It’s been harder to find smaller frames since 27.5″ and 29ers were introduced. I ride an old small Specialized hardtail with 26″ wheels and a 27″ f/s small Boardman. The old h/t is perfect in size with narrow bars and short reach which allows more freedom to move. The Boardman is a lot wider, longer and with a higher top tube, great for going in straight lines down hill but harder to control and balance round corners.
It’s for those reasons I’ve considered womens specific bikes, and the Bossnut looks the best for geometry and spec but it’s a bit pink and pastle. I’d rather find a good unisex small frame and build from there.
Let us know how you get on

Daughter has flipped between male and female frames with no issues. Wife has preferred female frames but both are slightly different builds. Wife has longer legs and shorter torso.
I have her Julianna Joplin for sale in the classified…it’s a small full suss and rides cross country and light trails beautifully. She has moved to a more aggro Canyon, again female specific.

As above, women’s can mean nothing. Mrs_oab old trek is same frame, different colours and one weeny xs size. And as above, they mess with the spec.

Fit is most important – she needs to sit on a few bikes before understanding what fits. We walked up to random strangers on xs bikes in car parks and asked for a go! (Mainly as no shop has xs in stock to try). We end up changing saddle and grips usually too.

Look second hand?

We just sold 2yr old, just serviced and good condition Trek Superfly 6 for £650.
We bought Giant Liv Lust full suspension for £700 iirc.

I suggest that she tries a few different bikes. I wouldn’t spend 2 grand without riding it properly first- i.e. not just round the shop car park. Cyclewise at Whinlatter are really helpful with demos, I don’t know what part of the country you’re in, though.

Some good deals to be had bringing Scott Contessa 2018 models into your budget if she wanted to try a full-suss. I was tempted to buy one for myself and put a bloke’s saddle on it!

I am just five foot, and have found that small women’s bikes have really improved, especially from the bigger manufacturers like giant who make Liv. The frame geometry isn’t that big a deal, it’s more about smaller crank length and narrower bar width etc as standard. In the bad old days I had to spec those myself which drove the cost up. If she is a sky scraping 5’6″ or more then not such a big issue.

hels is right – they have got better.

That said, our xs/13″ Liv came with a huuuuge wide bar, as is the fashion. Mrs_OAB is also 5′ and her arms and shoulders just are not that wide! Now on an unfashionable but fitting 600something mm bars.

We had an excellent XS Liv Talon 1W with XT. Now in use with a work colleague who loves it. Giant spec good bikes but the XS size sells out fast. I cut the bats down too. My son is a lot bigger now but it did us proud on some big rides.

Whyte t130/140 whatever it is now. Comes in XS for 4’10” ladies. Whyte don’t do women’s bikes, just smaller sizes. A 28 chainring would be the only other usual thing to spec.

How tall is your wife, ljs1977?

My wife (5′ 6″) swapped from a women-specific Spesh Myka FSR to a small Giant Anthem last year. At first she hated it as it ‘felt all wrong’. I took a few measurements from the Myka, adjusted the Anthem accordingly and all was good. The main changes were a shorter stem, narrower bars and swapping the saddle.

(The 2018 Anthem 2 is currently £1,800 from Paul’s Cycles.)

Thanks for all the help so far. The wife is 5’3″.

The main issue I will have potentially is getting her over that initial feeling you get when you get on a new bike and it doesn’t feel right.

I think we need a demo and not just a sit on in a bike shop.