Ladies bikes geometry

[chris_meowzit]

Hi All,

 

so my friend wants to get into mountain biking, she is quite a tall girl, 1.84 or so, problem is her budget so ive been trying to assist her in buying a 2nd hand bike, the issue is ladies large 2nd hand bikes are very rare, especially in her price range.

 

So my question is, is there any specific advantages on a ladies bike like the geometry or can she find a decent mens bike and ride that with no issues?

 

Cheers.

[Iwan Kemp]

Hi,

 

To be technically correct there "Ladies" and non gender specific bikes. The non-ladies versions are not Men Specific. 

 

At her height she should be fine. There's this thing about girls having long legs, etc, but there are just as many guys who have longer legs than "usual". It's mostly a marketing exercise. To view it from another angle: lady specific bikes will fit quite a few guys as well, but that will obviously not happen.

 

So, get her out and as long as she feels comfortable on the bike and gets a proper fit she will be fine. Just note that depending on the bike she may be between L and XL. As long as the standover is enough I would advise going a size up and run a shorter stem in order to get her weight off the front wheel. Something that has been the cause for many a newby to turn their back on our sport. 

[porqui]

There are definite skeletal differences that would make it better for a specific frame but when the person is that tall I do not think differences are that pronounced so an ordinary (male for a better word) frame should be fine. I think in competition the top ladies ride standard(geometry) bikes anyway.

 

Size and set-up counts.

[bikebloke]

a ladies specific saddle on the other hand is very important

[chris_meowzit]

thanks guys!

[Oxter]

i know a few ladies that mtb, not one that owes a "ladies specific" bike though.