Women Aero Road frame/ bike

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RazorL
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2014 1:31 pm
Location: Flanders, Belgium

by RazorL

I am calling in the help of the Forum.
Currently my girlfriend is still riding her first road bike, witch is a 2013 Bianchi Impulso Dama in size 53.
http://www.bianchiusa.com/bikes/road/da ... -dama-105/

When she first bought the bike, she didn't ride much buth over the years she developed more interest into road riding and began to ride more.
She had some issues buth with a bike fit last year these were all gone!

Now she would like to upgrade buth i am having trouble finding a right bike/frame.

* It needs to be Aero (she is all into the aero hype)
* carbon
* not all black :twisted:

On her biachi she is riding with 35mm off spacers under her 9 cm stem and the saddle is almost completely slammed forward.
I would like a frame that has a little better geometry so we can get rid of some of those spacers.

Anyone got some idea's of where to look?
Thx in advance!

robeambro
Posts: 1829
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:21 pm

by robeambro

RazorL wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 2:02 pm
I would like a frame that has a little better geometry
Well, it would be easier if you posted her measurements.
Or better, if she got a bike fit.

Not that aero frames come usually with very relaxed geometries, but there may be ones better than others. And to be honest, the fact that she needs a spacer tower on her Bianchi *may* indicate that an aero bike (which usually have a more aggressive geometry than average) wouldn't be the wisest choice. But it may also indicate (although I'm not sure, given the 90mm stem) that the bike may be a size too small, which forces her to keep the spacers to have a comfortable saddle to bar drop. As said, difficult to say.

Although, admittedly I don't know much about women's bikes.
Last edited by robeambro on Fri Aug 31, 2018 3:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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RazorL
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2014 1:31 pm
Location: Flanders, Belgium

by RazorL

Hi, she already got a bike fit.
You can find the geo table in the link.
My thought was to maybe go 1 size up.

Noctiluxx
Posts: 1336
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2017 7:17 pm
Location: Southern California

by Noctiluxx

I ride with a woman who owns one of these. She loves it!
https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/envie-advanced-1
Bianchi Oltre XR4, De Rosa SK Pininfarina, Trek Madone SLR, Giant TCR Advanced SL, Cervelo R5 Disk, Giant Revolt

robeambro
Posts: 1829
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:21 pm

by robeambro

RazorL wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 2:23 pm
Hi, she already got a bike fit.
You can find the geo table in the link.
My thought was to maybe go 1 size up.
Please keep in mind that any anecdotal advice you're going to get here, such as "I ride bike X, I love it!", or "my cousin's wife rides a Y, she says it's fast!" has very little value. No offence meant to those who posted it, but what is good/bad for others may not be the same for your lady.

What matters is that she gets a bike that is aligned with her body requirements. A good bike fit should have oriented her towards some ideal figures (eg. stack X, reach Y, effective top tube Z, saddle bar drop XX, [...]). Whatever bike that would allow her to get as close as possible to those is a bike worth considering.

Have a look at bikes with a suitable geometry, make a shortlist, and then maybe come here to ask which of those may be better and why.
That is, if you want meaningful advice. If you're happy to choose a bike for her based on somebody's cousin's wife riding a Liv or whatnot, feel free to do so.
Last edited by robeambro on Fri Aug 31, 2018 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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ms6073
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Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:24 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

by ms6073

RazorL wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 2:02 pm
On her biachi she is riding with 35mm off spacers under her 9 cm stem and the saddle is almost completely slammed forward.
I would like a frame that has a little better geometry so we can get rid of some of those spacers.
With those specs, I doubt you are going to find an aero road frame that will improve on the fit as aero typically equates to long reach and low stack (ie shorter headtubes). Seems to me she needs shorter and taller which points more towards endurance geometry or custom fit as an aero road frame is going to end up with more spacers under the stem to effect the correct reach.
- Michael
"People should stop expecting normal from me... seriously, we all know it's never going to happen"

Bluechip
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:04 am

by Bluechip

Aero frames and regular race oriented frames tend to be on the aggressive side when it comes to fit (long and low). The Impulso is not really an aggressive fit but closer to an endurance fit. If she has that many spacers and the seat really far forward on that bike then I doubt she would be happy on an aggressive fit. Is she on the correct size bike now? You said she has had a fitting but did she come by her current setup from that fitting? Is she happy with that setup? What is her current seat to bar drop?

She doesnt have the problem that my wife has in testing bikes (4' 11.5") so she should be able to test ride a variety of bikes. How tall is she? Was her fitting a free service when she bought her bike or a paid fitting afterwards?

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themidge
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Location: underneath sweet Scottish rain

by themidge

First of all, don't limit yourself (if you were) to "women's" bikes, the geometry just has to work, regardless of whether it's "men's", "unisex" or "women's".

As people have said above, most aero bikes are quite aggressive. However, one does spring to mind when thinking short and high: the old H2 Trek Madone 9. It certainly made for a good MAMIL-wagon anyway.

wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

themidge wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 4:20 pm
First of all, don't limit yourself (if you were) to "women's" bikes, the geometry just has to work, regardless of whether it's "men's", "unisex" or "women's".
Absolutely right. Heck these days a lot of aero bike even come with narrower handlebars than standard, and new school saddles like the Power and Dimension that come spec'ed on an increasing number of aero bikes can work really well for women, so you might not even end up having to change any components.

OP, it looks like there are quite a few aero bikes out there that can support that stack, mostly with a slightly shorter stem though (or an S3 with the same length stem and a zero setback seatpost). TBH if she's ridden a lot in the meantime it might be worth revisiting the bike fit. She may well be able to be as comfortable and faster in a more aggressive position now that she has done a bunch more miles adapting to the bike. If she did end up a bit longer and lower it would open up most aero bike options. If she isn't as happy like that, at least you'll be able to narrow down the options.

REGICYCLE
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Location: The 'Rif

by REGICYCLE


TobinHatesYou
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

wingguy wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 9:37 pm

Absolutely right. Heck these days a lot of aero bike even come with narrower handlebars than standard, and new school saddles like the Power and Dimension that come spec'ed on an increasing number of aero bikes can work really well for women, so you might not even end up having to change any components.

Unironically, the Power saddle was designed for Evelyn Stevens.

dricked
Posts: 188
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2018 1:57 pm

by dricked

Noctiluxx wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 2:27 pm
I ride with a woman who owns one of these. She loves it!
https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/envie-advanced-1
This is what my wife rides. She upgraded from an entry level specialized and absolutely loves
it.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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