Ladies man... I am...

fauxpas said:

My question is, if a guy is riding it, will people spot it as a ladies bike and call me a sissy?

I dont know about that. But I myself am 5'-6" I ride a Trek 2100 50cm and it fits me just fine.

fauxpas said:

My question is, if a guy is riding it, will people spot it as a ladies bike and call me a sissy?

Only if you've got a pink flowery jersey on.:p Seriously though, the "women's specific design" labels are probably keeping a lot of guys with slightly outside of average proportions from riding bikes that fit them. If it feels good, ride it.

My GF rides a Felt F100 47cm, she has short legs and arms and is 4'11", I am 5'7" and if I fit a long seat post I can ride the bike. It looks like a road bike, it rides like a road bike, it goes like a road bike, therefore it is a road bike!!

On the other hand she also has a Giant Upland Ladies setp-thru frame, purple, When she rides that, its a ladys bike, only because she, is a LADY!!

Its not the frame under the rider its the rider on the frame..

See also: http://www.cyclingforums.com/t333382.html a similar topic.

fauxpas said:

OK... here we go...

I got myself a 53cm bike, which is supposed to me a medium. Its way to big for me and even with the seat as far forward on the post as it will go, when I get into a comfy position, I have to set my butt back many inches to hit the sitbones. I have only about 3-4 inches of seatpost exposed. I am scared even a small may be too large. I am 5'6" but am very stocky and have short legs, arms and hands.

OK... here we go...

I found a ladies bike (pic below), that doesn't look like a ladies bike to me, with a 48.5cm top tube that would suit me down to the ground. My question is, if a guy is riding it, will people spot it as a ladies bike and call me a sissy?

[img]i41.photobucket.com03 1 b.jpgOpen ↗[/img]

It doesn't look like a ladies bike to me!

Get the bike that fits. Difference between riding and not riding!

fauxpas said:

OK... here we go...

I got myself a 53cm bike, which is supposed to me a medium. Its way to big for me and even with the seat as far forward on the post as it will go, when I get into a comfy position, I have to set my butt back many inches to hit the sitbones. I have only about 3-4 inches of seatpost exposed. I am scared even a small may be too large. I am 5'6" but am very stocky and have short legs, arms and hands.

OK... here we go...

I found a ladies bike (pic below), that doesn't look like a ladies bike to me, with a 48.5cm top tube that would suit me down to the ground. My question is, if a guy is riding it, will people spot it as a ladies bike and call me a sissy?

Yeah, just ride it - if it fits, that's what matters. If it's got women-specific bars you'll probably want to swap 'em for something to suit your stocky shoulders though. Some women-specific bikes also have shorter (165mm cranks, which might be an issue).

Shouldn't a lady's bike be pink? I don't see you getting busted on that, it looks like a nice bike to me. If anybody calls you a sissy, it won't be the bike's fault!😄 😄 😄

most of the time the only difference between a ladys bike is the stem length and crank arm size... nothin big

Jack Russell said:

Shouldn't a lady's bike be pink?

Nah, mine's Purple!! But you should see it (go) with a pair of Deep-V 23x650c race wheels!! 😄

I would go for a ladys compact bike, like the one you have shown. The reason for compact, is that females have longer legs than males of the same height and the compact will suit a lower seat height than a standard frame. The shorter top tube will probably suit your shorter arms. Then its a matter of customising it to suit you. Female handle bars are narrower than male handle bars, but you also need to consider that the female handle bars will have a shorter reach to the brakes.

BTW it looks like a good bike, if I was you I'd get it.

Edit: you also need a narrower seat, cos we have smaller bums.

Looks pretty tough and rather manly to me - go for it.

Sweet, thanks for all the quick feedback.

If I manage to get it I'll let y'all know.

I been looking everywhere for bikes and if I do see a net site selling bikes on special, they usually only have the floor stock on special. That means Med-XL...

OK, got the bike today and I like it. It will be my dry weather daily ride with my [censored] no-name bike relegated to being my wet weather hack.

This Cytek is truely a mix-n-match bike and did not come out of the factory like this.

Cytek Roma Frame
Vincolo Carbon Fibre Fork
Vincolo Bar
FSA Headset
Ritchey Pro Stem
Sora Brakes
Tiagra Front Derailluer
105 Rear Derailluer
R600 Brifters
Truvativ Touro Crankset & BB
Vuelta XRP Stylist Rims
Vincolo Seat and Seat Post

I have already replaced the seat and post with a Felt Carbon Fibre Post and my trusty San Marco seat.

I will upgrade the brakes to 105 and keep an eye out for a 105 front derailluer. The tyres are [censored] and will be replace asap.

I did some research and apparently the R600 short shifters are Ultegra quality. They certainly have a nice action.

The top tube is exactly 48.5cm centre to centre and the bike fits like a glove. Goes to show avergaes mean jack chit... At 5'6" everyone said I would fit a 53cm medium sized bike.

Better to go smaller and extend bits than go bigger and suffer...

I'm happy... can't wait till I can afford a proper pro-style ride...

i am a girl and i was scared that people were going to think that i was riding a guys bike .But the guy at the bike shop said that the only difference between guys bikes and girls road bikes was the seat, or the colour but i have seen the pros riding pink bikes. so make sure that you dont have a girls seat.

Yeah, I heard a ladies specific bike can get a lot more involved than just a seat change.

Seat
Frame geometry
Crank length
Bars narrower with shallower drop
Stem shorter
Brifter length and adjustability

http://www.sarahulmerbrand.com/sub.asp?ID=71

I needed the Cytek due to my weird body shape. A lady above 5'8" in height would probably not need to go a ladies specific bike, but shorter ladies don't just need a smaller frame to fit the body, there are other factors. At the end of the day, I can even get on an XL bike and pedal it, but uncomfortably and not as fast as an XL man could...

It still blows me away that my 5'6" - 5'7" height fits a 48.5cm top tube. The ladies specific equipment on this bike (The Cytek) all go to making my riding more enjoyable...

Maybe there should be a poofter specific bike, as I love 'Little Britain' so much my gf thinks I'm gay... 😄

Usually the difference between a woman specific design (WSD) and a men's or unisex bike, other than the seat, is the geometry. Most WSD bikes have a longer top tube in relation to the standover height than most mens or unisex models. If the frame fits your body, that is all that matters.

I have three adult daughtrers. Two of them have long torsos for their height, and the other has long legs and a shorter torso. The one with the long legs required a WSD to get a proper fit. The other two found the men's frame fit them better. Their husbands do not mind that they ride a masculine bike.

Maybe I'm just a noob, but I really couldn't spot that bike as a ladie's model. Guess I'm not that bike savvy. I would just see someone riding a bike that fits them. I always envisioned a women's bike as having the step-thru frame and being a femiminine color (pink, lavender, etc...) and that bike is neither. Nice ride, btw.

The magenta express (Team T-Mobile) must have the most lady-like bikes on the plante... 😉

This is a ladies bike. If you ride this you're a sissy :eek: 😄 !!

Ouch, my uncle rides one of those. But his name, is, Bruce... nuf said...😄