All I want is a WSG cycle-cross or touring bike with 700cc* tires, and a rear-rack mount eyelet
Is that so much to ask?
So I've concluded that it may be time for me to buy a new bicycle.
I love my bike, I really do. I rode it almost all the way home from Ottawa. But I'm forced to admit that she's a heavy bike, and she's not doing me a lot of good. My fingertips get tingly when I ride for too long. And I ride a lot. Also, this year, I'm probably going to have to replace the tires, pedals, seat, and possibly the gears, by which time I might as well have a new bike, really.
My Current Ride
My current bike is a 17-inch Giant hybrid, designed specifically for commuters, where by "commuters," I think the bike companies mean "someone who hops on their bike and is at their workplace within half an hour or so." It's a pretty decent commuter/hybrid bike. It has mostly mountain bike features-wide tires, wide handlebars, lots of gears, some suspension in the front forks, and a wide seat-with a more upright, comfortable frame and posture. It handles reasonably well on lots of different terrain, and it's comfy and durable. Really. I haven't managed to break the bottom bracket on this bike, even once. So it's a great bike for someone who rides every day, and who doesn't stick to roads.
But over long distances, this bike has some serious drawbacks.
It's heavy. It's got a lot of rolling resistance. It's not in the least aerodynamic. I spend a lot of time pushing at the road and fighting with the wind.
Most people who ride serious long distances over mostly roads prefer a road bike.You know-the curly handled kind, with skinny tires, and a lightweight frame. These offer less rolling resistance, a more streamlined posture so that the rider spends less time fighting with the wind, and generally more speed. They're less stable-the features that increase speed do decrease stability. They're less versatile than my current bike-you don't generally want to spend a lot of time on unpaved roads or dirt paths with a road bike (and roughly half my trip last summer was on unpaved roads or dirt paths.)
Finally, my current bike is a 17-inch "unisex" frame, and I think the top bar (which, along with the shape of the handlebars and the seat angle determines the seat-to-handlebar reach) is a bit too long for me. This forces more weight onto my arms, which, as Sheldon Brown pointed out, were not really meant to hold most of the weight of my body. If I were cycling for an hour or so a day on nice days only, this might not be a huge problem, but over the distances I tend to cycle, it's causing (more) problems in my hands and wrists.
So I'm bike shopping. Mostly online right now, because I'm at the research stage. And I've figured out that I probably want to move away from "unisex" design towards a women-specific design.
Do You Mean a Girly Bike?
Not, I hasten to mention, a cute cruiser-style daisybike with a nice stepthrough for my skirts.
That lowered top bar you see in what a lot of us learned were "girls" bikes? That's nothing to do with female anatomy. Women's bikes were designed with a lowered crossbar to accommodate skirts. It creates a less stable, weaker frame.
There's nothing wrong with a bike like this, but I don't often ride in long skirts, and I'm willing to kilt them up when I do. Much as I would love to have five different bikes, including a cute one for fashion, I can't afford that many bikes or that much storage space. So no daisybike for me.
This is why I've been buying small men's bikes for years. I do need frame stability, and I do need a strong frame. I'm hard on my bikes, so I want all the strength I can get out of a frame.
I also have a really difficult time finding bikes that really fit me well.
Blah Blah Blah Geometry
If you don't need to accommodate skirts, there are still differences in geometry between women's and men's bikes. Problem is, other than Georgena Terry and Margo Conover, not may bicycle builders have really acknowledged this until quite recently. More precisely, there are differences in geometry between bikes for people who are, on average, 5'10" and people who are, on average 5' 4". There are additional differences in geometry between people who have, on average, proportionally shorter arms and proportionally larger hips, and people who have, on average, proportionally longer arms and proportionally narrower hips. So for a bike for a short-ish woman, you want a shorter top tube, a slightly steeper seatpost angle, and a lower bottom bracket. You can't just shrink a bike designed for an average-ish man (there are some videos on the Terry site about why. Here's a really comprehensive look at bike fit for women.)
Still with me? Ring your bike bell if you've made it this far!
What I Want
Okay, so here's my list of specifications for a bike:
This leads me to believe that I need either a cyclocross bike or a touring bike, probably. There are one or two hybrids I'll try, but most hybrids seem to assume a more casual rider than I tend to be.
And Here's the Feminism
So, recognizing that I really want a Terry Bike, but cannot right now afford the price tag on such a beast (and also, Terry seems to have discontinued the Madeleine, which really looks like the bike I want, oh yes she does), I wandered over to my favourite bike shop to see what offerings they have.
Oh, hey, they have a women specific section on their website! If I click on that, I get a little mini online bike store with all the women's stuff grouped together for my convenience. Okay, I want a complete bike.
Bummer. They don't seem to have touring or cross bikes. But wait! Before I entered the women-specific page, I'm pretty sure I saw a menu option for Cyclocross/Touring! I did, in fact. But apparently, it's not for women. In fact, the number of options for women is significantly more limited than the number of options for non-women (i.e. men and anyone who rides unisex).
I don't for a moment blame the nice folks at the bike shop. I've visited the sites for all my favourite bike manufacturers, and all of them, except for Terry (who make only women's bikes) and Luna Cycles (who make custom women's and men's bikes, with an emphasis on women's), offer a significantly smaller selection of bikes with women-specific geometry. Very few offer cyclocross or touring options. At least a good third of the women's options are daisybikes, or feminized versions of men's bikes with a stepthrough. They're stylish and cute, but stylish is not a huge concern for me in a bike, and I'm plenty adorable enough without needing a bike to accessorize with.
What I assumed I would find, from serious bike manufacturers, was women-specific design (WSD) applied to all their bikes-which, you know, might also be useful for short men, or men with short arms. That's not what I found. Instead, I found that all manufacturers had vastly more models and options for men or "unisex" designs than they did for women. And their women's options often had different names. Kona, for example, makes about five bikes named "Jake": There's a Major Jake, a Jake the Snake, a Jake, and some other permutations. They make one women's bike named "Lisa," which is kind of analogous to Jake, but not really, I think. MEC's new line of bikes includes on women's touring option, and about four "unisex" options, at least one of which looks pretty much like the bike I want, assuming that the reach is not too long. But I'm a short woman, so the reach may well be too long, and the bike will probably be heavier than I need it to be.
I guess women are just a niche market.
So, if anyone finds a used or new Terry Madeleine with a 26-inch step-over (which probably means a size S frame), let me know, okay?
And if I come into a sudden windfall? I'm so going custom.
So I've concluded that it may be time for me to buy a new bicycle.
I love my bike, I really do. I rode it almost all the way home from Ottawa. But I'm forced to admit that she's a heavy bike, and she's not doing me a lot of good. My fingertips get tingly when I ride for too long. And I ride a lot. Also, this year, I'm probably going to have to replace the tires, pedals, seat, and possibly the gears, by which time I might as well have a new bike, really.
My Current Ride
My current bike is a 17-inch Giant hybrid, designed specifically for commuters, where by "commuters," I think the bike companies mean "someone who hops on their bike and is at their workplace within half an hour or so." It's a pretty decent commuter/hybrid bike. It has mostly mountain bike features-wide tires, wide handlebars, lots of gears, some suspension in the front forks, and a wide seat-with a more upright, comfortable frame and posture. It handles reasonably well on lots of different terrain, and it's comfy and durable. Really. I haven't managed to break the bottom bracket on this bike, even once. So it's a great bike for someone who rides every day, and who doesn't stick to roads.
But over long distances, this bike has some serious drawbacks.
It's heavy. It's got a lot of rolling resistance. It's not in the least aerodynamic. I spend a lot of time pushing at the road and fighting with the wind.
Most people who ride serious long distances over mostly roads prefer a road bike.You know-the curly handled kind, with skinny tires, and a lightweight frame. These offer less rolling resistance, a more streamlined posture so that the rider spends less time fighting with the wind, and generally more speed. They're less stable-the features that increase speed do decrease stability. They're less versatile than my current bike-you don't generally want to spend a lot of time on unpaved roads or dirt paths with a road bike (and roughly half my trip last summer was on unpaved roads or dirt paths.)
Finally, my current bike is a 17-inch "unisex" frame, and I think the top bar (which, along with the shape of the handlebars and the seat angle determines the seat-to-handlebar reach) is a bit too long for me. This forces more weight onto my arms, which, as Sheldon Brown pointed out, were not really meant to hold most of the weight of my body. If I were cycling for an hour or so a day on nice days only, this might not be a huge problem, but over the distances I tend to cycle, it's causing (more) problems in my hands and wrists.
So I'm bike shopping. Mostly online right now, because I'm at the research stage. And I've figured out that I probably want to move away from "unisex" design towards a women-specific design.
Do You Mean a Girly Bike?
Not, I hasten to mention, a cute cruiser-style daisybike with a nice stepthrough for my skirts.
That lowered top bar you see in what a lot of us learned were "girls" bikes? That's nothing to do with female anatomy. Women's bikes were designed with a lowered crossbar to accommodate skirts. It creates a less stable, weaker frame.
There's nothing wrong with a bike like this, but I don't often ride in long skirts, and I'm willing to kilt them up when I do. Much as I would love to have five different bikes, including a cute one for fashion, I can't afford that many bikes or that much storage space. So no daisybike for me.
This is why I've been buying small men's bikes for years. I do need frame stability, and I do need a strong frame. I'm hard on my bikes, so I want all the strength I can get out of a frame.
I also have a really difficult time finding bikes that really fit me well.
Blah Blah Blah Geometry
If you don't need to accommodate skirts, there are still differences in geometry between women's and men's bikes. Problem is, other than Georgena Terry and Margo Conover, not may bicycle builders have really acknowledged this until quite recently. More precisely, there are differences in geometry between bikes for people who are, on average, 5'10" and people who are, on average 5' 4". There are additional differences in geometry between people who have, on average, proportionally shorter arms and proportionally larger hips, and people who have, on average, proportionally longer arms and proportionally narrower hips. So for a bike for a short-ish woman, you want a shorter top tube, a slightly steeper seatpost angle, and a lower bottom bracket. You can't just shrink a bike designed for an average-ish man (there are some videos on the Terry site about why. Here's a really comprehensive look at bike fit for women.)
Still with me? Ring your bike bell if you've made it this far!
What I Want
Okay, so here's my list of specifications for a bike:
- Good fit, which probably means women's geometry, though I'm willing to try some unisex models
- Lightweight, which probably means road-style, though I'll entertain flat handlebars as long as the bike's geometry takes the weight off my wrists and hands, and the posture isn't too upright
- Tires that are a reasonable compromise between stable enough for some unpaved roads and smooth and narrow enough to reduce some of the resistance I currently encounter. This means that the wheels need to support a slightly wider tire
- Strong enough to withstand some time on unpaved roads, and to be fully loaded for travel
- Eyelets on the rear wossname (the thing that houses the axle and holds the wheel in place) so that I can put a rack on my bike
- More than 10 speeds. I use all 18 on my current bike, but I admit that I don't use the very top or very bottom very often
- A less upright posture so I spend less time fighting the wind
- Ideally, one of them there modern steel frames, so that I can have some shock absorption without needing actual shocks. Aluminum is light, but tends to be really rigid. Your modern light steel gives a much gentler ride, I'm told
This leads me to believe that I need either a cyclocross bike or a touring bike, probably. There are one or two hybrids I'll try, but most hybrids seem to assume a more casual rider than I tend to be.
And Here's the Feminism
So, recognizing that I really want a Terry Bike, but cannot right now afford the price tag on such a beast (and also, Terry seems to have discontinued the Madeleine, which really looks like the bike I want, oh yes she does), I wandered over to my favourite bike shop to see what offerings they have.
Oh, hey, they have a women specific section on their website! If I click on that, I get a little mini online bike store with all the women's stuff grouped together for my convenience. Okay, I want a complete bike.
Bummer. They don't seem to have touring or cross bikes. But wait! Before I entered the women-specific page, I'm pretty sure I saw a menu option for Cyclocross/Touring! I did, in fact. But apparently, it's not for women. In fact, the number of options for women is significantly more limited than the number of options for non-women (i.e. men and anyone who rides unisex).
I don't for a moment blame the nice folks at the bike shop. I've visited the sites for all my favourite bike manufacturers, and all of them, except for Terry (who make only women's bikes) and Luna Cycles (who make custom women's and men's bikes, with an emphasis on women's), offer a significantly smaller selection of bikes with women-specific geometry. Very few offer cyclocross or touring options. At least a good third of the women's options are daisybikes, or feminized versions of men's bikes with a stepthrough. They're stylish and cute, but stylish is not a huge concern for me in a bike, and I'm plenty adorable enough without needing a bike to accessorize with.
What I assumed I would find, from serious bike manufacturers, was women-specific design (WSD) applied to all their bikes-which, you know, might also be useful for short men, or men with short arms. That's not what I found. Instead, I found that all manufacturers had vastly more models and options for men or "unisex" designs than they did for women. And their women's options often had different names. Kona, for example, makes about five bikes named "Jake": There's a Major Jake, a Jake the Snake, a Jake, and some other permutations. They make one women's bike named "Lisa," which is kind of analogous to Jake, but not really, I think. MEC's new line of bikes includes on women's touring option, and about four "unisex" options, at least one of which looks pretty much like the bike I want, assuming that the reach is not too long. But I'm a short woman, so the reach may well be too long, and the bike will probably be heavier than I need it to be.
I guess women are just a niche market.
So, if anyone finds a used or new Terry Madeleine with a 26-inch step-over (which probably means a size S frame), let me know, okay?
And if I come into a sudden windfall? I'm so going custom.