hey ladies.. where your 'bikes' at?? want feed back

I ride a fixed gear bike mostly just around town, however, I do longer rides as well, out of the city to go camping or to find the next best beer. 40+ mile rides one way etc.

Well now I am looking into purchasing a geared bike.. Yes ladies.. I said GEARED bike!!! So in saying this I want to hear  from all of you about your road or touring bikes or in general about your geared bike. What brand you have, what you love or hate about it, anything you have to share. And some guiding suggestions to help me in my hunt for the best bike for me. I will be using it for longer rides and for carrying my camping gear more efficiently this year. Just a side note.. I am only 5"1 so I am pretty limited to frames as well.

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Permalink Reply by dan brown on March 24, 2010 at 6:56am
hey Shar - FWIW - Trek has (had ?) a women's specific line called WSD (clever, huh) that catered better to a woman's body proportions - and I believe it's even more important if you are on the 'not-tall' side as well.

For example : narrower handlebars, smaller brake levers, shorter top-tube (women's legs are generally
proportionately different than men's, etc.).

Terry Bikes is a great options; but they have very limited distributors and are not cheap.

but I will let the women chime in here now

DB

p.s. the next best beer is coming soon from the Humboldt Park Brewery ... as long as Winston stays
away from it (LOL).
Permalink Reply by cutifly on March 24, 2010 at 7:30am
I wish I was all pretty looking on a bike so I could have my choice pick of snazzy looking hipster wanna bee's in their prime who don't really understand that the best choice female is not always the one who rides a bike but one who wants too...
Permalink Reply by shar on March 24, 2010 at 8:47am
this is a 'friendly' forum for 'friendly' advise and casual discussion about what the savy women in the biking community like and recommend for geared bikes.
please be nice

cutifly said:
I wish I was all pretty looking on a bike so I could have my choice pick of snazzy looking hipster wanna bee's in their prime who don't really understand that the best choice female is not always the one who rides a bike but one who wants too...
Permalink Reply by Craig S. on March 24, 2010 at 10:08am
Don't be afraid of gears. I like gears. Gears are cool.

What is your budget? I'll echo the suggestion of Terry bikes but if you have a decent budget, look for a custom frame and 650c wheels. Waterford makes terrific steel frames and they're fairly local; Waterford, WI. I have two Waterfords, love them.
Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on March 24, 2010 at 10:37am
I like how you haven't gotten any responses from women. :) Well, I already talked to you about Terry bikes. Unfortunately I only know about that from second hand knowledge.

I have a Jamis Aurora and I really like it. The smallest frame that they make is a 47...I'm not sure if that would work for you. I ride a 50 and I'm 5'8". It has a proportionately tall stand over...which makes the sizing a little weird.

The nice thing about the Aurora is that a lot of stuff is adjustable. However, I do find that the brake levers in the hoods are not easy to use...at all. That might be because of the STI shifters.

Jamis does make a Ventura Female edition which one of my co-workers rides. She really likes it and it's fast. They have frames down to 44 cm.

Hope that helps. One note of complaint that I have about female specific bikes is that it can be really hard to find a step through fram if you're taller than 5'6." Us taller women like to ride bikes in skirts as well!
Permalink Reply by heather s on March 24, 2010 at 10:48am
I have a Miyata touring bike and love it. But, it's over 20 years old and I'm not even sure if Miyata is a company, or the same company, anymore.

Considering that you want to carry your camping gear, I'd stay away from a road bike and look for a touring or cyclocross. You'd have a tough time fitting a good rack and full fenders on a road bike, and the aggressive geometry might make it uncomfortable to carry so much extra weight. I think cyclocross bikes come in more variety and cheaper than touring, but I am not an expert on that.

My general feeling is that you'll get a better bike for the amount of money spent if you buy used. I've bought three bikes, including my touring bike, on eBay and have had only good experiences. But the size will be a limiting factor, particularly if you're not willing to wait around until the right one shows up. Best of luck!
Permalink Reply by Duppie on March 24, 2010 at 12:44pm
If you are looking for touring bike, I suggest you look at a Surly LHT. It comes as small as 42cm (with 26" wheels) and is commonly available, since Surly is owned by QBP Most LBS can order one for you, even if they are not a dealer . The 2010 complete bike cost $1095. Or you could get a frame only and build it up with your own parts. Since it is a common touring bike, you might be able to find a used one for cheaper on CL or eBay.

I bought mine at Cycle Smithy and they did a fitting for me, to make sure I got the right size. Given your uncommon size, it might be worth it
Permalink Reply by Jessica on March 24, 2010 at 12:54pm
I *hate* 650c wheels. To each their own, but UGHH.

I too am 5'1". I ride a Lemond Poprad, it was measured at a 49cm, but is a wee bit too big for me. I make due just fine. It's steel (<3<3) and is running ultegra with King hubs. I ride a fi'zi:k seat (love that too). Uhhh... I have continental tires... and avid shorty 6s on it. Not much more to explain, other than I *love love love* my bike. (pictures on my profile... I have to ride with the seat all the way down. =( )

WSD is great, I work for a Trek bike store, and their stuff is really nice. I just couldn't afford it at the time, so I went with what I have now.

Good luck, and it'll be easier on the knees! =P
Permalink Reply by lauren sailor on March 24, 2010 at 1:11pm
my only suggestions are to make sure you invest in your saddle (go for the brooks! i don't necessarily recommend them for fixed-gears, but they're great if you can coast over the potholes), and get a steel frame if you're planning to load it up touring.
before it got smashed, i had an aluminum/carbon fiber trek 1200. it was nice and light and had gears enough for mountains (27), but i could feel the flex in the whole back end of the bike if i put more than 20 or 30 pounds on the rear rack.
and of course, if you're planning to install racks and fenders, make sure you have appropriate braze-ons and clearance.
Permalink Reply by Matt AKA Jimbo/BMXican on March 24, 2010 at 7:20pm
You should take a look at the Globe/Specialized Haul, It has a integrated rear rack that is welded into the frame that holds more weight then a regular rack with a built in rear light to boot, it also has long rear stays and it's not bad weight wise either. It starts at $660 and you can get it in a step through but I think you might me able to get away with a regular small. Really nice ride too. The only down side it's only a 8 speed but hell it is pretty flat around here anyways. Not trying to be that guy but we have them at Kozys if you want to test ride one. There is a medium frame size at the Milwaukee location. Their might be a small floating around at the other locations. I could find out if you want.

Permalink Reply by Sol on March 24, 2010 at 7:32pm
Hey Shar, you may want to talk with Julie Hochstadter. She just got a 43cm multi-geared road bike from Boulevard bikes.
Permalink Reply by Amber K on March 25, 2010 at 2:36am
Just what I was thinking. Talk to Julie. I think she may have a bike she may want to sell, but I can't remember which one it was. Sorry, but that's all the advice I have. I don't know a thing about small bikes, but I would definitely go for a cross frame if I was getting a new one for touring.

Sol said:
Hey Shar, you may want to talk with Julie Hochstadter. She just got a 43cm multi-geared road bike from Boulevard bikes.

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