# wifes first bike



## padre1964 (Sep 30, 2007)

i need help with sizing a bike for my wife. this is going to be her first road bike and i want it to be a suprise. she has expressed interest in one and i want to purchase this without her knowing. so i need help with choosing the right size (47,48,49, etc). she is 5 ft tall, 115 lbs with a 28 inch inseam. if any women out there can help it will be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance!


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## clemsongirl (Jan 1, 2008)

I'm no expert, but here is how I can try to help. I am 5'4, 126 lbs. I don't know my inseam, but I have shorter legs. Depending on the brand I ride around a 50, maybe a 51. I found a 48 to be too small. I would guess that she probably would ride a 47 or 48. Fuji runs very long from seat to hoods. I couldn't ride a women's 47, it was too long for my reach. Most good bike dealers will have someone who should be able to help. My husband suprised me with my first bike, and the dealer was great to fit me after the fact. It was too big, so he took back the bike, and gave me a new one that fit. Hope this helps!


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## Rollo Tommassi (Feb 5, 2004)

*Quick conversion...*

to 71cm inseam roughly puts her on a 46cm bike.

Most important, as clemsongirl notes, is to have a bike shop willing to work with her, after the initial surprise. 

Everyone deserves nothing shorter than a 90 stem


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## padre1964 (Sep 30, 2007)

thanks to both of you


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

I'm 5' 4". Not sure on what my inseam is but I ride 48 and 49 cm bikes.


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## Blue Sugar (Jun 14, 2005)

padre1964 said:


> i need help with sizing a bike for my wife. this is going to be her first road bike and i want it to be a suprise. she has expressed interest in one and i want to purchase this without her knowing. so i need help with choosing the right size (47,48,49, etc). she is 5 ft tall, 115 lbs with a 28 inch inseam. if any women out there can help it will be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance!


Take her measurements to a knowledgeable bike seller and let him or her figure it out. She'll get the right size, and can then go back for a custom fitting. You need to know more than just her inseam, but her femur length, foot size, torso length, arm length. This will allow the seller to set her up with not just the right size, but the right geometry (seat angle, top tube length). If you don't know those measurements, get out the tape measure and make a fun evening out of it.


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## pdh777 (Oct 7, 2005)

You may want to input her dimensions at a computer website like wrenchscience - they will give you feedback as to frame size - although the computer fit is more theoretical than an in person fit. 

FWIW - my wife is 5' 1" with a 29 inch inseam and rides a LeMond women's specific 49.
sounds like your wife may be a 47 or 48.

Regardless find a bike shop you know does good fits - and as noted above, will allow you to properly fit the bike to her - and exchange the bike for one in her size if wrong. Obviously don't ride it much at all before the fit.

Good luck! What kind of bike are you thin king of getting her?


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## padre1964 (Sep 30, 2007)

thanks again to everyone for their input !


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

il sogno said:


> I'm 5' 4". Not sure on what my inseam is but I ride 48 and 49 cm bikes.


Just measured. My inseam is 30 3/8". I would worry more about the top tube length. Sounds like a TT length of around 51cm would be a good place to start. Good luck.


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Bigomy*



padre1964 said:


> ...she is 5 ft tall, 115 lbs with a 28 inch inseam...


If she is blond then I think she is two timing both of us!

My wife is the same height and I would guess her inseam is close to that. She is riding a 47c Tuscany. One key as you look is to also consider top tube length along with the stem and handlebars impact on the cockpit. A good shop can help you dial in the stem but they can only do so much depending on the top tube.

Wheels on this size bike should be 650c as they have to do some really funky things with the geometry to accomodate larger wheels. There is likely to be some toe overlap but this is not a defect and will never matter rolling down the road (only when test riding in the driveway). The trend seems to be towards deeper rims but you should consider that a shallower rim will likely be easier to ride for a smaller rider when fighting the wind. You can do all the wind tunnel test you want but when my wife rides shallower rims she feels better at the end of the day.

This small of bike should also have narrower handlebars with a shorter reach and less drop. Think about the size and shape of the shift levers as well as the reach to the brake levers and the placement of the hoods on the bars. Also consider what type of shifters you are going with, my wife started with Ultegra because that is what she was familiar with, a couple of years ago she switched to Chorus and was surprised how much better the hoods and levers fit her hands. SRAM is another option but she will only know when she puts her hands on a bike and test it out.

Cranks are another place to look at. She may want shorter cranks than the stock 172.5 that come on many bikes. This would be both for clearance as well as easier to spin at a good cadence. If you are getting a bike with 650c wheels there is probably not a need to look at compact cranks as the gear ratios are different (easier) with 650c wheels vs. 700c wheels. My wifes bike is set up with 53/39 chainrings and a 13x26 cassette which works well in nearly all situations. She will use a 13x29 cassette if heading to an area with steep hills. Be sure you understand gear ratios well and know your riding terrain before you let someone talk you into a compact for this small of a bike.

Saddles are another area where stock may not serve her well. Typically they put a wider womans saddle on the girls bikes. For someone petite like our wife most womens saddles are too wide so consider a mens saddle with a narrower profile that fits her pubic bones. A lot of trial and error may be involved and a good shop with the ability to test ride will help. Be sure she is wearing womens shorts with a chamois shaped for mommy parts. My wife prefers Selle Italia Flite Gel but everyone has different taste/shapes. Search the threads here.

While a surprise is fun this is hardly like buying a dress or pair of shoes. I would strongly recommend involving her in the purchasing process so you do not end up with a bike that does not fit her body and will therefor not get ridden. There is a lot more to getting a properly fitting bike than just reading the inseam on her favorite pair of jeans. As a bonus, you two can spend time together picking out her bike which will be good too. Please involve her in the selection process so it gets done right.


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## venus (Apr 27, 2006)

I’m 5' & ride anything from a 44 to a 48 comfortably depending on geometry & quirky sizing of different models. I say if you need to surprise her, don’t spend much & count on the purchase to be an exercise in determining what she really needs. An inexperienced rider won’t even know what feels right until she puts in lots of miles on whatever bike.


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## liveonedge (Dec 21, 2005)

I'm no woman but I have shorter legs with a 28 inseam and I do ride a 47cm frame and Small compact geometry. If you're going shopping for traditional geometry in my experience it was difficult to find frames that fit without going to 650cc wheels. The one that I ended up with a while back was a Lemond Alpe d'Huez back when they made it in 47cm but it did have a "slight" sloping down tube. Not sure who else manufactures frames that size with flat top tubes though. Compact frames might be easier to fit for her, just my opinion, based on my experience.

Funny enough when I bought my Bianchi cyclocross bike in size 44cm I found out months later when cleaning it that it had a picture of chick (chicken) on it in the downtube which I never cared about but reading it closely I found out it said "'chick' fit", the horror! I've been riding a woman's bike!


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## venus (Apr 27, 2006)

liveonedge said:


> I'm no woman but I have shorter legs with a 28 inseam and I do ride a 47cm frame and Small compact geometry. If you're going shopping for traditional geometry in my experience it was difficult to find frames that fit without going to 650cc wheels. The one that I ended up with a while back was a Lemond Alpe d'Huez back when they made it in 47cm but it did have a "slight" sloping down tube. Not sure who else manufactures frames that size with flat top tubes though. Compact frames might be easier to fit for her, just my opinion, based on my experience.
> 
> Funny enough when I bought my Bianchi cyclocross bike in size 44cm I found out months later when cleaning it that it had a picture of chick (chicken) on it in the downtube which I never cared about but reading it closely I found out it said "'chick' fit", the horror! I've been riding a woman's bike!


That's ok. Most of my bikes are guys' models - both road & mountain. Only my Trek Madone is female specific.


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## padre1964 (Sep 30, 2007)

Keeping up with Junior said:


> If she is blond then I think she is two timing both of us!
> 
> unless your blonde is asian, you should be ok. lol
> 
> ...


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Female Engineer*



liveonedge said:


> ...it had a picture of chick (chicken) on it in the downtube which I never cared about but reading it closely I found out it said "'chick' fit", the horror! I've been riding a woman's bike!


I believe if you will do a better job of cleaning or put on your bifocals you should see that the sticker reads *Chick Designed*. This does not refer to pink and flowery bikes, rather the fact that one of Bianchi's bike designers is a woman. I have the same sticker on my Bianchi single speed mountain bike. Hopefully you don't find any horror in the fact that a woman designed your bike.



> Bianchi USA is the United States division of F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi. Located in Hayward, California it designs bicycles for the American market, which are built in Taiwan. The design director for Bianchi USA is Sky Yaeger. The "Chick Designed" decal on many of the US bikes is a reference to her. Only bikes in the reparto corse line are still imported from Italy.


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## liveonedge (Dec 21, 2005)

*horror?*



Keeping up with Junior said:


> I believe if you will do a better job of cleaning or put on your bifocals you should see that the sticker reads *Chick Designed*. This does not refer to pink and flowery bikes, rather the fact that one of Bianchi's bike designers is a woman. I have the same sticker on my Bianchi single speed mountain bike. Hopefully you don't find any horror in the fact that a woman designed your bike


The joke is lost if you have to explain it, or the sense of humor in this case. If you want to be specific about it, you might as well get your pocket magnifying glass since the sticker actually says "100% Chick Designed" If it's any testament that I can beat most guys on a woman's bike then kuddos to the designer since she designed it right for me, or is it me? We'll never know...


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

liveonedge said:


> The joke is lost if you have to explain it, or the sense of humor in this case. If you want to be specific about it, you might as well get your pocket magnifying glass since the sticker actually says "100% Chick Designed" If it's any testament that I can beat most guys on a woman's bike then kuddos to the designer since she designed it right for me, or is it me? We'll never know...


It sounds like a great bike. I have never tried a women's Bianchi. I will be sure to track one down and give it a spin.


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