Saddle
For many female road cyclists, this is the biggest problem area on the bike. The stretched, forwards-shifted sitting position can lead to high pressure in the pubic area, resulting in numbness and pain. A special women's saddle can be the solution here. Saddles with a hole, step or hollow in the seat reduce the pressure on the soft tissue, but sometimes put more pressure on other areas. The problem is then merely shifted. It is difficult to make a generalised statement about saddles; perforated saddles can also be comfortable.
Many beginners believe that soft saddles are more comfortable than tightly padded saddles. However, thin and tightly padded saddles usually fit better for sporty riders. In addition to the shape, it is important that the saddle can be adjusted to the correct horizontal position. Because women's saddles often have shorter frames, this can sometimes be difficult - especially if a saddle with a short frame meets a seat post that is not offset to the rear.
Seat post
The seatpost has a major influence on the suspension comfort of the bike. Lightweight riders in particular should therefore look for a flexible seatpost when buying a bike. Light, slim carbon seat posts with a diameter of 27.2 millimetres offer particularly good suspension. Thicker posts with a diameter of 31.6 millimetres are often comfort killers - especially if they are heavy and made of aluminium.
In order to shorten the distance between the handlebars and saddle, some manufacturers fit seatposts without offset to the rear for small frame sizes. This moves the saddle further forwards. However, small frames in particular often have a very steep seat tube. If the saddle is positioned almost vertically above the bottom bracket, this is not only bad for suspension comfort, but also for power transmission.
Handlebars
People of petite build ride better with narrow handlebars. The handlebars on normal-sized road bikes are usually 42 or 44 centimetres wide. The women's bikes in the test all have narrower handlebars (mostly 40 centimetres), with the exception of the inexpensive Cube. The testers particularly liked the extra narrow, only 37 centimetre wide handlebars on the Liv Avail Advanced. In addition to the handlebar width, the diameter of the handlebar also plays an important role in riding comfort. Thin handlebars can pinch your hands. Handlebars with a wide contact surface for the hands on the top bar are better. Handlebars with a narrow bending radius are also often recommended for small riders. However, the bend must not be so tight that the lower handlebar can no longer be reached.
Brake lever
If you can only reach the brake levers with the last phalanges of your fingers, the reach is too wide. The reach can now be individually adjusted on all modern brake levers. Sometimes this is not easy. Ask your dealer to make the adjustment for you.
Crank handle
170 millimetre long cranks are standard on small road bikes. They should not be any longer. Shorter cranks are usually fitted on special request. Because the mail-order company Rose offers this option, we asked them to fit 165-millimetre cranks when we ordered the test bikes. However, the 1.68 metre tall testers did not notice any difference to 170 mm cranks. Shorter cranks are particularly recommended for riders under 1.65 metres tall.
Foot clearance
Small frames are not only lower but also shorter. The front wheel therefore moves closer to the bottom bracket. It can sometimes happen that the tips of your feet reach into the pivoting range of the front wheel when steering. This increases the risk of falling, especially in tight bends and when manoeuvring. Foot clearance was not a problem on the 15 test bikes. On none of the bikes did tester Manuela Kletzander (shoe size 39) get her feet on the front wheel.
General buying tips for women
- Don't buy a bike without a test ride
- Only buy from a dealer who has different models to choose from
- Don't let yourself be pressured into buying a particular bike - even if the equipment, price or colour may be tempting. If it doesn't fit, buy twice
- Some dealers provide saddles on a trial basis and take them back if you don't like them
- If you are unsure about how you should sit on the bike, professional advice can be useful, such as that offered by many Specialized dealers as part of the BG-Fit programme
- Taller women in particular should not just look for women's bikes. With small changes to the saddle and stem, men's models usually also fit - this multiplies the choice
- Particularly with small frame sizes, make sure that your feet do not collide with the front wheel when steering
You can read more tips and a test of 15 women's road bikes in our Women's Special 2015. You can order the magazine as a supplement to the 05/2015 print issue or just read the Women's Special digitally in our app for 1.99 euros.
Here you can buy the print edition for 4,90 Euro
Click here for the Android app in the Google Play Store or to the iOs version in the iTunes Store. Once you have installed the free app, you can buy the special edition for 1.99 euros.
