Ross McArthur Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 So Im helping a friend build up an XC bike and wanted to know what sort of geo's are good for girls who are around 5'4"? I have no idea what sort of head angles these sorts of bikes have, BB drop, chain stay bla bla - not got a clue. Anyone able to help? An explanation as to why they have that geometry would be helpful too. Ta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aener Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 I can't help with geometries - I'm equally clueless - but I would like to ask how a girl requires a different geometry to a boy? Sure, they might have lumps in different places, but girls and boys have the same approximate bodily proportions. Surely that's all that matters as far as geometry's concerned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forteh Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 My better half has a womens specific hybrid bike, it is physically the same size frame as my santacruz chameleon (16" frame), however is it much shorter on the reach (even with a longer stem) and I was almost hitting my knees on the shifters when I rode it (and I'm a short arse at 5'7"), she also feels very stretched out on my intense (the same size frame again) which I find quite short and a sit up and beg position. Obviously because it is a hybrid rather than a mountain bike some of the geometry is going to differ because of the different wheel size and desired handling, however the length is far longer relative to the height of the frame. I don't know what changes are made to the geo to affect this specifically for women but there is a noticeable difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted May 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 (edited) Ok, its for mountain biking, not just going along the canal towpath. Think if I just google Santa Cruz Chameleon frame size 16", and copy the over all shapes and sizes she would get away with that being the height she is? Edit: This helps http://www.santacruzbikes.co.uk/geometry/2012/chameleon.asp Edited May 28, 2013 by Ross McArthur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forteh Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 With a short stem, I would imagine she would be ok on a small chameleon, I am building mine up for Charlotte who is 5'5"-6"; as I said it is the reach that she struggles with rather than the height of the frame, stems are easy to change around though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted May 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Haha, what a coincidence. I'm building one for a Charlotte too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew62 Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 I can't help with geometries - I'm equally clueless - but I would like to ask how a girl requires a different geometry to a boy? Sure, they might have lumps in different places, but girls and boys have the same approximate bodily proportions. Surely that's all that matters as far as geometry's concerned? Not really. Women usually have shorter torsos and longer legs in a comparative sense compared with a man of the same height, so things like shorter top tubes, less reach and so on feature in women's specific bikes. Women on a whole tend to be shorter as well so ranges usually start at much smaller sizes and don't go as large as a normal range might. Ross, head angles and so on will all be relative, there shouldn't be a change between men and women, around 67 is the average trail angle these days. Also chainstays might be slightly shorter, again the 420mm seems to be about the average now. A 16" Chameleon I reckon might be a bit big for a girl of 5'4". My girlfriend is taller and on the odd occasion she's ridden my 14" bike it was plenty big enough for her. BB is usually around the zero mark or slightly minus for stability, again no real difference between men and women. Have a look at the Orange Five vs the Orange Five Diva (Womens specific) http://orangebikes.com/bikes/five_s/ vs http://orangebikes.com/bikes/five-diva_pro/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aener Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Not really. Women usually have shorter torsos and longer legs in a comparative sense compared with a man of the same height, so things like shorter top tubes, less reach and so on feature in women's specific bikes. Women on a whole tend to be shorter as well so ranges usually start at much smaller sizes and don't go as large as a normal range might. Cool! Didn't know that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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