How tall is she?

I have two bikes - a Cannondale CAAD 8 and a Trex Lexa. The Lexa is a women's specific design. I love that bike. It is very comfy - I didn't even have to change the saddle (often stock saddles are not great). I can't say that it fits better BECAUSE it is a women's bike, but it's a possibility. I think the best thing you could do is have her involved in the buying process so she can test ride and see what feels good.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
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If your GF has short legs and a long torso, she may fit better on a men's bike.

Most of the women's specific design come with a shorter top tube because women typically have a shorter torso and longer legs than a man of the same height.

HOWEVER, the good thing about WSD bikes is that they come with narrower bars more suited for a women and a saddle that is better suited for a female geometry.

If this is her first bike and her introduction to riding, she may like the geometry of a WSD because it will allow her to be more upright. You won't know until she rides a few bikes. So best bet is to go try bikes. Go to a few shops and try a bunch of different bikes. See what she feels most comfortable on.

And have fun bike shopping! It is one of my favorite things to do! There is nothing like having a new bike to get you out riding!

Quite a few WSD are just men's frames in different colors. Some of those will have narrower bars and a women's saddle, but they are still frames designed for men. And some bike store employees don't know this or they do and are just retrying to a sale. You can look at geometry of the bike to see if it's different than the comparable men's bike. Bikes that have different names are usually different frames, but not always.

Best to get a fit on the bike rather than rely on some guy at a bike store who might just be making crap up :-). A little research on manufactures web sites will provide a lot of info on similarities and differences.

With short legs and a long torso, she should look at the Felt ZW series.

Many thanks for the feedback. I did try to manage this towards my budget, rather than giving her free reign of the shop, but relalise fit wise that does not make sense. I know its a nice colour, but its 3K darling!!.

I like the look of the Felt, right in my budget!.

If your bike shop offers any professional bike fitting I would suggest to your gf to call and see if she can make an appointment. It makes all the difference in the world on comfort and performance. Is your bike shop a Specialized dealer? If so ask if they offer Body Geometry fitting

I have short legs and a long torso. I have two Scott bikes and I find they fit me best. However, I would recommend her trying several different brands out and see what is more comfortable for her. If she is serious about cycling/triathlon then I would recommend a bike fit, but those are expensive. Good luck!

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Aah! This reminds me when my small kid asks me to buy a bike trailer for him. Then I was asking people that you have done here. However, I found solutions and bought a baby bike trailer form him from Booyah Strollers website. Well my suggestion is visit a bike dealer and asks them to show you the ladies bikes and choose yours according to your GF height.

Terry bikes are quite nice. I have a 650c titanium Isis which I really enjoy riding. Georgena Terry is very well regarded in the women's road bike community. I don't believe she designs triathlon bikes, though. http://www.terrybicycles.com/Bikes_2

I agree, I was fitted for my Trek at a local bike shop and am so glad I did. What a difference!