My wife rides the same Giant road bike and Cervelo tri bike as do I, just a smaller size. I have short legs/long torso while she has long legs/short torso so we've fitted ourselves accordingly.

I'm just dissapointed by the fact that a user named "Tri nipples" with a subject heading "Girls on Tri Bikes", is from a dude named Steve.

I was hoping the content was, errrr.... , something a bit different I guess. Oh well. :=)

Women generally have longer legs and shorter torsos which can make them better suited to steep seat angles.

IMO, the only real argument for 650c's is rider size. If your friend is realtively short, say under 5'6, I'd say go for 650's. If 5'6" to 6', you can go either way. If over 6', I would recommend sticking to 700c.

Other things to consider in women's bikes is that they often have a wider space between their pelvic bones (for obvious reasons). Accordingly, women often find wider saddles more comfortable. In some cases, women also prefer a wider Q-factor on their cranks.

Check out the bike picker on this site. With the exceptions already noted in this thread, I would think that most women would simply be a long legged, short torso rider.

Some women must prefer the wider saddles, since there are so many sold, but I personally find the wider ones to be uncomfortable because my hamstrings bang into the wide wings of those saddles on each stroke. So even though I have your average female's hip width, I go for a narrow women's saddle. Mine happens to be made by Wylder, who do women's specific bikes and parts, and I really like it. In my experience, what makes a saddle work for women is how well it handles the softer bits in the front, not the sit bones. FWIW.

You might consider an Aegis Aro. The way they have the seat tube bent back it makes a great geometry to ride a size smaller bike and their top tube is short as well. IMO if the woman is a "pro" she may be competing in draft legal races in which case a "tri" bike might not be the best. Below pic is of my wife's setup...

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I was, now I will tri again!
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Any time is a good time.
God Bless you my friend.

If you read Gale Berhardt's book about Tri for Women, she emphatically states that the build of athletic females is *very* similar to that of athletic males, just scaled down somewhat. That is, she believes that women are NOT long torsoed and short legged when compared to their male counterparts, and cites some studies done on track teams at big Universities to back up her opinion.

Women are as well-suited for steep bikes as men, and the decision to ride steep or shallow can be made on an case-by-case basis. Since we are on average shorter, more women's bikes have 650 wheels.

Some differences that typically do arise have to do with smaller hands, narrower shoulders, and somewhat shorter arms. A little more attention to the cockpit is imperative for a comfy ride. A shorter stem, narrower handlebars, and manageable brake levers make a lot of difference!

The comment about how a seat needs to handle a woman's soft bits correctly, and not her sit bones, is dead on. When on my tri bike, my hips are rotated so far forward that there is no weight on the sit bones...

Hope she finds something she likes.

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Meg.

"That is, she believes that women are NOT long torsoed and short legged when compared to their male counterparts"

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Tom actually said he thought the average female rider would be long legged, short torsoed compared to a male, not the converse.

But anyway, never mind the average, my version definitely is long legged and short torsoed, and we are buying her a bike in the offseason. Any recommendations on brands of road bikes that would likely be a good fit for her? (I checked bikepicker on this site, and the discussion there about long legs/short torso is specifically for riders over 6', and my wife isn't that tall).

I have the same problem with my hamstrings (although I can just tolerate my Terry Butterfly now that it's broken in). Which Wylder saddle are you riding?

Callisto. Very long and narrow, good padding over the nose, titanium rails, high quality saddle. I had problems with the Butterfly causing bruising on the exact tissues it was supposed to protect(!) but I know lots of female riders really like it. I got the Callisto at Wildlfower last year as an event special, but I've seen them in some bike stores and also on Wylder's website.

Sorry about the write-o, I just get tired of reading that women are a priori shaped differently when there's evidence that frame-size-wise women and men are very similar. That is to say, we are proportionately smaller.

I am a big fan of women specific designs, but only when they are necessary, and effective--and definitely not when they result from this seemingly false pretense that women have shorter torsos. Road bikes that are painted pink do not make them women-specific though some companies seem to believe otherwise; maybe they appeal to a more feminine demographic... though, not to me. On the other hand, bike shorts that are cut to fit, seats that are designed to fit, shoes that are designed to fit... those things are awesome because there are tangible differences in our physiques.

Okay, so for bikes...
If she is as strong a rider as you indicate it's probably not a bad idea to go to a bike store and try on a few bikes with a knowledgeable sales person. Personally, as someone looking for a first bike with internet access and some time, I went to the typical tri-bike players (Quintana Roo, Cervelo etc.) and looked at the bike geometries. I, too, have longer legs and and a shorter torso so I wanted to make sure that I steered away from those companies that had above average top-tube lengths (say Trek, LeMond). For what it's worth I was quite pleased with the fit on my Tequilo.

I know that bike fit is very important for comfort, power and injury prevention. At the same time, when Cervelo sponsored CSC, they didn't need to make each guy on the team a custom frame. They just tailored the stock bikes to fit the riders. For your partner, try choosing a bike that looks promising and budget for seat post, stem and/or handle bar upgrades.

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Meg.