Step through.......loop frames

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Salar

A fish out of water
Location
Gorllewin Cymru
Just wondering,

How many of our male riders ride a step through, loop or mixte frame.

I know they used to be classed as a ladies bike in days gone by, but now we have the Dutch frames, cruisers and lots of e-bikes are step through.

Lots of mtb's verge on the step through too.

They do seem to make sense, even my folder could be classed a step through.

Ease of mount, dismount and no balancing at traffic lights, also good for the not so flexible or "mature" person.

Okay the diamond frame is always considered the strongest, lightest frame, but for a run around load carrier the step through has a lot going for it.
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
Ease of mount, dismount and no balancing at traffic lights, also good for the not so flexible or "mature" person.
See THIS thread for some debate on both sides of the argument.

Not entirely sure about your 'balancing at traffic lights' point? There should be no tricky balancing required with either type of bike unless it is grossly mis-sized for you!
 
OP
OP
Salar

Salar

A fish out of water
Location
Gorllewin Cymru
What I meant about traffic lights is that you can easily stand flat footed, where as on a bike with a horizontal, not a sloping top tube, it's not so easy.

Granted most bikes have sloping top tubes these days, but I still think step throughs have their place for the not so flexible.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I must admit I prefer a full-sized Gents frame bike myself, but I do see some merit in ladies frames for some purposes. Shopping is one benefit, and availability is another factor. There are some perfectly good bikes out there where, for some reason, the ladies version seems far more abundant and cheaper to buy on the secondhand market than the mens. Obviously this benefits smaller blokes most since Ladies frames are generally not made in sizes optimised for 6 ft tall people, but a step-through frame is easier to mount and dismount than a triangle frame if a bulky box/plastic crate etc has been permanently mounted on the rear carrier in order to transport shopping.
 

oldwheels

Legendary Member
Location
Isle of Mull
I have difficulty getting my leg over the saddle and bag on a full size bike without falling over. A “ ladies” type frame makes sense. I use a couple of folders with step through for most use but have recently been given a GTech electric assist which is full size. I get on and off if there is nothing to lean against or a kerb to put one foot on by laying the bike almost flat. Not very elegant but who cares it works.
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
I have a few in my collection - a 60s Batavus, a 1940s Elswick-Hopper, a 70s German mixte. I do ride them, though not all that often. Nothing to do with the image thing, just that I have other bikes I prefer.

For the bargain hunter, or someone after a nice, original vintage bike, they make excellent sense as they are usually cheaper and in better overall condition.

My German mixte is a strange one as despite being all steel components, cheap hi-ten frame, weighs a ton and looks like it was dredged from the harbour, it rides and handles like a lightweight thoroughbred, much to the surprise of anyone who tries it - yet if you put loaded panniers on it it feels like it's made from recycled marshmallows.
 
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SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
tyred said:
For the bargain hunter, or someone after a nice, original vintage bike, they make excellent sense as they are usually cheaper and in better overall condition..

That begs the question:- are ladies frames more available because more ladies buy bikes than men, or because they tend to use them less so they suffer less attrition and more survive in better condition? I see far more male cyclists out on the road than female ones, so in theory mens frames should be more common used - yet actually the opposite seems to be the case.
 

ChrisEyles

Guru
Location
Devon
I don't own one, but I love the loop frame vintage roadsters and would happily ride one of those.

For road bikes I personally prefer a diamond frame with a horizontal top tube. MTBs are all sorts of crazy shapes, some fugly some awesome, but can't think of any modelled on a loop frame as such (would be a cool mis-match of styling though!).
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
That begs the question:- are ladies frames more available because more ladies buy bikes than men, or because they tend to use them less so they suffer less attrition and more survive in better condition? I see far more male cyclists out on the road than female ones, so in theory mens frames should be more common used - yet actually the opposite seems to be the case.

I'm just surmising but if you are talking road or touring bikes, most women who ride long distances seem to ride diamond frames anyway and looking at old photos suggests this was always the case.

For the vintage roadsters, I suspect they were just used less. In days gone by when the Raleigh 3 speed was the main transport of the working class, most girls were married young and stayed at home to look after the kids so probably didn't have reason or opportunity to travel very far whereas the men folk commuted to work and wherever else they wanted to go on theirs.

I remember an elderly neighbour (90+ when he died a few years ago) who told me that he had a cyclometer on his 28" wheeled roadster and that prior to getting his first car (Ford Prefect) he cycled about 5,000 miles per year on average.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
I have difficulty getting my leg over the saddle and bag on a full size bike without falling over. A “ ladies” type frame makes sense. I use a couple of folders with step through for most use but have recently been given a GTech electric assist which is full size. I get on and off if there is nothing to lean against or a kerb to put one foot on by laying the bike almost flat. Not very elegant but who cares it works.
Yep, since snapping my Femur and having 2 major operations to fix it I struggle to 'get my leg over' so unless there's a kerb I lay the bike(s) down to get on, mind I do have 'standover' height on this

DSCN0129.JPG
 

ADarkDraconis

Cardinal Member
Location
Ohio, USA
That begs the question:- are ladies frames more available because more ladies buy bikes than men, or because they tend to use them less so they suffer less attrition and more survive in better condition? I see far more male cyclists out on the road than female ones, so in theory mens frames should be more common used - yet actually the opposite seems to be the case.
You see more male cyclists on the road, so they are out riding their bikes. Maybe many female bike owners decided to give cycling a try and didn't stick with it, leading to the inevitable sit-in-the-garage for the bike and its eventual secondhand resell? Maybe the men's bikes are snapped up quicker when put on sale because of the high percentage of male cyclists, leading it to look like there are more ladies' frames because they do not sell as fast? In my area secondhand sites have mostly 'mens' frames and kids' bikes. I ride a 'mens' frame but that is because the bike I loved was that particular style, I had briefly looked at a step-through but that particular bike didn't fit me well size-wise so I moved on. My old mtb has a slightly downward slope to the top tube a'la 90s 'ladies' style.

I do agree about ease of mounting, though. I was commenting to my brother recently that the lovely trunk bag he had recommended me was not something I could use because with my short legs and bad hip there was a chance I wouldn't be able to make it over the top of the tall rear bag to get on the bike without tipping it over :laugh: He is long legged so he didn't quite get it at first.
 

mikeymustard

Veteran
I do agree about ease of mounting, though. I was commenting to my brother recently that the lovely trunk bag he had recommended me was not something I could use because with my short legs and bad hip there was a chance I wouldn't be able to make it over the top of the tall rear bag to get on the bike without tipping it over :laugh: He is long legged so he didn't quite get it at first.
yes, getting on a bike with my saddle bag on is tricky from a standing start. I find the "postie's" mount and dismount the best way
 

ADarkDraconis

Cardinal Member
Location
Ohio, USA
[QUOTE 5178933, member: 45"]Let's just be clear. A step-through frame isn't a ladies' frame.[/QUOTE]
Sorry, no offence meant. I was replying (with the '' to indicate the poster I quoted's terms, which are a common terminology for them among sellers both new and secondhand) and did specify that I looked at a step-through, although the manufacturer did call that one a WSF :scratch: I ride whatever bike style I like and my genitals do not dictate the frame style, color, or anything else other than maybe the saddle.

If I remember, the bikes that sloped downward on the top tube were originally to give space for voluminous skirts and dresses. Since most folks these days cycle in pants and have forgone the bustles of yore, it is just a habit to break calling them gender-specific frames. Again, I apologize.
 
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