bikeman66
Senior Member
- Location
- Isle of Wight
Hi all,
Since going off to university and meeting a couple of friends who cycle a fair bit, my daughter has decided she wants to get more involved. She has her cheap mountain bike at uni with her as a get around hack, but wants to start road cycling more seriously.
She has access to her brothers old Carrera TDF, which is a 54cm frame. She is 170cm tall and the Carrera appears to be perhaps at the higher end of ideal for size. I think a 52 or 53cm might be slightly better for her. She also struggles to operate the brakes with total confidence due to the lever reach. My son removed the rubber reach adjuster shims on the levers and lost them, but I'm not entirely sure the few mm's of difference they would make would be enough anyway. Perhaps my daughter just has smaller than average hands, but I'd really like to find an adjustment or a lever that is more suited to her.
She is also looking around at new entry level women's specific bikes, with a maximum budget of about £700.00. Admittedly,I am somewhat ignorant of the technicalities of women's bikes, so is it just the frame geometry etc that is designed more for a female, or do some come with shorter reach levers etc. Obviously, we would prefer not to buy a new bike and find the lever reach is still a major issue.
My daughter has picked out a couple of bikes she likes, one Scott and a Fuji. The Scott Contessa Speedster 45 is within budget but at £650 I would perhaps expect to see a better groupset than 8 speed Claris. The Fuji is around £450 and to be honest, has a spec to suit that price bracket.
I have spotted an Avanti Giro 2 Women's 2016 on Wiggle, which is currently available in the right size at £504.00 (reduced from £749.00 I think). It has the upgraded Tiagra 10 speed group, and standard issue aluminium frame, carbon fork combo. Looks a decent enough bike to me, and better value than the Scott.
If there is anyone out there who can give us some advice on the adjustability or componentry choices or even complete bike recommendations within the £700-ish budget for ladies (especially where brake/gear levers are concerned) I would be most grateful. Thank you.
Since going off to university and meeting a couple of friends who cycle a fair bit, my daughter has decided she wants to get more involved. She has her cheap mountain bike at uni with her as a get around hack, but wants to start road cycling more seriously.
She has access to her brothers old Carrera TDF, which is a 54cm frame. She is 170cm tall and the Carrera appears to be perhaps at the higher end of ideal for size. I think a 52 or 53cm might be slightly better for her. She also struggles to operate the brakes with total confidence due to the lever reach. My son removed the rubber reach adjuster shims on the levers and lost them, but I'm not entirely sure the few mm's of difference they would make would be enough anyway. Perhaps my daughter just has smaller than average hands, but I'd really like to find an adjustment or a lever that is more suited to her.
She is also looking around at new entry level women's specific bikes, with a maximum budget of about £700.00. Admittedly,I am somewhat ignorant of the technicalities of women's bikes, so is it just the frame geometry etc that is designed more for a female, or do some come with shorter reach levers etc. Obviously, we would prefer not to buy a new bike and find the lever reach is still a major issue.
My daughter has picked out a couple of bikes she likes, one Scott and a Fuji. The Scott Contessa Speedster 45 is within budget but at £650 I would perhaps expect to see a better groupset than 8 speed Claris. The Fuji is around £450 and to be honest, has a spec to suit that price bracket.
I have spotted an Avanti Giro 2 Women's 2016 on Wiggle, which is currently available in the right size at £504.00 (reduced from £749.00 I think). It has the upgraded Tiagra 10 speed group, and standard issue aluminium frame, carbon fork combo. Looks a decent enough bike to me, and better value than the Scott.
If there is anyone out there who can give us some advice on the adjustability or componentry choices or even complete bike recommendations within the £700-ish budget for ladies (especially where brake/gear levers are concerned) I would be most grateful. Thank you.
